1999 Corsa 1.2 16v Ecotec not starting - HELP!

[dandadan]

What voltage reading are you getting off the battery?

You could do a voltage drop test to see if its a bad ground or wire from the battery to the starter!

As for the idle issue, check your breathers, TPS, ICV and intake pipes etc!! Clean them all see if it makes a difference

[corsabscotty33]

Okay so update number 2 - changed the battery as previously stated but now after a few days the problem has come back so I'm thinking now that it is more than likely a problem with the alternator, a bad earth or a combination of the two. :/

[johnny]

Put a multimeter on the battery while off and at idle

Off should be very close to 12v and at idle you should have 14.4V if you don't get 14 its a bad alternator

[corsabscotty33]

So I've just thrown a multimeter across the battery terminals - ignition off the battery reads around 13.5v and with the car idling (albeit at like 1000 rpm) it shows a reading of about 14.5v there or thereabouts. I did charge the battery for like 2.5 hours as it was dead again so that would explain the over charge (which I have now syphoned off by having the lights on for about 5 minutes) but this is just bizarre - obviously the alternator is charging as I'm getting the required 14 and a half or so volts when it is ticking over at idle speed. I'm now officially confused as hell :/

[Blackie_No1]

Check all the earth points around the engine bay, iirc there is one to one of the top bolts on the gearbox bell housing. I'd remove them one by one, clean them up with a bit of emery paper and connect them again and see if that makes any difference.

[corsabscotty33]

Okay so all the earth points seem fine, I have cleaned up all the earths I can see and also covered them with a liberal amount of petroleum jelly to prevent corrosion but it is still not starting off the key. I've even took the liberty of trying to start it with my spare key but I get the same results - just a click from the starter when turning the key to the third position.

This is a brand new battery - The voltage across the poles is higher than usual at 13.15v when ignition is off, when the electrical system is loaded with no ignition the voltage drops to 12.2v, whilst trying to turn the engine over the voltage drops to 12.2v. When the engine is idling, the voltage shows 14.62, increasing the RPM to around 2k with no load on the system shows 14.58v, with the electrical system loaded at 2k rpm it shows 14.24v and none of the battery terminals, earth points, alternator connectors nor starter connections show any signs of excessive heat after running the engine for 5 minutes.

I am seriously sat here scratching my head now.

[Blackie_No1]

Did you mention you changed the starter?

[corsabscotty33]

Did you mention you changed the starter?

Yeah I did although it was a starter from a scrap yard but I can't see the starter being an issue seeing as I was having the exact same problem with the old one and I have had it starting with both starter motors

[Blackie_No1]

But it's still clicking yea?

[corsabscotty33]

But it's still clicking yea?

Correct my friend! I was thinking, could it be a fault with the ignition barrel or terminals for the ignition barrel?

[Blackie_No1]

From what your telling me it sounds like there is not enough power getting to the starter.

Have you checked the voltage to the starter?

[corsabscotty33]

The voltage across the battery drops to around 12.2v when trying to crank the engine but the other starter did the exact same thing - just a click. The reason I was wondering about the ignition was, and I'm not sure if this could be related but whenever I try to turn the key in the barrel and it doesn't start I have to remove the key and reinsert it once I have turned the key back to "0" - it kind of locks the barrel and doesn't allow me to turn the key. Is this normal for Corsa B's or is something dodgy going on? I think the car has been broken into at some point in the past as I have noticed a slight crease in the door and B pillar as though someone has jimmied the door open.

[Blackie_No1]

No I don't bathing that will be the cause, the starter clicking is usually symptomatic of a low battery. It's possible there may be a dead cell in the battery or that the battery doesn't have the required cold crank output needed. I'd get the battery properly tested by a local motor factors who should have the equipment to test for a dead cell, I used to do it when I worked in a motor factors.

[corsabscotty33]

No I don't bathing that will be the cause, the starter clicking is usually symptomatic of a low battery. It's possible there may be a dead cell in the battery or that the battery doesn't have the required cold crank output needed. I'd get the battery properly tested by a local motor factors who should have the equipment to test for a dead cell, I used to do it when I worked in a motor factors.

Even though the battery is less than 2 weeks old?

[Blackie_No1]

Yea, I've seen it happen before, you may have had the battery two weeks but it could have been in storage for longer.

It should cost nothing to test and at least it would rule the battery out if I'm wrong.