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Car making weird noise when starting!
Hi all,
I'm desperate for any mechanically minded folks to give me some advice!
2 days ago my beloved old Citroen Picasso started making a godawful whining sound and struggled when starting motor. I got it to my local garage yesterday and they said the battery needed changing and that was the cause of the problem. So, battery changed, I set off home. Later, I started up the motor again (couldn't check at garage as they drove it out for me and the access for the garage is so congested, I just hopped in with the motor running). Yep - the whining,struggling noise was back, and it again was slow to turn over. I called the garage back straight away and they said it started fine for them, and that starter motor, alternator were fine.
So, I take it back this morning. Weirdly, the noise wasn't there
I turned it over about 10 times and everything seemed A ok. Still I got the garage to double check everything. Again I could hear it starting fine for them and they double checked everything! No probs! I got in car started it up to leave and yep, all ok.
I get home, try it again and the bloody noise and struggling to turn over problem is back AAAAAGGGGHHH!!
Garage reckon the car needs to get used to the new battery and needs cranking over (never heard of this before) This garage has always been fair and good for me and is highly recommended by all the locals, so i trust their diagnosis - but this may be a rogue problem?
Can anyone advise me if this is right???
I'm desperate for any mechanically minded folks to give me some advice!
2 days ago my beloved old Citroen Picasso started making a godawful whining sound and struggled when starting motor. I got it to my local garage yesterday and they said the battery needed changing and that was the cause of the problem. So, battery changed, I set off home. Later, I started up the motor again (couldn't check at garage as they drove it out for me and the access for the garage is so congested, I just hopped in with the motor running). Yep - the whining,struggling noise was back, and it again was slow to turn over. I called the garage back straight away and they said it started fine for them, and that starter motor, alternator were fine.
So, I take it back this morning. Weirdly, the noise wasn't there
I turned it over about 10 times and everything seemed A ok. Still I got the garage to double check everything. Again I could hear it starting fine for them and they double checked everything! No probs! I got in car started it up to leave and yep, all ok.I get home, try it again and the bloody noise and struggling to turn over problem is back AAAAAGGGGHHH!!
Garage reckon the car needs to get used to the new battery and needs cranking over (never heard of this before) This garage has always been fair and good for me and is highly recommended by all the locals, so i trust their diagnosis - but this may be a rogue problem?
Can anyone advise me if this is right???
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Comments
Neither have I;)
I am not a mechanic but it sounds like you have a loose belt. The one that drives the alternator. You often hear cars go past with whining alternator belts especially when they have just started in the morning. The belts warm up and usually stop slipping but it is possible that yours is still slipping and is not driving the alternator properly. With a reduced charge the battery will slowly go flat. A loose or worn belt is fairly easy to fix.
It could also be a problem with the alternator such as bearings but all of these problems should be identifiable by the garage.
alternator was thoroughly checked,( i insisted they re-check it and specifically the belt) and all connections etc, but car doesn't make that sort of whining/screechy sound you hear sometimes it's more of a groan (i know, sounds stupid, but it's the only way to describe it!) It doesn't matter if the car is cold or warmed up (in fact it seems to happen more after it's warmed up
Hey ho - maybe I'm just unlucky in that this is a weird problem no garage has come across before lol
Also have the garage done a drain test on the vehicle to make sure that there is not too much current drain when the car is turned off?
Hi,
Yeah, think they mentione on first day they'd tested it. Just spoke to my dad who had a citroen years back and had a similar problem which even the Citroen garage couldn't suss out!
I think I'll see how I get on over the weekend and if it continues I'll take it to a different garage for a second opinion (we're hoping to go to North Devon soon which is a fair old trek - don't want to end up using Shanks's Pony
Weird thing is, once started the car runs like a dream!
i remember when i changed the battery on a Renault Vel Satis....
for about a week, it had a mind of its own, windows going down themselves, dashboard like a christmas tree..then it all stopped and went back to normal..
it was like that episode of the Next Generation when those critters got into the Enterprise computers..
(nerd alert):o
Yes, I've had experience of the strange electronics in Renault cars they can behave bizarrely!
I had the same thing happen on a Nissan Primera after fitting a new battery. For the first few days everything was all wrong. The indicators were operating wrongly, the rear view camera was on in 'Drive' (nice view of the road) :cool: and the headlights did whatever they liked. The sunroof didn't work at all.
Then it all just worked again.
(I loved that episode of TNG)
Could possibly be the centrifugal clutch pulley on the alternator slipping.
This would explain the flat battery and the noise.
On the French cars you have to put the BSI to sleep before disconnecting the battery or you can get all sorts of problems, including frying the BSI which could get expensive....otherwise known as the "3 minute rule"
I always keep the electrical system energised by connecting my booster pack to the 12 volt plug in the car whilst changing a battery....this avoids all the stupid problems that can occur (with any car btw, not just French)
Possibly.
which could explain Jimmy Connors Primera problems as thats a Laguna with a different body....
intresting
hopefully the Alto will be less complicated
Definitely less complicated than the Primera, yes. I only got rid of it because it drank fuel. It was a lovely car.
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