wont crank

[MrBigMac]

help needed my hdi has thrown up P0380 - glow plug/heater circuit A. But the engine wont even crank over, glow plugs are new and tested relay, what else could it be ??

so far i have tried jump start nothing just clicking under dash, cant jump start as no way of getting up my drive on to rd.
after jump starting failed i bought new battery put that on still the same wont crank.

i have pulled off starter and tested solenoid that works ish - so have bought new one hopefully will turn up Thursday 23/4/15

[Seb_Ryan]

Could be dodgy starter motor.. Or just the battery is that f*cked. Have you tried bumping it? Cba to read all that lol

[Iceman299]

You need to jump start it with another diesel as petrol battery's aren't strong enough. Again, no way i'm reading through all that (skim read a few sentences at the start)

Just delete that copy pasted essay and maybe write a few bullet points of what you've tried already along with symptoms. Will be clearer to read and easier to diagnose

[Poodle]

Skim read that, although i'd rather not have to again lol. Sounds like a bad earth, like has been suggested a few times up there. So yeah, check your earths.

[MrBigMac]

have checked all the earths they seem good, the only issue is the wire from the ignition to the solenoid on the starter only seems to have 5-6 volts ?? should it be 12v ? is there a relay or fuse for the starter ? as cant seem to see on on diagram in Haynes manual. many thanks

[Poodle]

Have you actually pulled them off, checked for resistance, cleaned them up and put them back? Just looking at them will tell you very little.

Pretty sure there should be 12v to the solenoid, could well be your issue. Common causes include... Bad earths. Also could be the starter relay, as you have surmised.

[MrBigMac]

earths all been resistance checked, hopefully il get the new starter motor on over weekend, any ideas on where the starter relay or fuse is ?

[Poodle]

Fair play, definitely not that then. Afraid not, i use haynes for my wiring diagrams too. There is also this in the guide section, don't know if it's any good to you.

[MrBigMac]

new starter made not difference at all, i just get the battery light and the clock goes blank when i try to start it.

[Seb_Ryan]

new starter made not difference at all, i just get the battery light and the clock goes blank when i try to start it.

You sure the battery is ok?

[MrBigMac]

yeah its brand new, never been used

[Toms306]

Might be faulty then...

There shouldn't be anything to stop it spinning over if the battery, starter and cables are good.

[Iceman299]

Could it then be fuel related?  

[Toms306]

No. Cranking is literally as simple as putting battery voltage to the starter.

Fuel problems would only stop it catching/firing, not cranking.

[Iceman299]

No.  Cranking is literally as simple as putting battery voltage to the starter.

Fuel problems would only stop it catching/firing, not cranking.

I assumed it was a non starter for some stupid reason  lol

OP, is your battery the correct spec?

[MrBigMac]

Some news I put the jump cables direct to engine as battery in the boot. And it cranks. So maybe my new battery is not so good or positive wire has degraded as get 12.7v at engine but won't crank without help on the engine.

[Seb_Ryan]

I bet its the earth on the battery.. You may need 2 or 3 earth straps for it

[Niall]

Checking a earth isn't as simple as just belling the cable out as most people think. You need to do a voltage drop test on it

http://www.aa1car.com/library/voltage_drop_testing.htm

Try this

[MrBigMac]

Very interesting read. Thanks. makes sense that the earths or positive wiring is the fault. Il do a voltage drop test.

[Poodle]

Tbh i'm still calling earth problems, especially now i know the battery is in the boot. For future reference giving us the whole story will help you get a better diagnosis. Is the battery in the boot a new thing, or has it been working fine before and the problem has appeared later on?

[Niall]

Didn't realise the battery was in the boot. What size cable have you used?

[MrBigMac]

350amp cable. Battery been in boot for years. Didn't think to mention it.

[Poodle]

Excuse our cynicism, the number of times we get people with impossible problems who eventually admit they've just done something directly related to the issue in question is fairly depressing. Fair enough if it's been like that for a while, just thought it was worth a check.

Is the battery a bosch by any chance?

[MrBigMac]

Its my bad as its posted on another forum and they know me and the car. I didn't think lol. Nope its a Hankook battery.

[MrBigMac]

Its alive. It was an earth fault. There were 6 or so strands of wire that had not snapped. I have learnt always voltage drop test. Resistance testing is pointless unless is snapped completely. Thanks for all you suggestions and help ?

[bashbarnard]

Skim read that, although i'd rather not have to again lol. Sounds like a bad earth, like has been suggested a few times up there. So yeah, check your earths.

So poodle was right in his third post......

[Iceman299]

Skim read that, although i'd rather not have to again lol. Sounds like a bad earth, like has been suggested a few times up there. So yeah, check your earths.

So poodle was right in his third post......

Lolll. In op's defence, it was only Niall that mentioned doing the voltage drop test 

[Poodle]

Yay lick my balls! Haha yeah as iceman says tbh. It's all easy when you know how...

[Niall]

In op's defence, it was only Niall that mentioned doing the voltage drop test 

Yay lick my balls! Haha yeah as iceman says tbh. It's all easy when you know how...

Ahem! ....lady garden

[MrBigMac]

Anyhow thanks for your help ?