mullerunlimited

Thanks Paul. Just bought a new battery. Only 60 quid, so it can't do any harm. Going to fit it after the rugby!

My multimeter is rubbish, so I can't actually tell the battery voltage accurately (in fact I don't know how to tell dc voltage!). There is however a massive drop on the meter when I turn the key. It's playing silly buggers again btw - not starting. I tried a BSI reset, but that hasn't worked. So I guess it must be the battery.

Many thanks Paul. That all makes sense. Will check "cold" voltage tomorrow morning (and alternator after starting). Cheers again. Mark

Hi John, I'll check the voltage tomorrow as well as the connections, but because it is so intermittent, I would have thought all of that is ok (surely it would happen more often if any of those were the cause??).

Hi, I have just registered as a new member, so please forgive me if I am posting in the wrong area! I have a 2004 Xsara Picasso 1.6 Desire (petrol) and recently have been experiencing intermittent starting problems. The symptoms are a flat battery, but I am pretty sure it's not the battery. There are no warning lights. On a couple of occasions, when I have gone to start the car (usually on a Monday morning), the starter cranks very slowly and then not at all (as I said, symptoms of a flat battery). The trouble is, bump starting doesn't work either and, furthermore, weird electrical things happen at the same time: Wipers wipe once and stop in the upright position; headlights flash on; CD player plays and multi display defaults to date - all of this at the same time as the initial crank. It then (after a few attempts at bump starting) starts. On one occasion, by bump starting (after which it ran very rough for a minute or two) and on another simply on the key turn. There doesn't appear to be any consistency in the patterns, but it is doing my head in. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! PS I fairly recently replaced the COM2000 unit which, by all accounts was successful (this because my indicator was stopping halfway through turns and switching the headlights on instead!) and also via DiagBox I have activated the CD changer port of my head unit. Haven't fiddled with anything else... honest!!