My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year, unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads now
or should I replace the battery?


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman

On Sunday, 18 September 2016 14:37:42 UTC+1, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year, unused.

I'm really sorry you lost Geraldine, Dave. :-(
That's awful news.

David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year, unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads now
or should I replace the battery?



Very probably knackered, but, certainly worth trying some jump leads and
seeing how it holds up once it's charged in the car.

Tim

--
Please don't feed the trolls

On 18/09/2016 14:37, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year, unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads now
or should I replace the battery?



If it had discharged to the point that the dash lights didn't work, it
may well be f*cked.

But it would still be worth charging it a bit more. How long did you
charge it for? A fully charged battery should show nearer 14v than 12.
If your Wilko charger won't charge it any higher, try using jump leads
to get the engine started, then drive it round and see whether the car's
alternator can do any better.
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

On 18/09/2016 15:11, Huge wrote:
On 2016-09-18, Roger Mills wrote:
On 18/09/2016 14:37, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year, unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads now
or should I replace the battery?



If it had discharged to the point that the dash lights didn't work, it
may well be f*cked.

But it would still be worth charging it a bit more. How long did you
charge it for? A fully charged battery should show nearer 14v than 12.

Believe me, it's ****ed.

If your Wilko charger won't charge it any higher, try using jump leads
to get the engine started, then drive it round and see whether the car's
alternator can do any better.

But don't stop the engine until you get home ....

Agreed, David could solve all this nonsense and buy a new battery. I
would recommend some float charger if the car is not going to be used
for a month or so.

On 18/09/2016 15:06, Roger Mills wrote:
On 18/09/2016 14:37, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year, unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads now
or should I replace the battery?



If it had discharged to the point that the dash lights didn't work, it
may well be f*cked.

But it would still be worth charging it a bit more. How long did you
charge it for? A fully charged battery should show nearer 14v than 12.
If your Wilko charger won't charge it any higher, try using jump leads
to get the engine started, then drive it round and see whether the car's
alternator can do any better.

The battery on my (old) Honda Civic drained flat (I left an OBD thing
plugged in for 2 weeks). Through 'dumb' charging (using a cheap Halfords
charger) to get it up to 12V, then trickle charging using an Aldi
charger for a week to 14V, the battery was fine for 6 months until I
sold it.

That said, all consensus was that it would be ruined. I even bought a
new battery on the assumption they were right - new Bosch battery for a
Honda Civic anyone :-;

--
Cheers, Rob

In message , Roger Mills
writes
On 18/09/2016 14:37, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year, unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads now
or should I replace the battery?



If it had discharged to the point that the dash lights didn't work, it
may well be f*cked.

But it would still be worth charging it a bit more. How long did you
charge it for? A fully charged battery should show nearer 14v than 12.
If your Wilko charger won't charge it any higher, try using jump leads
to get the engine started, then drive it round and see whether the
car's alternator can do any better.

Worth trying a few charge/discharge cycles. Run the battery down using
the car lights then re-charge. If it won't start the engine after a few
cycles it is junk.

--
Tim Lamb

"Huge" wrote in message
...
On 2016-09-18, Roger Mills wrote:
If your Wilko charger won't charge it any higher, try using jump leads
to get the engine started, then drive it round and see whether the car's
alternator can do any better.

But don't stop the engine until you get home ....

Or just leave the engine ticking over for 30 minutes - whilst attended..

--

Adam

On 18/09/2016 15:46, Tim Lamb wrote:
In message , Roger Mills
writes
On 18/09/2016 14:37, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year, unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads now
or should I replace the battery?



If it had discharged to the point that the dash lights didn't work, it
may well be f*cked.

But it would still be worth charging it a bit more. How long did you
charge it for? A fully charged battery should show nearer 14v than 12.
If your Wilko charger won't charge it any higher, try using jump leads
to get the engine started, then drive it round and see whether the
car's alternator can do any better.

