bluetoaster Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Hi, I have a 1994 fiat ducato swift royale 590 Motorhome, I have just changed the battery for a new one . No the engine will not start, it is trying to turn over but not firing up. Can anybody help me., thanks Bluetoaster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnerontheroad Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Is the battery fully charged? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Check and clean all the contacts on the distribution board that is normally located over the battery. These are often the cause of problems and in this case will have been disturbed when you changed the battery. Good luck and do let us know how you get on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 When you say trying to turn over what do you mean? Is it spinning it over quickly enough to fire up? If not suspect firstly anything you have touched, like the two terminals for cleanliness and security, then the earth strap where it joins the engine/gearbox. One good way to check is by touching each terminal and earth point to feel for heat after or with the starter running as heat is a sure sign of electrical resistance caused by loose or dirty contact. If it is spinning over fast enough but not firing have you altered anything since it last ran? Just because a battery is new does not always mean it is a] good or b] fully charged so it might just need a charge up to right itself? What were the symptoms of the old battery failing because just maybe it has not failed after all and you have another issue - most likely either the earth or a bad connection somewhere - try the heat test but be careful of burning your fingers as poor battery connections can get very hot under starter loads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluetoaster Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 Hi, There is enough power and it is spinning, It is just not starting the engine. what is an earth strap, and where does it lead from and to? I had to call the breakdown out last week because my battery was dead, he told me it was the battery so I bought a new on. LEE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 bluetoaster - 2013-11-09 4:55 PM There is enough power and it is spinning, It is just not starting the engine. what is an earth strap, and where does it lead from and to? I had to call the breakdown out last week because my battery was dead, he told me it was the battery so I bought a new one. If it is spinning fast enough and there is enough power the battery and starter motor sound fine it is unlikely to be a bad earth or contact and so it may well be another issue. Can we assume that you have enough diesel in the tank and that it does not need bleeding to purge air from having run too low or out of fuel? Did the breakdown guy get it started and did it run and sound OK - if so it should run OK now unless something else has been changed? If you are unaware of what an earth strap is and does perhaps it would be better to call the breakdown man again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluetoaster Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 No the breakdown guy did not get it started he tried but no joy. thats when he said it was the battery LEE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Sounds like he couldn't be bothered I would have thought he would have put some jump leads on to get it running & check it was running OK, so may not have been the battery. Original battery could have just been flat from you turning the engine over too long when trying to start it. As Rich says if you don't know what an earth strap is you really should get some professional help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 bluetoaster - 2013-11-09 5:23 PM No the breakdown guy did not get it started he tried but no joy. thats when he said it was the battery What kind of a breakdown guy comes along and says you have a flat battery and because of this he can't start it? Did he not have jump leads etc? Isn't the whole raison d'etre of a breakdown company to get you going when you breakdown? I hope I never meet him in an hour of need! Or is there some other as yet undiscovered reason why it won't fire up? With a diesel engine, assuming nothing is broken, it is either fuel or battery faults that prevent it from starting so if it ain't the one it must be t'other for whatever reason? When it last started, did it run OK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluetoaster Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 He did try to jump start it with a jump start box thing but didnt start LL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Cole Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Hi, Just a thought, If your engine is fitted with an immobilizer, it is possible that the key code is not being recognized since the battery was disconnected. What warning lights have you got on the dash? my old Peugot van had a orange key symbol that lights up then goes out after a few seconds, if this stays on then the fuel solenoid will remain closed and no fuel will get to the engine. It may be worth disconnecting the battery again, make sure terminals are clean, a good connection is vital leave disconnected for half to allow any residual and voltage to dissipate from the ECU hour then reconnect and try again. hope this helps, Geoff C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 bluetoaster - 2013-11-09 5:38 PM He did try to jump start it with a jump start box thing but didnt start LL Hardly surprising probably OK for starting a petrol engine but diesels need a lot more power, a couple of years ago I had alternator problem on a Sedona AA guy connected jump leads and left his engine running for 15 min before even attempting to start my car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 We had a similar problem to you on our last motorhome. We suspected an earth fault so cleaned all that up first but it made no difference. All I can tell you is that I cleaned all the terminals on the board I've already mentioned and the problem went away. I have no idea why or which terminal it was that caused the problem. I simply cleaned them all and the problem was cured. Just to make sure when we got home I cleaned them again with a contact cleaner and protector spray and the problem simply never came back. QED as we used to say when I was at school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Sleepy van syndrome strikes again?............but at least its turning over so it cant be anything major ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southender Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 The breakdown man came tried and failed so he gave up ? Fat lot of use he was get a proper one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
granddad Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 hi what about glo plugs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluetoaster Posted November 10, 2013 Author Share Posted November 10, 2013 Hi all I have just had another go at this today, my neighbour came out to have a look, immediately he said glow plugs, he sprayed some quick start down the air intake pipe and it started straight away. I left it running then stopped it and then tried to start it up again, it fired up straight away. So I will have to get 4 new glow plugs sometime. Thanks everyone for all your help. LEE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Well done Lee for sorting it and well done Dave for suggesting glo plugs in the first place! So it was something broken after all and not a battery problem after all! The inestimable value of discussion on the forum shines through again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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