coffeekid Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 Car has not been used for about 2 monthsJust tried to start it but to no avail.Its a 2018 360sWhen I turn ignition on I can hear fuel pump priming. Press starter button - can hear starter motor etc trying to start but the engine doesnt fire up.Any suggestions? (obviously the best suggestion is drive the car more often)Thank in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rj Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 There's a lot of tests to do, the first thing I'd test if the car has been left unloved is the Throttle Pot.No signal = no spark and no squirt.The crank position sensor could also have failed, but I would think this is less likely, but you could always check the connector.If the fuel pump is priming it can't be the ECU fuse. Which ECU has it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Vine Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 How good is the battery? Does it spin the starter with no problem or only sluggishly? If the latter, the voltage at the ECU during cranking may be too low. Can you try jump leads from another vehicle?JV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazio Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 As John said try the simple stuff first - battery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeekid Posted November 12, 2018 Author Share Posted November 12, 2018 Currently on the charger - hopefully that sorts it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrightpayne Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 I had this on my K a few years ago. Then I remembered I’d disconnected the coil and crank sensor. Fired first time once connected!Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rj Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 Crap engine Ian. It should work without was it a proper engine. Or... ?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Vine Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Currently on the charger...Do you use a conditioning charger to keep the battery up to scratch whenever the car's off the road for a while?JV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Mason Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 I have been lazy in this regard and have on a few occssions recently ended up having to bump start the car which is a) embarrassing and b) results in me and SWMBO having a barney as I invariably become irritable as I've pushed the car down the road and she doesn't drop the clutch to my liking.......resulting in me having to push again! In order to prevent further matrimonial issues, car is now sat in the garage on its conditioner. It doesn't take long (I have a small battery) to lose enough through parasitic loss of the immobiliser to have enough to turn over but not enough to fire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rj Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Paul,If your battery is lead-based this will soon kill it. Even most AGM batteries don't like to be deep-cycled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Mason Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Yeah, I've learned my lesson and am now going to keep it conditioned. There's nothing worse than your neighbours seeing you having to push your pride and joy sports car down the road to start it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7 wonders of the world Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 If not the battery after being stood for that period of time its not uncommon to have the inlets valves held slightly off their seats with gum caused by modern unleaded fuels, symptoms are the engine spins over very fast due to the lack of compression, keep cranking with full throttle and as the compression builds it will pop the valves shut, build full compression and away she will go.Budget supermarket fuels seem to be the worst offenders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeekid Posted November 14, 2018 Author Share Posted November 14, 2018 So.....checked the voltages of the battery 12.42v dropping to 9.1v during cranking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim 123 Posted November 14, 2018 Share Posted November 14, 2018 Is the imobiliser disengaging. They can sometimes need resetting if the battery goes flat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue C7 Posted November 14, 2018 Share Posted November 14, 2018 I think a lot of us leave our cars unused for a while and a lot of them have a parasitic load which drains the battery. I don’t like long term use of a conditioner so have fitted a battery isolates and have never had a battery problem in 8 years of owning my car. I would think this would solve a lot of the problems owners have. Just my thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Gregory Posted November 14, 2018 Share Posted November 14, 2018 I whole-heartedly agree with Blue C7. Mine is an ex-race car & has a battery isolation switch fitted, my Banner battery is over 10 yrs old with no problems. I normally charge it, using an old-fashioned charger, for a couple of hours in the Spring before the first start-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Vine Posted November 14, 2018 Share Posted November 14, 2018 I don’t like long term use of a conditioner...Interesting. Any special reason? A bad experience, perhaps?(I have an FIA master switch, but I also use an Optimate conditioner.)JV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthonym Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 I don’t bother with an optimiser either. For years it was because she was in a trailer with no power available and now it’s just a habit. Apparently the shelf life is two years, so seems to me six months should be fine. Usually this is ok, sometimes starts in May, but these days I put it on charge first as she doesn’t.t like the old petrol. I usually give the plugs a clean too, or replace them just because. I do disconnect via FIA switch. Immobilisera disconnected. Also we are in a very dry environment as regards humidity.Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collidog Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 Used Optimate 3 on motorcycles for years, plugged in all year round. Had the Seven plugged in to the same charger since ownership in July, no issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeekid Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 New battery installed, sorted the problem - started first time - thanks to all who helped Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Vine Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Thanks for the feedback. Glad to hear it's sorted. Do you plan to use a conditioning charger from now on?JV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeekid Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 Haha - absolutely. Ctek conditioner already purchased. Lesson learnt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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