Worth trying a few charge/discharge cycles. Run the battery down using
the car lights then re-charge. If it won't start the engine after a few
cycles it is junk.

I can't disagree more.

A flat lead acid battery will generally only deteriorate when left
discharged. Charging and recharging won't help. The best state to leave
a battery is in a fully charged state.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead%E..._desulfatio n

Sulfation is a one way trip.

On Sun, 18 Sep 2016 13:55:28 -0000 (UTC)
Tim+ wrote:

David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year,
unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard
lights etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all
now working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump
leads now or should I replace the battery?



Very probably knackered, but, certainly worth trying some jump leads
and seeing how it holds up once it's charged in the car.

Tim


But the first time you need it somewhere on a cold night, it won't have
enough oomph. Just replace it, and look after the new one.

--
Davey.

On Sunday, 18 September 2016 14:51:22 UTC+1, Simon Mason wrote:
On Sunday, 18 September 2016 14:37:42 UTC+1, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year, unused.

I'm really sorry you lost Geraldine, Dave. :-(
That's awful news.

+1
Condolences.

On 18/09/2016 14:37, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year, unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads now
or should I replace the battery?



Depends a bit on your plans for the car? If you selling privately or
offering in part-exchange I'd be inclined to give it a go with
jump-leads. And of course warming it up nicely before any prospective
buyer tries it OTOH if it is going to a daughter...

PS

And my sympathies if, as so often, having to deal with such consequences
is painful



--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid

On Sunday, 18 September 2016 14:37:42 UTC+1, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year, unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads now
or should I replace the battery?


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman

I have a car that is only used intermittently.
I have fitted a quick disconnect to the battery to stop discharge and I either run the car once a week or give it a quick charge.

"harry" wrote in message
...
On Sunday, 18 September 2016 14:51:22 UTC+1, Simon Mason wrote:
On Sunday, 18 September 2016 14:37:42 UTC+1, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year,
unused.

I'm really sorry you lost Geraldine, Dave. :-(
That's awful news.

+1
Condolences.


You said that the last time she died.

You thick ****.

--

Adam

"Robin" wrote in message
...
On 18/09/2016 14:37, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year, unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads now
or should I replace the battery?



Depends a bit on your plans for the car? If you selling privately or
offering in part-exchange I'd be inclined to give it a go with
jump-leads. And of course warming it up nicely before any prospective
buyer tries it OTOH if it is going to a daughter...

Stick the ****er in Autotrader and wait until some daft **** turns up and
says "Actually I was looking for a Ford not a Citroën and it's the wrong
colour".

--

Adam

"Huge" wrote in message
...
On 2016-09-18, ARW wrote:

"Robin" wrote in message
...
On 18/09/2016 14:37, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year,
unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard
lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads
now
or should I replace the battery?



Depends a bit on your plans for the car? If you selling privately or
offering in part-exchange I'd be inclined to give it a go with
jump-leads. And of course warming it up nicely before any prospective
buyer tries it OTOH if it is going to a daughter...

Stick the ****er in Autotrader and wait until some daft **** turns up and
says "Actually I was looking for a Ford not a Citroën and it's the wrong
colour".

Don't get me going. Trying to sell my car ATM.


Does it need a Part P certificate:-)?

--

Adam

"Huge" wrote in message
...
On 2016-09-18, ARW wrote:

"Huge" wrote in message
...

[28 lines snipped]

Stick the ****er in Autotrader and wait until some daft **** turns up
and
says "Actually I was looking for a Ford not a Citroën and it's the
wrong
colour".

Don't get me going. Trying to sell my car ATM.


Does it need a Part P certificate:-)?

Nope.

Had any ******s view the car or phone up asking stupid questions?

I once had "what colour is your white Berlingo?"

--

Adam

On 18/09/2016 14:37, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year, unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads now
or should I replace the battery?



My Astra handbook says disconnect the battery if the vehicle is not
going to be used for more than 3 weeks (which seems alarmingly
short).

