Anyone in the Preston area, car no longer starting, Mrs stated radio was going off and on and now the car no longer starts

Focus MK1 petrol hatchback

https://jmp.sh/s/2f9lNryFYpWhUWnIEcrz

Any ideas what it could be?

 

Without more information, that could be anything from a failing battery, to the cam belt has snapped.

You need to get the DTC's

3 hours ago, ash29109 said:

Anyone in the Preston area, car no longer starting, Mrs stated radio was going off and on and now the car no longer starts

Focus MK1 petrol hatchback

https://jmp.sh/s/2f9lNryFYpWhUWnIEcrz

Any ideas what it could be?

 

A clicking starter motor could be caused by, ' a dead battery, loose wiring, faulty starter motor, faulty ignition switch or corroded battery terminals'. But as @unofix has stated, without quoting any specific fault codes (DTC = Diagnostic Trouble Code), we're just p*ssing in the wind..

13 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

A clicking starter motor could be caused by, ' a dead battery, loose wiring, faulty starter motor, faulty ignition switch or corroded battery terminals'. But as @unofix has stated, without quoting any specific fault codes (DTC = Diagnostic Trouble Code), we're just p*ssing in the wind..

At the time when the vehicle was working, as I was driving noticed the radio go off and on randomly. Parked up home, when I went back to the car to go out it would no longer start. I'm guessing it could be the alternator?

6 minutes ago, ash29109 said:

I'm guessing it could be the alternator?

I guessing it's not. The car would still start even if it didn't have the alternator fitted.

Have you got a multimeter ?

11 minutes ago, unofix said:

I guessing it's not. The car would still start even if it didn't have the alternator fitted.

Have you got a multimeter ?

Yep I have a multimeter 

1 minute ago, ash29109 said:

Yep I have a multimeter 

What does the battery terminal voltage measure ?

4 minutes ago, unofix said:

What does the battery terminal voltage measure ?

Arghh the battery is flat on my multimeter, my friend has RAC cover so will get them to have a look. What would you advise them to check?

2 minutes ago, ash29109 said:

What would you advise them to check?

If the RAC is looking at it, let them do their thing, they'll have come across a non starting car before...

@StephenFord @unofix 

RAC have confirmed it's the alternator at fault, battery voltage was v low, car was jump started but alternator is not charging the battery, as the car was running the battery voltage was dropping 

What manufacturer alternator would you recommend?

Can anyone please provide the part number as there are different amps from what I can see...

Can anyone please confirm if the tensioner pulley bolt is it 15mm or 17mm?

12ft·lb

Unable to release the belt tensioner, it's not budging!

Any alternative method to release the belt tension?

Which engine is it?

6 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Which engine is it?

1.6 focus hatchback petrol 04 year 

14 minutes ago, ash29109 said:

1.6 focus hatchback petrol 04 year 

Ok,very tight aux setup on those unfortunately.  You could try gently teasing the belt off over the waterpump pulley, that's the black one with the smooth edges.

Though if the auto-tensioner is seized then ideally that needs replacing anyway.  If that's not holding enough tension on the belt then it can slip on the pulleys. 

Are you sure you're pushing it the right way?  If you've got a spanner on it from above then the spanner needs to pushed towards the bulkhead.  If you can add some extra length to the spanner somehow that should reduce the effort needed to move the tensioner.  Be very careful of your hands as it's so easy to slip off these tensioners.

16 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Ok,very tight aux setup on those unfortunately.  You could try gently teasing the belt off over the waterpump pulley, that's the black one with the smooth edges.

Though if the auto-tensioner is seized then ideally that needs replacing anyway.  If that's not holding enough tension on the belt then it can slip on the pulleys. 

Are you sure you're pushing it the right way?  If you've got a spanner on it from above then the spanner needs to pushed towards the bulkhead.  If you can add some extra length to the spanner somehow that should reduce the effort needed to move the tensioner.  Be very careful of your hands as it's so easy to slip off these tensioners.

I rotated the bolt upwards towards the sky as per the Haynes video I found on YouTube no joy. Tried the other way towards the ground and the bolt became loose! Wasn't expecting the bolt to loosen as I thought it's only purpose is for the tensioner 

Is that normal?

Does it have AC?  If it's a non-AC model, it may not even have an auto tensioner.  (Which begs the question...what are you trying to undo!?) 

Yes, the bolt will loosen on a tensioner if turned that way, it does hold the pulley wheel on.

The waterpump pulley can be seen here with the 4 bolts in the centre.  That is the same regardless of aux setup.

43 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Does it have AC?  If it's a non-AC model, it may not even have an auto tensioner.  (Which begs the question...what are you trying to undo!?) 

Yes, the bolt will loosen on a tensioner if turned that way, it does hold the pulley wheel on.

The waterpump pulley can be seen here with the 4 bolts in the centre.  That is the same regardless of aux setup.

Yep it does have ac trying to loosen tensioner so I can take the belt off in order to remove the alternator 

 

1 minute ago, ash29109 said:

Yep it does have ac trying to loosen tensioner so I can take the belt off in order to remove the alternator 

Ok, if you can post a picture of your setup that may help us.  I'm struggling to find a real life picture of one with AC on ebay.  The parts catalogues aren't always correct and the Mk2's moved to stretch belts without the need for a tensioner so I'm more familiar with those.

The tensioner moves in an arc shape, so it's more difficult to start from some angles than others.  Though if you've seen an identical one on Youtube then that should be the right method.

Don't think I can offer anything more than before.  Either get more leverage on the tensioner or remove the belt over the waterpump pulley instead.

5 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Ok, if you can post a picture of your setup that may help us.  I'm struggling to find a real life picture of one with AC on ebay.  The parts catalogues aren't always correct and the Mk2's moved to stretch belts without the need for a tensioner so I'm more familiar with those.

The tensioner moves in an arc shape, so it's more difficult to start from some angles than others.  Though if you've seen an identical one on Youtube then that should be the right method.

Don't think I can offer anything more than before.  Either get more leverage on the tensioner or remove the belt over the waterpump pulley instead.

Here's the video I watched, identical to my car

https://youtu.be/yzUv2NcKFCk?si=LcMDAsRk3Xi7DtoY

 

3 minutes ago, ash29109 said:

Here's the video I watched, identical to my car

https://youtu.be/yzUv2NcKFCk?si=LcMDAsRk3Xi7DtoY

That seems fairly conclusive then.  

I would suggest that it's not being rotated 'up' though.  They're starting with the spanner hanging down and then pulling that towards the front of the car.  (The equal opposite to being above and pushing towards the back)  You may not have the spanner at quite the right angle to start the tensioner's arc.

If it still won't move, then it'll need to be replaced I'm afraid.  You can cut the belt off if it can't be slipped over the waterpump pulley.

6 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

That seems fairly conclusive then.  

I would suggest that it's not being rotated 'up' though.  They're starting with the spanner hanging down and then pulling that towards the front of the car.  (The equal opposite to being above and pushing towards the back)  You may not have the spanner at quite the right angle to start the tensioner's arc.

If it still won't move, then it'll need to be replaced I'm afraid.  You can cut the belt off if it can't be slipped over the waterpump pulley.

I'll give it another go and report back, many thanks!