Have had difficulty starting my Mondeo today. On cranking there is a loud clicking noise which seems to come from glovebox area when sitting in the car.
Eventually car starts and then runs well. Serviced only recently and new plugs/leads. Weird thing however is that as car is trying to start the the windscreen wipers move across the screen (even though not turned on) and the central locking seems to be activating.
I've been out tonight and the lights are dimming on cranking the engine, but would a failing battery account for the wipers and central locking activating on their own?? As far as I'm aware the car has the original battery (car now 6 years old).
All help appreciated.
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It probably is your battery. You could check that the battery terminals are tight. Why not connect some jump leads from another car? If this solves the problem then it confirms the battery.
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Bad earth somewhere. From memory there are some earth connections near the fusebox behind glovebox (all BROWN).Check battery connections first and as Pete says try jumping from another car but be careful and decisive as you connect the leads, always earth ON last and OFF first.
Andrew
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Simplicate and add lightness!!
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If your battery is on it's way out, it'll suffer a voltage drop when cranking. This'll push up the current, and a dodgy earth will cause problems.
A new battery should be able to sustain 12 volts on cranking and hence will use less current.
This is a very hypothetical explanation, but it would fit what you're seeing. Also, I assumed the lights dim on any car if you try to crank the engine.
Finally, if you try charging the battery, do not reconnect the terminal leads or try cranking immediately afterwards. Charging produces hydrogen, which tends to explode if sparked - and the inside of a battery is just about exactly where you'd expect one.
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Thanks for replies. I jump started the car today and it started first time. Therefore drove to get new battery (excellent value Bosch batteries at Costco by the way) and fitted. Car now starting perfectly. Hopefully this will be the end to the problem.
Once again, thanks for the help.
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Woo-hoo! I think this is my first post ever where my comments have been helpful to someone else. :P
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Your comments have probably always been helpful but a lot of people don't post back as to how they got on with the advice. I've had great help from this forum, but unfortunately can only rarely give any advice back.
It would be an even better forum, I feel, if people came back to tell us whether any advice given had solved the problem.
Andy.
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All this talk of earthing points reminds me that I would like to check the ECU earth point on my 1.8 Mondeo (P reg Mk 1). I know it is on the offside inner wing but it is obscured by the PAS reservoir which I can't shift. Is there a secret catch/latch that I'm missing?
What I'm trying to rectify is a hesitancy at low throttle openings (ie 30 in fourth on flat road) which occurs after approx 1/2 mile from cold start up and disappears after a further 1/2 to 3/4 mile as engine warms up. Performance ok after this initial problem.
Any clues please?
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