Lead acid batteries generally don't like being allowed to
go completely flat. All you can do is start it with jump leads
and make sure the alternator is charging correctly (higher
than 12 V across the battery teminals), and drive it around
for half an hour or so. Should (could) be ok.

In message , Fredxxx
writes
On 18/09/2016 15:46, Tim Lamb wrote:

Worth trying a few charge/discharge cycles. Run the battery down using
the car lights then re-charge. If it won't start the engine after a few
cycles it is junk.

I can't disagree more.

A flat lead acid battery will generally only deteriorate when left
discharged. Charging and recharging won't help. The best state to leave
a battery is in a fully charged state.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead%E...lfation_and_de
sulfation

Sulfation is a one way trip.

I can only speak from experience. More years ago than I care to
remember, I was working at a Vickers Shipbuilding model tank. For open
water trials models were powered by a stack of lead acid batteries.

The battery room had shelves of batteries around 45 amp/hr. capacity and
mostly flat as your hat. My boss was of the same opinion as you *once
flat = scrap*. The budget for the trial was pretty much petty cash as it
was for a timber stern trawler being made at Berwick upon Tweed and
certainly not MOD.

After a few charge/discharge cycles the batteries worked well enough for
the performance trials at the Dumbarton test tank and open water
demonstration at Berwick.

Trying won't cost anything other than time.

--
Tim Lamb

In article ,
harry writes:
I have a car that is only used intermittently.
I have fitted a quick disconnect to the battery to stop discharge and I either run the car once a week or give it a quick charge.

My engine management unit will lose the engine tuning if I do that, and
spends first 5 miles relearning it. It's noticably rough for first half
mile or so. I can't imagine it's particularly good for the engine to do
this repeatedly.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On Monday, 19 September 2016 09:03:52 UTC+1, Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
harry writes:
I have a car that is only used intermittently.
I have fitted a quick disconnect to the battery to stop discharge and I either run the car once a week or give it a quick charge.

My engine management unit will lose the engine tuning if I do that, and
spends first 5 miles relearning it. It's noticably rough for first half
mile or so. I can't imagine it's particularly good for the engine to do
this repeatedly.

My battery went flat on a ferry after I forgot to disable the alarm. After I pushed it off in Rotterdam it spent the first 20 miles resetting the radio, air con etc.

Huge Wrote in message:
On 2016-09-18, ARW wrote:

"Huge" wrote in message
...

[28 lines snipped]

Stick the ****er in Autotrader and wait until some daft **** turns up and
says "Actually I was looking for a Ford not a Citroën and it's the wrong
colour".

Don't get me going. Trying to sell my car ATM.


Does it need a Part P certificate:-)?

Nope.


--
Today is Sweetmorn, the 42nd day of Bureaucracy in the YOLD 3182
I don't have an attitude problem.
If you have a problem with my attitude, that's your problem.


But the tyres requires KICK test.
--

%Profound_observation%

In article ,
David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year, unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads now
or should I replace the battery?

There are smart testers these days that tell you the actual battery
capacity instantly. That is a good indication as to condition. Any decent
battery place should have one.

If the battery was very low and the charger small it could take a long
time to charge the battery. But as others have said if it was left flat,
probably knackered.

--
*No I haven't stolen it , I'm just a **** driver*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 18/09/2016 14:37, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year, unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads now
or should I replace the battery?


New battery, started 1st time.

Anyone know anything about hydraulic clutches?



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman

"Huge" wrote in message
...
On 2016-09-18, ARW wrote:

Had any ******s view the car or phone up asking stupid questions?

Yep. "Will you accept a Merc in p/x". The ad says "No p/x".

The world would, IMHO, be a better place if breathing required a minimum
amount of intelligence.


--

Adam

In message
David Lang wrote:

On 18/09/2016 14:37, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year, unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads now
or should I replace the battery?


New battery, started 1st time.

Anyone know anything about hydraulic clutches?

