C5 Starting Problem

[Guest mickwindy]

c5 on 03 plate, struggled to turn over as if the battery flat, i checked the battery terminals , disconnected then connected then when i try to turn over, the dash lights come on as usual but nothing from engine at all, the batttery has plenty life and also tried a jump pack but still nothing, the on screen message i am getting now is it is in economy mode, can anyone shed any light on where i start to figure fault, it has struggled to start in the past occasionally as if the battery getting flat but then when i tried to turn engine over again it would start no problem, any help appreciated, someone told me it sounds like the starter motor, is there any way i can detect this

[paul.h]

Economy mode is a feature to prevent the battery going flat by switching off things like the radio and internal lights if they have been on for more than about 15 minutes. It is reset by starting the engine. Just ignore this.

 

To start the engine, it needs a minimum rpm on the starter so if the battery is poor, say less than about 12.5 to 12.3 volts, it will not start.

 

I have tried a 900 amp jump start device on our 2.2 hdi when the battery has been low and it does not have enough power in it to get it going, however, jump starting off another car works.

 

Given the car's and probably battery's age, I would suspect the battery needs replacing. Euro car parts are competitive on price. First measure the battery voltage and if low, either charge it up, jump start off another car (or AA/RAC/Green Flag), or replace. If it is 12.5 to 12.7 volts, then check the earth connections are ok before suspecting the starter motor.