FTO AUSTRALIA

justbecause · Post by **justbecause** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 1:50 am

Alternator has nothing to do with the starting....

could be your battery is going... so the cranking amps is low.....

you really gotta be more detail....

is the car manual?? if it is park on an incline and try roll start it...

Warning: If you dont know how to do this dont even bother to try..

i would try another battery first....

also when last you change your plugs..., gas filter...

dripping on starting motor wont kill it, it was make for the weather.....

Forget about the alternator if it was dead you would not be able to run your
car for a good 20 mins before it shuts down completely...

So do this try another battery, if no luck change plugs and gas filter......

also let us know if the starting motor is turing over the engine slowly
if yes definitely battery would be my first choice..

if it spins fast then pick up late unless you have a aftermarket ECU change plugs.

let us know[/b]

Post by **vipfto** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:53 am

batt by the sound of it, get it tested mate then go from there

maxleng · Post by **maxleng** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 2:44 pm

maxleng · Post by **maxleng** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 5:15 pm

Post by **vipfto** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 6:59 pm

clean that oxidisation off first! you wont be getting a good connection

voltmetre doesnt always show bad batt more likely alternator.

So check battery first then if thats not the issue look at next thing (prob starter)

maxleng · Post by **maxleng** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 7:15 pm

Post by **vipfto** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 7:21 pm

hot water and baking soda it will also stop it returning

dont jump the gun on starter yet mate just check batt first but they around 200 i think and easy to install

oh and just dont touch postitive and neg terminal with metal object at same time that will give you a good jolt

maxleng · Post by **maxleng** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:28 pm

cheers, will do soon, hope it fixes it.

just wanted to know worst case scenario so i could put some cash aside.. bloody rego due soon too

koolio1234 · Post by **koolio1234** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 2:31 am

I've been having the same problem. It wasn't bad at first but it happens more and more often, pretty much on really cold mornings.

I turn the key and it only just starts up. It then makes a loud churning and belching noise and the lights flicker for a bit and then it finally ignites and then the engine goes as usual. If the engine is still warm and I start it up, then I have no problems at all. It only happens on a cold start.

Also, while I'm driving along and turn on my high beams, the voltage immediately drops for 1 second to about 11-12Volts on the volt meter. This results in the cd player turning off and then back on again once the volts get back to about 13Volts.

Basically, the voltage fluctuates up and down when:

- turn on high beams
- turn on left or right indicator
- push the brakes (activating the brake light)
- idling at traffic lights, etc

Can you guys help diagnose this problem because it is absolutely giving me the sh*ts.

Post by **I8A4RE** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:27 am

Test it with a multi-meter. I think the in-cabin volt meter are very unreliable. However, what you are experiencing sounds like alternator (if the in-cabin voltmeter is acurate).

pete_gpx · Post by **pete_gpx** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 12:52 pm

justbecause wrote: dripping on starting motor wont kill it, it was make for the weather.....

Actually, yes it will. Both of the FTOs I have owned have had/have an oil leak from the half moon seals, beneath the cam seals. Due to the location of the leak, the oil is channeled straight onto the starter motor, which is not air tight. The starter motor on both of my cars has died after being subjected to this leak over a long period of time.

When I took it to an auto-electrician friend of mine, we cracked a starter open and almost poured oil out of it. Same for the second one.

So I'll have to disagree on that one.

Post by **Bennoz** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:05 pm

pete_gpx wrote:
justbecause wrote: dripping on starting motor wont kill it, it was make for the weather.....
Actually, yes it will. Both of the FTOs I have owned have had/have an oil leak from the half moon seals, beneath the cam seals. Due to the location of the leak, the oil is channeled straight onto the starter motor, which is not air tight. The starter motor on both of my cars has died after being subjected to this leak over a long period of time.

When I took it to an auto-electrician friend of mine, we cracked a starter open and almost poured oil out of it. Same for the second one.

So I'll have to disagree on that one.

Yeah, has happened to me before too ^
Little bit of water splashing up from the road won't hurt, but drowning it in oil will.

Same principle applies to alternators. My sisters Supra just blew a seal in the dizzy & it leaked oil onto the alternator & killed it.

koolio1234 · Post by **koolio1234** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:54 pm

I8A4RE wrote:Test it with a multi-meter. I think the in-cabin volt meter are very unreliable. However, what you are experiencing sounds like alternator (if the in-cabin voltmeter is acurate).

Yeah, that's what I feared the most. I'll get around to checking the voltage behavior with a multimeter either this arvo or sometime tomorrow. So if this dipping in voltage is confirmed, then its likely the alternators brushes are worn and wont charge up the battery enough to keep up the demand for current. If I keep the revs above 1000rpm and the demand for electricity is low, the needle remains at a constant 13-14Volts. But when the revs drop to idle (600-750rpm) and the demand increase such as when I turn on the high beams the voltage drops dangerously low and keeps fluctuating. Does this sound right?

If so, would it be wiser to recondition the alternator or buy a new one altogether?

Post by **I8A4RE** » Wed Oct 07, 2009 9:44 am

Not neccessarily the bushes could be the rectifier. I pulled apart the last one that came out of my car and the bushes were fine. It was the regulator that had sh*t itself

koolio1234 · Post by **koolio1234** » Wed Oct 07, 2009 8:04 pm

I8A4RE wrote:Not neccessarily the bushes could be the rectifier. I pulled apart the last one that came out of my car and the bushes were fine. It was the regulator that had sh*t itself

yep, will look into it, I'll get my mechanic to check the alternator and possibly test the battery to make sure its not problematic.

justbecause · Post by **justbecause** » Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:22 am

maxleng wrote:thanks for the replies guys.. it's an auto gpx.

yeah it seems like the starter motor is turning the engine over slowly, it just feels real sluggish when it starts, best way i can describe it.

it probably is my battery actually, i didn't even think of that. ive noticed that there's some acid leaking at the terminals, but i just ignored it didn't think much of it, do you think it could be because of this? (il get a pic of the battery soon)

If it is my battery wouldn't the battery gauge give a weird reading though? when the car is on the battery sits around 13-13.5V and 12V with just the ignition on, seems pretty normal?

edit: also no after market ECU that i know of, engine is pretty much 100% stock

People you gotta understand volts and amps are two diff thing if you car has 12 volts that doesnt mean it have good amps.... 12 volts just means all the cells are working but the cranking amps is whats important.... I once had a battery always at 10 volts because of a bad cell but it never fails to start the car... because the cranking amps was good.....[/b]

payaya · Post by **payaya** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 5:47 am

Are the revs really low when you start up in the morning? Seems like a ISC problem.

justbecause · Post by **justbecause** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 6:32 am

payaya wrote:Are the revs really low when you start up in the morning? Seems like a ISC problem.

i doubt its the Idle Speed Controller.....

its not used until the engine ignites, he said he is having problem during starting not idling....