Usually requires master/slave service kit and new hydraulic fluid.

Check for leaks at the master cylinder connected to the pedal and the
slave cylinder mounted on the clutch housing (usually the easiest to
remove and service). If no leaks evident take your pick as to which
might be passing but the slave gets all the dirt as it is the lower
and more likely to get damaged internally.

--
John Bryan

On 19/09/2016 19:34, wrote:
In message
David Lang wrote:

On 18/09/2016 14:37, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year, unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads now
or should I replace the battery?


New battery, started 1st time.

Anyone know anything about hydraulic clutches?

Usually requires master/slave service kit and new hydraulic fluid.

Check for leaks at the master cylinder connected to the pedal and the
slave cylinder mounted on the clutch housing (usually the easiest to
remove and service). If no leaks evident take your pick as to which
might be passing but the slave gets all the dirt as it is the lower
and more likely to get damaged internally.

Thanks. AIUI there is a shared master (with the brakes) and separate
slaves. Brakes seem OK, so slave seem more likely.
Cheers

--
Dave - The Medway Handyman

"Huge" wrote in message
...
On 2016-09-18, ARW wrote:

"Robin" wrote in message
...
On 18/09/2016 14:37, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year,
unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard
lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads
now
or should I replace the battery?



Depends a bit on your plans for the car? If you selling privately or
offering in part-exchange I'd be inclined to give it a go with
jump-leads. And of course warming it up nicely before any prospective
buyer tries it OTOH if it is going to a daughter...

Stick the ****er in Autotrader and wait until some daft **** turns up and
says "Actually I was looking for a Ford not a Citroën and it's the wrong
colour".

Don't get me going. Trying to sell my car ATM.

Bet they just dont like the car when they see it and
are using that excuse instead of saying why they
actually dont like it that you can quibble with.

On 19/09/16 20:50, David Lang wrote:
On 19/09/2016 19:34, wrote:
In message
David Lang wrote:

On 18/09/2016 14:37, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year,
unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard
lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads
now
or should I replace the battery?


New battery, started 1st time.

Anyone know anything about hydraulic clutches?

Usually requires master/slave service kit and new hydraulic fluid.

Check for leaks at the master cylinder connected to the pedal and the
slave cylinder mounted on the clutch housing (usually the easiest to
remove and service). If no leaks evident take your pick as to which
might be passing but the slave gets all the dirt as it is the lower
and more likely to get damaged internally.

Thanks. AIUI there is a shared master (with the brakes) and separate
slaves. Brakes seem OK, so slave seem more likely.
Cheers


What is the symptom? you disengage the clutch but gearbox is still
connected to the the engine?

That's not the hydraulics. That's a rusted up clutch plate, and this
is the way you free it up.

Start the car with it in first gear. Or reverse. And change up to about
second by matching revs carefully to get it into gear.

On a quiet bit if road, get up towards peak revs in second - or maybe
first - and stamp hard - really hard - on the brake and the clutch together.

That should free the clutch from the pressure plate and flywheel.

IT makes a frightening noise, but that is how you do it.

The only alternative is to put a new clutch in.





--
New Socialism consists essentially in being seen to have your heart in
the right place whilst your head is in the clouds and your hand is in
someone else's pocket.

On Mon, 19 Sep 2016 22:03:37 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:

On 19/09/16 20:50, David Lang wrote:

Thanks. AIUI there is a shared master (with the brakes) and separate
slaves. Brakes seem OK, so slave seem more likely.
Cheers


What is the symptom? you disengage the clutch but gearbox is still
connected to the the engine?

That's not the hydraulics. That's a rusted up clutch plate, and this
is the way you free it up.

Start the car with it in first gear. Or reverse. And change up to about
second by matching revs carefully to get it into gear.

Will he be able to that or will it have that infuriating feature of
modern cars that won't let you start unless the clutch is depressed?
Will depend on where the sensor is located I suppose, it might think
you operated it from the pedal position even though the plate hasn't
moved.


