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[Jobaja]

Hi my Mondeo estate 2lt tdci 2006 is having intermittent starting problems I thought it was the battery when I try to start it the dash clocks go all the way up then go mad and no cranking I think it started since we have had all the heavy rain I also had a big puddle in my passenger foot well Thanks Joanne 

[Frembrit]

When you say you "thought it was the battery"...have yo confirmed it is actually ok? When batteries fail on modern cars, you do see weird things happen like the clocks going mad, or the wipers working on their own. I would say it's probably coinciding with the cold temps/weather.

[Jobaja]

It's a strange one I took it for a spin down the bypass then walked the dog it started fine then went to Tesco and it wouldn't start jump pack of I go again sits all night -1 and starts first time ??? 

[nicam49]

How old is battery, 5 years old and you're pushing it... There should be a date on it. Got yourself a battery charger and somewhere to charge it? 

If you do buy a new battery it' has to be a silver one due to the smart charge system, which will boil and overcharge standard lead acid Ones. Also remember that this cold weather will kill weak and undercharged batteries, so give it a top-up charge when you can. 

Bad news about rain getting into the footwell. 

[Tdci-Peter]

1 hour ago, Jobaja said:

I took it for a spin down the bypass then walked the dog it started fine then went to Tesco and it wouldn't start jump pack of I go again sits all night -1 and starts first time

Sounds more like a wiring fault to me than a battery. It is possible to get intermittent faults inside a battery, but it is not common. I would check the main earth wires from battery to engine, and to the body, first. Wiring can fail at the joints, but also can fail inside the insulation. It will feel a bit weak and bendy if there is a break in the wire. Then measure the voltage at the battery, and at the cigar lighter power point while trying to crank.

[Jobaja]

Thanks for your reply tdci Peter I will check these I was wondering if the heavy rain could possibly make it play up??? I think it started when my passenger foot well filled with water could it be water getting in some where?? 

[Tdci-Peter]

3 hours ago, Jobaja said:

could it be water getting in some where

If water was getting in to the electronics or one of the big multi-pin connectors, I would expect to see a few more odd symptoms than just a failure to start. In particular, I would expect to see unexpected warning lights on the dash, or the immobiliser LED flashing rapidly while trying to start.

Running a decent diagnostic system like Forscan would reveal if there was a lot of odd hidden error codes. Though it can be misleading as low battery or bad earths will also upset the electronics and generate all sorts of error codes. So I would eliminate voltage problems (battery & main wiring) before investigating deeper.

Damp can accelerate the effects of bad connections by increasing corrosion though, so there is a possible link there.

[nicam49]

Favourite place for rain toget inside cockpit is via bottom of door, there are drain holes in bottom of door which might have got blocked so worth checking.