FIAT DUCATO

[robrace]

A friend who has a 2015 2.3 ltr has gone to start it after many months idle and it won’t start.starter clicks but won’t turn engine over!Vehicle has new battery and it’s fully charged.How easy is it to remove starter..Can then get it checked!

 

[Lofty1]

Give the starter a few taps with a hammer if still sticking short it out with an old screwdriver

 

[rosalan]

Depending what is fitted that may drain the battery, new battery or not, it could over several months have flattened it beyond use but I hope I am wrong.

 

[pappajohn]

A lot of the engine electronics don't 'sleep' and a few Milliamps over less than 2 months will drain it beyond any hope of charging it. Things like the radio memory uses power even if it is a few Milliamps.
10 Milliamps over a 24hr day is 2.4amp drain..... 50 days and a 120ah battery is totally dead and will never recover.
You say the battery is fully charged but is it or is it a charging voltage

 

[bigwood]

From my past experience a clicking starter motor is often bad connections at the starter motor or earth leads.

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[JohnJan]

Either the battery isn't capable of turning the engine over or the starter motor is almost dead. Try jumping the battery with a running engine and a set of jump leads, it should then start. If not it's a new starter.

 

[Coolcats]

Give the starter a few taps with a hammer if still sticking short it out with an old screwdriver

Aim for the solenoid as it is this that sticks rather then the starter motor, always kept a lead hammer in the boot of my old BMW I showed my wife how to use the hammer on the Solenoid the car started every time ?

 

[JFD]

We had almost the same symptoms on our previous (2007 Fiat based) motorhome. Had to call the RAC out, and they discovered that it was not the starter, but the starter switch! Apparently, it had been assembled incorrectly at the factory, and had finally worked it’s way apart from the connector block that carries all the wiring. It was not completely disconnected, hence the apparent attempt to start, but the circuit that energized the starter was not being made, hence a click, but no start! The RAC chap did show me how to have the ignition on, and use a heavy screwdriver to energize the starter, but I wouldn’t recommend it!!

Our local garage sorted it out pretty quickly.

 

[HugoBNB]

Exactly the same happens with ours. Something, I have no idea what, is draining the battery. Last time it happened, I charged the battery and disconnected the earth lead from it (ours has a very easy grip-lock on it to avoid the need for a spanner). I will be checking it in a couple of weeks so will post the result.

 

[ManTheVan]

A lot of the engine electronics don't 'sleep' and a few Milliamps over less than 2 months will drain it beyond any hope of charging it. Things like the radio memory uses power even if it is a few Milliamps.
10 Milliamps over a 24hr day is 2.4amp drain..... 50 days and a 120ah battery is totally dead and will never recover.
You say the battery is fully charged but is it or is it a charging voltage

Are those numbers right? Surely 10mA is 0.01A, so 24hr x 0.01A is 0.24A? Still a continuous drain though...

Same thing happens in ours, so I fitted a battery master (discounted in MHF store) and it has completely solved the problem. Solar panel charges the hab batt, hab batt charges the cab batt.

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[SixBerther]

My motorhome wouldnt start, it just clicked. The dealer changed the starter motor no joy.
It was actually the ECU on the battery.
ECU chnaged no problems again.

 

[robrace]

Thanks for replies!He has charged battery and it still just clicks!He is of course on lockdown and not particularly mechanical hence my question how easy is to remove starter motor,Had to change one on my Renault Kangoo when i had it!What a pig!it was under the manifold and you need a ramp to get at it.Once I got it off engine had to take off front offside wheel to get it out.It sounds to me although it is the solenoid on his not throwing the starter pinion in but know nothing about Fiats(on my 5thTransit)