Hi all. New here. I got a few problems with my 1998 1.9 D will appreciate any help.

1. Car batteries keep dying on me after 1 year of use (approx.). I changed 3 in the past 2 years. The mechanic said he measured the voltages and everything seems to be fine with my car. Usually the first cell of the battery dies (the one close to the negative side). I used one 66 Ah and two 75Ah car batteries. I also noticed that when I start my car, the contacts on the battery get little warm, and if it doesn't start from the first try (winter) it gets pretty hot after few tries. They also get hot while normal city driving. Is the car pooling too much power from the battery? What to check? I have car stereo with blaupunkt power amp and subwoofer, but rarely listening loud music at all.

2. For the last 3 years I always hear some weird clicking / clumping noise that seems to come from the front left side of the car. It's especially noticeable when the weather is cold. It can be heard when the car is decelerating i.e. press the accelerator in 2nd gear and release it. The mechanic said this is a very common problems for the MK2 Felicias and can't really be fixed.

Thanks.

Edited 18 November, 201015 yr by ARMac

the 2nd would be a relay clicking in the fuse box (up under the dash under the glove box), most likely caused by a loose connection or bad wire somewhere. for me it was the connection where yellow cable meets starter motor.

edit: get a new mechanic? :wonder:

Edited 18 November, 201015 yr by J242

Do you have some sort of switch installed fro the sub - they tend to be connected straight to the battery and that will drain it quicker, with consequently more recharging wearing it out quicker. The battery itself getting a little warm when starting doesn't sound too unusual, since the starter draws a lot of current, but giving the terminals and leads a good clean to ensure there's no unnecessary resistance there certainly wouldn't do any harm.

As well as the fuse/relay box, there's also the EGR solenoid and idle boost valve on the n/s of the engine bay which could be worth investigating for 'electrical'-sounding clicks - it's easy to use a long screwdriver as a crude stethoscope to isolate the particular part that's making the noise. If however it's more of a 'clunk' and only happens when accelerating/decelerating/turning then there's a fair chance it could be suspension-related or possibly the n/s gearbox mounting

If the contacts (particularly the red/positive/supply one) are getting hot, check their joints to the relevant cables. Any competent mechanic should have tried this, but I'm always suspicious of anyone who uses the "they're all like that guv' " reply to a fault report.