Engine won’t start (1 Viewer)

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Bit of a bugger to get at, but I whipped ours off last week, gave all the contact faces a good cleaning off. On the engine and gearbox faces as well. A liberal coating of petrolium jelly on the contact faces. Put the crimped ends in my Record vice and gave them a jolly good squeezing, and some ACF 50 fluid on the braided copper. I hadn't been aware of any issues, but it can't do any harm as a preventative measure.
Mike.

 

[Colino]

Bit of a bugger to get at, but I whipped ours off last week, gave all the contact faces a good cleaning off. On the engine and gearbox faces as well. A liberal coating of petrolium jelly on the contact faces. Put the crimped ends in my Record vice and gave them a jolly good squeezing, and some ACF 50 fluid on the braided copper. I hadn't been aware of any issues, but it can't do any harm as a preventative measure.
Mike.

Hope you don't mind me asking but where about is it located. I think I'll take a look at mine next week.
Thanks Colin.

 

[GAVLAD]

The battery earth strap I believe. Unless they replaced the engine earth strap with a cheap poor quality one

 

[GAVLAD]

Hope you don't mind me asking but where about is it located. I think I'll take a look at mine next week.
Thanks Colin.

Glad you asked as I couldn’t see it when I took a quick look

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Hope you don't mind me asking but where about is it located. I think I'll take a look at mine next week.
Thanks Colin.

Hi Colin, It's located behind and below the air filter. I found it gave more working room if the air filter top was removed, and the air filter, jam some clean rag in the air filter housing. Also, a prop to hold the bonnet up placed on the other side of the engine bay allows the proper opening strut to then be closed out of your way. It's a bit fiddly, but a 13mm socket, with a multi angle turning piece gets the right angle on the bolt head, and the plastic coated nut on the other end of the strap.
Good luck.
P.S., I have also added an auxiliary earth strap from the engine lifting eye point, to the main earthing point just above it.
Mike.

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[Colino]

Hi Colin, It's located behind and below the air filter. I found it gave more working room if the air filter top was removed, and the air filter, jam some clean rag in the air filter housing. Also, a prop to hold the bonnet up placed on the other side of the engine bay allows the proper opening strut to then be closed out of your way. It's a bit fiddly, but a 13mm socket, with a multi angle turning piece gets the right angle on the bolt head, and the plastic coated nut on the other end of the strap.
Good luck.
P.S., I have also added an auxiliary earth strap from the engine lifting eye point, to the main earthing point just above it.
Mike.

Thanks Mike. I've ordered a new strap so I'll have a go next week.

 

[autorouter]

Sorry, I missed all this. Bit late now, but if the fault is an engine earth strap, this is how to test for it. Try connecting a jump lead between the engine block and the bodywork. This bypasses the engine earth strap. If the engine starts, then at least you know where the problem is.

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Thanks Mike. I've ordered a new strap so I'll have a go next week.

If you clean up the contact faces, and put a squeeze on the crimped areas. Also, if you have the equipment, spray some electrical contact cleaner into the crimps , then heat the crimps and fill them with solder using fluxed solder. That'll keep them good for many years. Use this as a secondary earth on the same fixings, vasaline in between each contact face, like you would do with a battery terminal.
Mike.

 

[autorouter]

Also, if you have the equipment, spray some electrical contact cleaner into the crimps , then heat the crimps and fill them with solder using fluxed solder. That'll keep them good for many years.

The reason an earth strap is braided multistrand cable is because it links the engine and bodywork. The engine is mounted on rubber engine mounts, so that it can vibrate relative to the bodywork. So the earth strap has to cope with not just the normal bodywork vibration but also the relative vibration of the engine. It is precisely in these conditions of severe vibration that soldering stranded cable fails at the end of the soldered section. Yes, it makes a very good electrical connection, but the long-term reliability under vibration has been shown to be poor. Use crimp connectors, not solder. If the crimp is no good, re-make it or get a new earth strap.

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

The reason an earth strap is braided multistrand cable is because it links the engine and bodywork. The engine is mounted on rubber engine mounts, so that it can vibrate relative to the bodywork. So the earth strap has to cope with not just the normal bodywork vibration but also the relative vibration of the engine. It is precisely in these conditions of severe vibration that soldering stranded cable fails at the end of the soldered section. Yes, it makes a very good electrical connection, but the long-term reliability under vibration has been shown to be poor. Use crimp connectors, not solder. If the crimp is no good, re-make it or get a new earth strap.

Still has the crimped fixing should every last drop of retro fitted solder let go, belt and braces and reuse of something potentially destined for the rubbish bin.
Mike.

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[autorouter]

Still has the crimped fixing should every last drop of retro fitted solder let go, belt and braces and reuse of something potentially destined for the rubbish bin.

The solder wicks along the strands, and stops at some point. At that point, the strands fail due to stress cracking. You could support the wire so there's reduced relative vibration, but that's not really an option for an earth strap.

It's a real effect. Solder joints are not allowed in aircraft wiring, and to take an example, the Audi manual specifically states no soldered joints allowed.

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Thanks, I'll cut it open in 5 years or so and report back on the outcome, in the meantime it's still a secondary earth.
Mike.

 

[GAVLAD]

Sorry, I missed all this. Bit late now, but if the fault is an engine earth strap, this is how to test for it. Try connecting a jump lead between the engine block and the bodywork. This bypasses the engine earth strap. If the engine starts, then at least you know where the problem is.

This is what the garage did after fitting a new battery that didn’t start.
They tried jumping the battery terminals, then the terminals under the bonnet, then negative clamp to bonnet locking mechanism and then onto engine block.

Anyway, we’re now back home, spent a 35degrC day walking around an industrial estate where even the cafe closed between 1-3pm for siesta, looked around a motorhome dealership and had a good chat with the guy there on why Ford is becoming more popular, some 400euros lighter and now a bit more wiser as to what to check in case it happens again thanks to all on here