Astra diesel 1.9 starting problem

[RICH]

My vauxhall astra won't start! on turning the key this morning all there was a clicking sound. so I thought battery. However I put the lights on and there was no dimming and electric windows seemed fine. so I thought starter motor. I put a battery pack on the battery and it cranked the engine slightly but still didn't start. (pack old and not fully charged).
Also during the cold weather the car was sluggish starting as only used 2/3 times per week. Yesterday car fine no issues.
Am thinking if I use jump start leads and it starts then it must be the battery?
any advice would be great.

[jovi4]

it sounds like your starter motor is sticking, if it does it again, put your car in gear and rock it back and forth, it'll release the starter motor then try starting it again.. hope it works as it happened to me a few years back and that solved it for me :)

[RICH]

ok, worth a shot thanks. although it sounds like it isn't a permanent fix

[TWR]

You are not putting what you are taking out out of the Battery Rich, to start is it the type that you top up? if so check the cells for water ( Distilled) is there a faint light on your dash! indicating Alternator problems, is the fan belt tight? the cold spell will knock 5 bags out of the battery & that's the time it will fail, Dev cars take a lot of turning over in comparison to a petrol.

[EDDIE51]

Almost certainly battery, diesels take a lot more out of the battery than petrol cars. Also the colder it is the less power the battery can supply and at the same time as the oil is thicker it takes more power to turn the engine over, so it is a 'double edged sword'
If the car was only doing a few miles on each journey you are not replacing the power it took to start so the battery will always have problems.
Can you get battery charger on it and give it a few hours charge?

[TWR]

Get the battery tested Rich, they should not charge you for this, you will then know if the battery is U/S. But do NOT GO to K.F. otherwise you will end up wanting a new engine.

[RICH]

all good advice guys. won't take to KF (the one near me they wear masks!) am gonna try and jump start tonight and guess will find my answer there. Also have just noticed that rear window demister isn't currently working so guess that must be a big power drain. cheers

[TWR]

If it's not working it will not drain, check the fuse / or connection to the Element

[RICH]

Ok have sucessfully jump started the car!! so it was the battery and not the starter motor. But the next question is do I buy a new battery or is it possible to charge it?

[EDDIE51]

Charge the battery but do it for at least 5 hours or preferably all night. The battery has been gradually draining due to never being able to recharge fully on the car. The weather forcast is warmer for tomorrow so that will help the battery as well.

[TWR]

I would still get the battery checked Rich, "Why" if you need the car in an emergency & after warnings the battery fails, I think a few of us has been there, It takes 20mins to check,is it worth the agro?