Hi there,

I have an 05 Octavia 1.9TDi, a great car....until today. I was out in it earlier and no problems. Got home and then went to go out again and the car would not start. I'm hoping someone can give me some advice as to what to try (before I ring the garage and have it towed)

When I insert the key and turn it to the first position all the lights come on as usual (though occassionally they flicker or take a second to appear at all!). When I go to turn the key to start the car I get a rapid clicking sound which appears to be coming from the fuse box by the engine and the last time I tried it, the clicking first came from the fuse box in the dash and then from the engine.

I have checked the battery and it is fine - 12.6V and I have checked all the fuses that sounded like they had something to do with starting the car and none of them appear to be blown.

Is there anything else I can try?

Thanks

Brik

Sounds like a relay clicking, so it might be faulty.

Jump start it, the clicking relay is usually a sign the battery hasn't got enough juice to crank the engine.

It might have 12.6v on it at rest but I bet it won't have when its trying to crank the engine.

EDIT: my 2.0TDI did precisely the same thing when I left the radio and some 12v accessories on all day, one jump start later and all fine, your battery might be getting a bit tired and could need replacing.

Thanks, when find jump leads I'll try that (need another car too!) But as I was out in the car only 20minutes beforehand it started and ran perfectly, would that not mean the battery is OK? I haven't a clue that's why I'm asking.

Only 20 minutes? :confused:

You would think it would start propery after such a short period of time. The clicking relay is usually caused by too low a voltage on startup.

Try a jump start or a booster pack if availalbe and see what happens :thumbdwn:

Presumably you had no prior warnings that the battery wasn't being charged or anything?

If you jump start the car and get it running put your volt meter acrass the battery and you should see just over 14v when charging. The other thing to check if you have any bad connections to the starter IE the exciter wire or earth wires.

It might also be prudent to check the actual battery connections are tight, a poor connection will cause untold grief. Also check the copper cabling isnt corroded where it meets the battery connection lugs.

Car is really messing with my head now!

Tried it again and on about 2nd or 3rd try the car started so ran it for a while checked charge across battery (14.6 so alternator ok) and then when turned it off.

Now, it wont start again!:confused:

Sounds more and more like a dodgy connection somewhere :thumbdwn:

You could have a corroded/loose connection somewhere in the engine bay.

Check the battery connections and cables, check the starter motor connections and cables. Failing that, it could be a dodgy starter motor.

My dad's Volvo 240 used to do that and a wallop with a hammer on the starter motor got it going, IIRC it was a sticky solenoid.

Try measuring the voltages while cranking (oor missus ) and try measuring them at different points in the circuit (be careful that nothing's in the way if the car starts !!!). The battery will always show 12V if its good but if there is a faulty connection, you will have to measure at or after that connection to see a drop.

If your battery connections are corroded (look for crystals around the connectors), disconnect them (remove earth 1st then +ve, replace +ve first then earth) and clean the connectors and the battery terminals with wire wool or a wire brush. Before you put them back, cover the connectors and the terminals with petroleum jelly (Vaseline) and this should minimise the risk of it happening again.

I hate intermittent faults too because you know that when you take them to the stealers they won't be able to find anything

D

Thanks for all the help! I know I am going to get slagged for asking this, but where is the starter motor?? Is it under the battery as it is in the VW Jetta and Golf? Wanted to check before I start removing things.

Cheers!

On my 2.0 TDi you can see the starter motor quite easily but you may need to remove some bits to get full access to it. Stood in front of the car, it's to your right, underneath the air intake and air filter which would have to be removed to get full acess. To be honest, it's probably easier to work from underneath the car but you'll have to remove the sump guard. If you get stuck, look for the engine/gearbox interface, the starter motor is normally in that area, mind you Citroen do a combined alternator/starter motor on some of their cars so I could be talking complete bolx :eek:

This is one of those jobs where crocodile clips come in handy.

As to being slagged, this is a Skoda forum, do you think we care

D

It would also be wise to disconnect the negative lead from the battery before undertaking any investigation under the bonnet. The starter motor is an individual component, the alternator is over on the left of the engine block on the aux belt.

If you do venture under the car don't forget to be 100% sure the car cannot roll. It might be wise to chock the wheels along with the handbrake+ in gear

Thanks, when find jump leads I'll try that (need another car too!) But as I was out in the car only 20minutes beforehand it started and ran perfectly, would that not mean the battery is OK? I haven't a clue that's why I'm asking.

Batteries can fail with very little warning. If you are cleaning and checking the leads, fi you do grease them, do it *after* reconnecting. The grease is an insulator- the only reason to apply it is to keep moisture out.

Edited 4 April, 200917 yr by cjb

Thanks to everyone for all the advice.

Couldn't find anything wrog so called AA (pay for them anyway, so why not!) and the guy said that while the battery was holding its charge and appeared to be charging from the alternator, it failed a battery test as it would not deliver the stored charge! This does not make sense to me, but maybe it does to someone else?

Anyway, they have told me I need a new battery so I am going to get the AA to do it (even though it will cost a little more) as if they got the diagnosis wrong, I will have some come back.

Thanks to everyone for all the advice.

Couldn't find anything wrog so called AA (pay for them anyway, so why not!) and the guy said that while the battery was holding its charge and appeared to be charging from the alternator, it failed a battery test as it would not deliver the stored charge! This does not make sense to me, but maybe it does to someone else?

Anyway, they have told me I need a new battery so I am going to get the AA to do it (even though it will cost a little more) as if they got the diagnosis wrong, I will have some come back.

Sounds pretty right to me - a battery is supposed to hold a whole lot of electricity (charge), but sometimes their capacity to store is reduced (old age, cold temperatures, being completely flattened, mechanical internal faults are the common causes). Sounds like yours could store a small amount, but not enough to start your engine (it takes a lot of power to turn an engine over fast enough to start).

I'd be pretty comfortable getting a new battery based on what you've been told.

My mkI (bought when it was 5 years old) only ever failed to start once in the

4 years & 110k I owned it for.

AA came out, tested battery & declared dud, replaced, never had another problem.

So fingers crossed that your new battery will solve it

cheers ... Darren