Hi all,
I have a problem with my '98 1.8 zetec focus, I went to start it the other day and instead of cranking, it just clicks rapidly for however long I hold the ignition on the crank position.
I assumed this was a battery issue (I hadn't used the car for over a week, in which time we had very cold weather) so purchased a portable jump starter and tried starting with this attached but the same thing still happens.
I'm currently very much stationary!
can anyone help?
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Hi,
There's a possibility that your battery is drained already whether jumper or not. Unless thats a new battery it might be high time to buy a new battery. Questions, is it no maintenance battery or the liquid battery? What do you see on your control panels when you start? do you see the lights go out temporarily once you turn your key around to start? If the lights on the dashboard, specifically where the warning lights come out, don't even flicker, there's a chance that your ignition switch key part might be checked for loose parts inside it or you may have to check or replace your car's starter.
This what i know having owned previously a ford as well.
Thanks, hope this helps.
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try giving it a shove then go for a 30 minute blag,that should cure it
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try giving it a shove
Watch you don't damage the catalytic convertor by bump starting. If the engine doesn't fire straight away you'll pump unburnt fuel into the exhaust and when it does eventually fire up.... oops too late.
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Dynamic Dave is right. Never ever do that, the catalytic converter will be damaged.
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Just a thought; how long did you run it for the last time you used it?
I got home from work today to see Mrs From Next Door pulling up in my wife's car! The reason was she couldn't start her Mazda 6 but needed to collect Nipper Next Door from nursery, so borrowed it.
The background?
Over the weekend, her husband changed a headlight bulb and to gain access had to remove a panel from the wheel arch. To do this he ran the engine for all of 5 seconds from a cold start whilst he twirled over to full steering lock. I know this, as we were nattering at the time, so explained to Mrs Next Door that my money was on the ECU's catalyst protection regime, for want of a better description, preventing fuelling. "Try a long crank with foot on the floor. You won't flood the engine as the computer is stopping fuelling but you will help vent it out". She didn't, and called the AA, who gave a gert great crank with foot on the floor! The engine of course started fine once the overfuelling from the weekend had been cleared.
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