Difficult to start, even with new battery, good charching etc

[marp68]

Hi
Winter here inSweden when I noticed a starting problem.

When it was very cold it didn't start, not even cranked the engine. So I thought it was the battery which was rather old. The strange things was that it didn't even cranked the engine with some help from another car battery with the engine running on that car. Not even a change in the engine speed of the other car. As if it didn't have contact. After checking contact with no results, I gave up.

I warmed up the engine with a electrical cable. Then it started right away. I had a repair shop checking the battery and charging. As I thought, the battery was bad, so I changed that. The charging etc was okej though.

Next day, still cold outside, it started, but on first on the third heavy crank. It didn't seem right. The car repair shop agreed with me, but only had time to check the obvious things and didnät find anything. They just suggested that something else put to much load on the electrical system while starting the engine.

Now we had a few degrees above zero, but when starting the car today it still paused before cranking heavy and slow before starting. Or almost not starting.

Does anyone know where I can start investigating? Sorry for my bad English.

It's a Nissan Micra 2004 in good condition

 

[James]

wait for a cold day when car will not crank over, then warm up ONLY THE STARTER MOTOR.
try to crank again.
if this fixes the problem then it is most likely to be the starter relay, this is a device on the side of the starter motor that takes a small signal current and uses it to power a coil. this in turn pulls together a large "switch" that energises the motor from the battery directly with a much larger cable.

It may be cost effective to just change the starter motor if the above check proves correct rather than trying to repair it.

 

[Marvo]

I had a car with similar symptoms many years ago and it turned out to be the starter motor. I can't remember if it was the starter electrical windings breaking down or an internal mechanical probem but I do remember that after trying two new batteries and remaking the earth terminations which made no difference, replacing the starter motor eventually fixed it.

Edit
Your English is pretty damn good by the way, better than mine I suspect.....

 

[marp68]

wait for a cold day when car will not crank over, then warm up ONLY THE STARTER MOTOR.
try to crank again.
if this fixes the problem then it is most likely to be the starter relay, this is a device on the side of the starter motor that takes a small signal current and uses it to power a coil. this in turn pulls together a large "switch" that energises the motor from the battery directly with a much larger cable.

It may be cost effective to just change the starter motor if the above check proves correct rather than trying to repair it.

Thanks, will try to do that. But I would have to unmount the starter engine to warm it up inside, right? Would it be possible to measure the current or something to find out weather it's wrong or not?

 

[marp68]

I had a car with similar symptoms many years ago and it turned out to be the starter motor. I can't remember if it was the starter electrical windings breaking down or an internal mechanical probem but I do remember that after trying two new batteries and remaking the earth terminations which made no difference, replacing the starter motor eventually fixed it.

Edit
Your English is pretty damn good by the way, better than mine I suspect.....

Thanks, seems like it could something wrong with the starter. Will start there.
Hahah, yeah, sure, but thanks

 

[marp68]

Found this tutorial about the starter relays on a Nissan Micra K12 when the engine is not cranking.

 

[marp68]

I also read about oil viscosity. If it's to old, it could get to thick and heavy when it's cold outside. The repair shop didn't think that was the problem though.

 

[Timbo]

Hahah, yeah, sure, but thanks

I wouldn't know where to start with Swedish!
I have 4 nephews and 2 nieces that are half Italian, and I think your english is easily as good as theirs.

 

[UNG]

Have you checked that the earth strap / lead to the engine is in good condition, have seen quite a lot of engine starting problems caused by a failing or broken earth to the engine