Hi I wonder if anyone can help. I changed the starter motor on our C-Max 1.6TDCI and it started up fine when everything was all back together, when I went to use the car later in the day it would not turn over. I took the battery off and charged it for a while, put it back on and it turned over fine and started up without any problems. I went to use it today and it would not turn over and just clicked when turning the key. I put a voltmeter on the battery and it was only reading 11.40 volts. The battery was changed about 3 months ago by a breakdown company so i.m not sure if it could be that. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks

the clicking noise your hearing (presumably from the solenoid) would be a good indication there isnt enough juice. what does your volt meter read when you try to start the car?

using a volt meter on a static battery is far from testing it properly but 11.4v is low.

If it's the battery I would look at the alternator aswel. A battery should last longer than 3 months. Maybe the alternator is not charging the battery??

Sent from my C5303 using Ford OC mobile app

test the battery when its running aswel just to see what the alternator is pushing back in?

Thanks for the replies, following on with this. Since i last posted I have been away and havent had a chance to try out the suggestions, but what I did do was charge the battery and when I switched off the charger it read 12.50. I left it in the garage and when I got back I put a voltmeter on it and it read 11.90. Should a battery lose this amount over the course of 7 days?.

voltmeter should read at 14.2volts while car is running. if not then your alternator is weak.

If the battery was just sat on the side with nothing touching it then no, it sounds like the cells are warped at best!

I think your going to need a new battery!