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Won't start after a day?

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Won't start after a day? #1
poppy Willie Headon Naas, Kildare, Ireland Sign in to contact 1974 MG Midget 1974 MG Midget	Topic Creator (OP) Jul 3, 2015 05:21 PM Joined 17 years ago 239 Posts

Hi y'all,

My midget won't start if I leave it sitting for a day or so. I've checked the battery and it seems okay (still around 12.5 V) , alternator seems okay too!

Starter motor sounds okay but could it be the culprit?

Thanks in advance for any help

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Re: Won't start after a day? #4
James E Jimmy Campbell Bedford, VA, USA Sign in to contact 1967 Triumph TR4A 1971 MG Midget MkIII 1973 MG Midget MkIII	Jul 3, 2015 06:12 PM Joined 12 years ago 4,462 Posts

Take the ground loose at the bulk head (firewall) and clean the wire connector and the metal where it bolts to. Also check the voltage at the starter when the key is turned as to start the engine.

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Re: Won't start after a day? #5
wizard43844 Jim J Warsaw, OH, USA Sign in to contact 1970 MG Midget MkIII "?" 1976 MG Midget MkIII	Jul 3, 2015 06:23 PM Joined 8 years ago 74 Posts

while you have the battery cable off put a test light between the cable and engine to see if you have something bleeding off you juice

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Re: Won't start after a day? #6
66jalopy Phillip Jolliffe Lake City, FL, USA Sign in to contact 1956 Morris Minor	Jul 3, 2015 06:55 PM Joined 11 years ago 6,727 Posts

You are just getting a surface charge on your battery, It will read 12.7 volts but not have enough amps. Have battery tested at local auto parts store and see what condition it's in. You may be ok with just an overnight slow charge.

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Re: Won't start after a day? #7
Billm Bill Masquelier Santee, CA, USA Sign in to contact 1960 MG MGA 1600 1965 MG Midget MkII 1966 Austin-Healey Sprite "Sprite" 1966 Austin-Healey Sprite "Sprite"	Jul 3, 2015 08:44 PM Top Contributor Joined 17 years ago 4,472 Posts

The easiest way to see if it is the battery is to turn on the headlights and try to start the engine.
If the headlights stay bright then it is probably the starter solenoid or the starter, if the headlights go dim then it is probably the battery or the wire connections
BillM

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Re: Won't start after a day? #8
poppy Willie Headon Naas, Kildare, Ireland Sign in to contact 1974 MG Midget 1974 MG Midget	Topic Creator (OP) Jul 4, 2015 06:31 AM Joined 17 years ago 239 Posts

Thank you all for the replies.

It started up today after a days rest. It started but it struggled. I ran it for about a minute. I then switched off the ignition and tried to restart with the headlights on. The lights dimmed and it failed to start. I then re-tried with the lights off and the starter would barely turn. I checked the voltage at the terminals and it read 12.4 V

Looks like the battery still has some holding capacity but not enough.

New battery??

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Re: Won't start after a day? #9
James E Jimmy Campbell Bedford, VA, USA Sign in to contact 1967 Triumph TR4A 1971 MG Midget MkIII 1973 MG Midget MkIII	Jul 4, 2015 06:36 AM Joined 12 years ago 4,462 Posts

Take the battery to your local car parts store and have them do a load test. A battery can have plenty of volts but not capable of producing any amps.

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Re: Won't start after a day? #10
Billm Bill Masquelier Santee, CA, USA Sign in to contact 1960 MG MGA 1600 1965 MG Midget MkII 1966 Austin-Healey Sprite "Sprite" 1966 Austin-Healey Sprite "Sprite"	Jul 4, 2015 09:51 AM Top Contributor Joined 17 years ago 4,472 Posts

Yep- battery is suspect but it may just be a charge issue
As someone said above, charge it up overnight and THEN start looking for a new battery if that is appropriate
BillM

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Re: Won't start after a day? #2
James E Jimmy Campbell Bedford, VA, USA Sign in to contact 1967 Triumph TR4A 1971 MG Midget MkIII 1973 MG Midget MkIII	Jul 3, 2015 06:00 PM Joined 12 years ago 4,462 Posts

Re: Won't start after a day? #3
poppy Willie Headon Naas, Kildare, Ireland Sign in to contact 1974 MG Midget 1974 MG Midget	Topic Creator (OP) Jul 3, 2015 06:05 PM Joined 17 years ago 239 Posts

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