G.Harman

On 19/09/16 22:13, Huge wrote:
On 2016-09-19, ARW wrote:

"Huge" wrote in message
...
On 2016-09-18, ARW wrote:

Had any ******s view the car or phone up asking stupid questions?

Yep. "Will you accept a Merc in p/x". The ad says "No p/x".

The world would, IMHO, be a better place if breathing required a minimum
amount of intelligence.

Indeed.


AS I keep pointing out Darwin is not survival of the fittest,. it is
merely propagation of those not sufficiently dysfunctional to fail to
generate offspring.



--
Future generations will wonder in bemused amazement that the early
twenty-first centurys developed world went into hysterical panic over a
globally average temperature increase of a few tenths of a degree, and,
on the basis of gross exaggerations of highly uncertain computer
projections combined into implausible chains of inference, proceeded to
contemplate a rollback of the industrial age.

Richard Lindzen

On 19/09/2016 22:03, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 19/09/16 20:50, David Lang wrote:
On 19/09/2016 19:34, wrote:
In message
David Lang wrote:

On 18/09/2016 14:37, David Lang wrote:
My late wife's C3 has been on the drive since mid May this year,
unused.

Not surprisingly the battery was flat. Central locking, dashboard
lights
etc all not working.

Bought a cheap charger from Wilkinson's & charged battery (out of
vehicle). Checked it with a meter & it had slightly over 12v.

Put it back in the car, Central locking, dashboard lights etc all now
working, but not enough juice to turn over the engine.

Do I assume the battery is now f*cked? Is it worth using jump leads
now
or should I replace the battery?


New battery, started 1st time.

Anyone know anything about hydraulic clutches?

Usually requires master/slave service kit and new hydraulic fluid.

Check for leaks at the master cylinder connected to the pedal and the
slave cylinder mounted on the clutch housing (usually the easiest to
remove and service). If no leaks evident take your pick as to which
might be passing but the slave gets all the dirt as it is the lower
and more likely to get damaged internally.

Thanks. AIUI there is a shared master (with the brakes) and separate
slaves. Brakes seem OK, so slave seem more likely.
Cheers


What is the symptom? you disengage the clutch but gearbox is still
connected to the the engine?

No, clutch pedal flops down to floor, so can't operate clutch at all.

That's not the hydraulics. That's a rusted up clutch plate, and this
is the way you free it up.

Start the car with it in first gear. Or reverse. And change up to about
second by matching revs carefully to get it into gear.

On a quiet bit if road, get up towards peak revs in second - or maybe
first - and stamp hard - really hard - on the brake and the clutch
together.

That should free the clutch from the pressure plate and flywheel.

IT makes a frightening noise, but that is how you do it.

The only alternative is to put a new clutch in.







--
Dave - The Medway Handyman

wrote in message
...
On Mon, 19 Sep 2016 22:03:37 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:

On 19/09/16 20:50, David Lang wrote:

Thanks. AIUI there is a shared master (with the brakes) and separate
slaves. Brakes seem OK, so slave seem more likely.
Cheers


What is the symptom? you disengage the clutch but gearbox is still
connected to the the engine?

That's not the hydraulics. That's a rusted up clutch plate, and this
is the way you free it up.

Start the car with it in first gear. Or reverse. And change up to about
second by matching revs carefully to get it into gear.

Will he be able to that or will it have that infuriating feature of
modern cars that won't let you start unless the clutch is depressed?
Will depend on where the sensor is located I suppose, it might think
you operated it from the pedal position even though the plate hasn't
moved.

Can't see why any would try to work out where the plate was.
It makes a lot more sense to work out where the pedal is or
a pressure switch in the hydraulic system.

On 19/09/16 22:48, David Lang wrote:
What is the symptom? you disengage the clutch but gearbox is still
connected to the the engine?

No, clutch pedal flops down to floor, so can't operate clutch at all.

