EOC using starter to restart? - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

betasniper · 03-23-2013, 02:58 AM

I have now been EOCing for a bit now, but since I have an automatic, I have to key start the car. I have done this a little bit but then after one EOC the car wouldn't start. So it seems the battery "died". Ok, no problem, it was old to begin with and I already had a new battery which would fit. It wasn't a deep cycle because we didn't buy it for this car but it's CCA rating was quite a bit higher than my car requires. I figured this would mean that it would also have a higher battery capacity. I'm not sure if it actually does because after charging it yesterday, during my commute today the car almost didn't want to start. I slightly delayed some people behind me so after that I kept the engine on for a little bit. When I got home, I started charging the battery but the charger was only drawing about 5 amps to start with when I set it to 10 amp charging. In half an hour it was reduced to about 1~2 amps which I think means that the battery was only discharged a little bit. Does this mean that my starter is to blame for the inability to start after EOC?

Thank you
(and sorry for wall o text)

nemo · 03-23-2013, 07:04 AM

More detail. Which car? Will the starter try to start the car, etc. What did you do to get it to restart? First things I would check are all battery connections (including grounds) and the neutral safety switch. Try starting it in neutral when stationary to help rule out safety switch.

One other thought, if the place were you got the battery has free testing do it, this will rule out any charging or battery issues. More likely the problem is something else.

Ryland · 03-23-2013, 09:05 AM

Is the"new" battery any good? was the old battery really wore out?

If your car almost didn't want to start then how did you get it to start?

If you are using your starter a lot and you need to put a battery charger on your battery at least once a week over night to make sure it's getting fully charged at some point, you should also check the cable going to your starter for damage along with the ground straps.

jakobnev · 03-23-2013, 09:12 AM

I just fixed a similar problem with my car yesterday. It turned out that the cable that goes directly from the battery to the B+ terminal on the starter solenoid, was loose.

betasniper · 03-23-2013, 11:26 AM

On my SW2. The battery was purchased from Sam's Club.
When it didn't want to start it made a "buzzing" sound. I then waited a few seconds and kept the key turned until it started about 1.5~2 secs when it did start. After that, I didn't EOC for a while. I coasted in gear because my neutral idle is way to high.
I'll check the connections from battery and starter and see if anything is wrong with the wires.

bestclimb · 03-23-2013, 12:55 PM

Check wires and connectors on both ends for corrosion, security, and condition. Check them at both positive and negative at the battery. the battery to ground. The engine block ground. The starter positive.

The fact that it is having trouble once it is warm suggests to me that something is getting warm and the extra resistance giving you issues. If all those connections check out then start thinking about the starter.

wobombat · 03-23-2013, 07:57 PM

Just to confirm, have you made sure that you can EOC in your car in the first place? Many of the pumps in auto trannys are driven by the engine, so when the engine is off but the car is moving, parts in the tranny aren't properly lubricated. I have an automatic and I don't EOC at all. I wish I could though.

cRiPpLe_rOoStEr · 03-23-2013, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wobombat

Many of the pumps in auto trannys are driven by the engine, so when the engine is off but the car is moving, parts in the tranny aren't properly lubricated. I have an automatic and I don't EOC at all. I wish I could though.

Some vehicles available overseas with idling shut-off in manual transmission versions don't retain this feature for its automatic counterparts, and it's not so extreme as EOC.

Diesel_Dave · 03-23-2013, 09:06 PM

I don't think there's a problem with your car. I suspect the problem is actually fairly straightforward. Your engine isn't on long enough for the alternator to recharge the battery.

The starter takes a fair bit of power to crank the engine. This power comes from the battery. After starting the engine needs to recharge the battery via the alternator. If the engine only runs for a short period of time the alternator hasnt restored as much charge as the starter consumed.

This almost happened to me a while back when it was really cold. Even though I typically bump start I noticed that my battery got really low one day when it had been dark a lot and I had to use my starter much more than usual due to some mistimed lights. Since it was dark and cold it takes much more power to crank my diesel. I made sure I bump started much more as opposed to using the starter for a few days and then it was fine.

If I recall PaleMelanesian has had the same problem even though he bump starts a lot.

So my guess is you either have to keep the engine running more or put the battery on a trickle charger at night.

Ryland · 03-23-2013, 10:30 PM

I charge my battery over night every few months just because in the winter I only drive 4 miles each way to work and if I stop at all on the way that doesn't end up being enough to fully recharge the battery and it will start cranking over slower and slower, if I have my lights on then even the 4 miles isn't enough to recharge the battery.