Sluggish Starter, Dim Lights When Indicating

[xantiagreen]

Hi, since buying the car 2 wks ago I thought it was normal for the car to crank sluggishly but when the car went to the local citroen mechanic he explained that it could be a worn starter, under powered battery or both ( battery is a 72Amp 640A)

which is the recommended type. 

 

I searched forums and found that the fault is most probably worn/damaged cabling from altenator/starter to battery, I'm told that the positive cable gets very hot after starting and damages the cabling/wire. I had my xantia running during the day but both cables - + were cold to the touch, what type of battery cabling would I need how thick what rating and so on from battery to started via altenator and so on.

 

 

Thanks

[paul.h]

Check that all the connections are clean including the battery and starter, especially the earth points and a cable from the engine/gearbox (or where ever it is) that connects them to the body/battery negative lead. To check the cable for hot spots it should be done immediately after trying to start the car when the current flow to the starter has just occurred. Any car accessory shop will sell the cables so should be able to advise.

 

Check the battery is fully charged, should be 12.5 to 12.7 volts without the engine running. On the starter, it could possibly be the carbon brushes are worn down, a dirty commutator, bad contacts in the solenoid switch.

[Johndouglas]

If the indicator lights are dim with the engine running, in addition to checking the battery before starting, also check it a few minutes after starting.   As Paul said, it should be 12.5/12.7, and with the engine running around 14.5