The Mitsubishi Pajero Owners Club®

stevepeanut · Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2019 18:06 Post subject: Pajero won’t start

Hi, thanks for letting me join, I’ve had my Pajero about one year and it’s been perfect until this week.

It’s a 1992 2.5 TD auto. I went to start it last week and there was a loud click and nothing else. I thought it might be a low battery, it was reading 12.48v. I have put the battery on an optimiser and now it’s charged up to 12.7v. I refitted the battery but the problem is still the same. When the key is turned there is just the same loud click and no starter noise. Any ideas where I should start with trying to fix it?

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emax · Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2019 21:08 Post subject:

Hello

I would start with trying a known good battery or getting the original one tested. Volts don't count on starting, Amps do.

trekker · Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 7:19 Post subject:

The loud click is probably from the starter solenoid as one would expect. The starter motor or the solenoid contacts could be faulty, as with many electrical items they work or don't. It could be the bendix jammed.

Bridge the two large nuts on the solenoid, if the starter runs, you need to replace the solenoid, if not either fit a replacement starter or have the installed one serviced at an auto shop. When you bridge the solenoid you'll need a really thick cable such as the one from the battery to the solenoid and be aware there will be a large spark and the engine may crank.

Simonfathead · Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 8:57 Post subject:

Just another thing to check do you have an immobiliser fitted, mine had a starting issue and it was the immobiliser at fault, turn the key, and nothing (sometimes a click). My fault was the aerial around the ignition that reads the chip in the key.
OR
Is yours an automatic? if so check the inhibit switch, try starting it in different gears

stevepeanut · Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 17:39 Post subject:

Thanks for the replies. I had the battery in the house so put it back on and gave the starter a tap. It started straight up. I took it for a 5 minute drive and brought it back home and turned it off. I started it up again, and it managed to fire but only just. I turned it off and tried it again and this time it didn’t start. The battery was reading 12.7 when I set off and when it didn’t start on the 3rd attempt, I checked it again with the multimeter and it was reading 12.6 As suggested I will get the battery tested, it’ll be easier to remove it and take it to the local garage in the boot of my other car.

Keith-i · ** Joined: 17 Apr 2015 Posts: 83 Location: Jersey

Sounds more like a failing starter to me. However, worth watching the voltage whilst you try and start it. Anything below 10v would suggest a battery problem.

stevepeanut · Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 13:32 Post subject:

I’ve removed the battery again, and took it to the local car spares shop in the back of my other car. They have done a test on it and the machine said replace battery.

Got talking to the fella there, and he said he would have expected a bigger battery on it. I mentioned to him that mine has 2 battery trays. The one on the wing had the battery on, the one in front of the windscreen doesn’t have a battery. The cables are there for it, but they are taped up. Also at the front, it looks like there is a second alternator, I looked down and can see pulleys, but they don’t have any belts on.

The fella said the battery the same as mine is £68 but he said before I buy it, go and look into it, find out if it’s meant to have the second battery in use.

So that’s where I’m at now, do I need the second battery?

NDZ · Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 14:40 Post subject:

You definitely don't need two batteries to start. Winter pack, winch or anything else likely to draw massive amps then maybe, but fitting them should always be two new identical batteries. You said you gave the starter a tap and it fired up, to me that suggests the cause although your current battery could also be failing, hook up an extra car battery if you have one just to rule out starting amps. I think the "second alternator" is your AC comp with no belt, mine doesn't currently have one either so if your AC doesn't blow cold that would be why. I've never taken a battery to be tested on the grounds that its simply a machine that says you need a new one!

stevepeanut · Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 15:14 Post subject:

The starter tap, might have just been pure coincidence, as the battery had been in the house on charge. That does sound right with the AC, as I don’t have ice cold air.

The test on the battery confirmed the voltage is ok at 12.68 which I knew. The other test said the battery was rated at 630a but measured 484a on the test.

In the year or so we’ve owned it, it’s been absolutely fine on the one battery.

NDZ · Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 16:41 Post subject:

Had a car in my teenage years with a sticky starter, I used to carry a length of pipe to give it a tap so that's why I latched on to the starter issue. Battery voltages can be misleading if its just starting to fail so that's why I'm suggesting a practical test. Maybe next time you have the problem add another battery in parallel, tap the starter or do whatever you can to identify the cause.

stevepeanut · Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2019 15:33 Post subject:

Just been out to the car spares shop and got a new battery. Fitted it, and it’d just the same, a loud click and nothing else. I got a small bit of a bar and a hammer and gave the starter a few taps and tried again but nothing is happening. I got some 16mm mains cable and tried bridging the solenoid but nothing happened. But I’m not 100% if the wires were touching both nuts. It’s very hard to see as I’m doing it. So I’m £69 down back to where I started.

John Pierre · Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2019 16:06 Post subject:

Are your secondary battery cables taped up properly... with the winter pack (which if you have all the gear for i would run with the two batteries anyway) A duff secondary battery can pull down a perfectly good primary battery. the same could be said for a lead causing an earth volt dragging down the voltage.

Sounds like your battery was a duff anyway, so its not wasted money when you do finally solve the problem!

by the sounds of your diagnostic that you have been carrying out it does sound like a faulty starter motor (when you say it just fired second time round did you mean it struggled to turn over or that it turned over strong/fast but just struggled to start?), however i would be certain to do the check on the solenoid again but with lighting or try gaining better access as you dont want to spend a lot more money on something that doesnt solve the problem.

Battery issues can be a nightmare... especially on winter pack paj's throw up all sorts of psuedo problems!

stevepeanut · Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2019 22:56 Post subject:

The secondary battery cables are taped up properly, very thick with tape. When I gave the starter a gentle tap it fired up as normal. I took it for a short drive round the streets. Parked it up and on the second attempt if started but it was like starting a car with a low battery that just manages to start, the third time, just a loud click.

Yes I think you are right, the battery was getting old so either way at some point soon I would have needed to buy a new one. There’s not much more I can do at the moment, tried tapping the starter and solenoid again tonight while the Mrs was turning the key on and off and it’s just the same loud click. I need to get someone out to look at it, I’ve worked on motorbikes all my life but hardly done any work on cars.

stevepeanut · Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 22:00 Post subject:

I’m still struggling, and to be honest I am getting to the limit of how much I know. I’ve got rac cover but it’s for road side recovery. I have spoke to them tonight and they are happy to upgrade me to home start for a couple of quid a month. I have to wait a minimum of 24 hours and I can use it, so I’m going to call them out over the weekend and see what they find.