Ah.


lost fluid somewhere

check levels and pump it like crazy.

that should be enough to get it to a garage.

could be a leak anywhere in the circuit.



--
"In our post-modern world, climate science is not powerful because it is
true: it is true because it is powerful."

Lucas Bergkamp

On 19/09/2016 22:48, David Lang wrote:
On 19/09/2016 22:03, The Natural Philosopher wrote:


What is the symptom? you disengage the clutch but gearbox is still
connected to the the engine?

No, clutch pedal flops down to floor, so can't operate clutch at all.

Then check the fluid level. If the shared system is like the one on my
Volvo, the clutch feed from the reservoir is at a higher level than that
for the brakes. Obvious safety feature, so that if you use fluid, the
clutch gives up before the brakes stop working.

So top it up and then fully pump the clutch pedal a few times. That will
hopefully restore the clutch function. Then keep a careful eye on the
fluid level, and have a leak investigated urgently if the level keeps
falling.

These days, the clutch slave cylinder on a lot of vehicles is integral
with the release thrust bearing inside the bell housing - which makes it
a major operation to replace it.
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

On 20/09/2016 18:00, Roger Mills wrote:
On 19/09/2016 22:48, David Lang wrote:
On 19/09/2016 22:03, The Natural Philosopher wrote:


What is the symptom? you disengage the clutch but gearbox is still
connected to the the engine?

No, clutch pedal flops down to floor, so can't operate clutch at all.

Then check the fluid level.

I've topped that up.

If the shared system is like the one on my
Volvo, the clutch feed from the reservoir is at a higher level than that
for the brakes. Obvious safety feature, so that if you use fluid, the
clutch gives up before the brakes stop working.

Logical!

So top it up and then fully pump the clutch pedal a few times. That will
hopefully restore the clutch function. Then keep a careful eye on the
fluid level, and have a leak investigated urgently if the level keeps
falling.

I have tried that to no avail.


These days, the clutch slave cylinder on a lot of vehicles is integral
with the release thrust bearing inside the bell housing - which makes it
a major operation to replace it.

:-(

I think (& hope) this one is external.

Thanks.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
On 19/09/16 22:13, Huge wrote:
On 2016-09-19, ARW wrote:

"Huge" wrote in message
...
On 2016-09-18, ARW wrote:

Had any ******s view the car or phone up asking stupid questions?

Yep. "Will you accept a Merc in p/x". The ad says "No p/x".

The world would, IMHO, be a better place if breathing required a minimum
amount of intelligence.

Indeed.


AS I keep pointing out Darwin is not survival of the fittest,. it is
merely propagation of those not sufficiently dysfunctional to fail to
generate offspring.

Are you suggesting that the ability to get an erection should require a
certain level of intelligence?

--

Adam

On 20/09/16 19:16, ARW wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
On 19/09/16 22:13, Huge wrote:
On 2016-09-19, ARW wrote:

"Huge" wrote in message
...
On 2016-09-18, ARW wrote:

Had any ******s view the car or phone up asking stupid questions?

Yep. "Will you accept a Merc in p/x". The ad says "No p/x".

The world would, IMHO, be a better place if breathing required a minimum
amount of intelligence.

Indeed.


AS I keep pointing out Darwin is not survival of the fittest,. it is
merely propagation of those not sufficiently dysfunctional to fail to
generate offspring.

Are you suggesting that the ability to get an erection should require a
certain level of intelligence?


NO, I am saying that the reverse is true. The ability to impregnate
women and have babies requires no intelligence at all, otherwise the
human race would probably have died out years ago.


--

Adam




--
Karl Marx said religion is the opium of the people.
But Marxism is the crack cocaine.

On 20/09/2016 23:04, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 20/09/16 19:16, ARW wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
On 19/09/16 22:13, Huge wrote:
On 2016-09-19, ARW wrote:

"Huge" wrote in message
...
On 2016-09-18, ARW wrote:

Had any ******s view the car or phone up asking stupid questions?

Yep. "Will you accept a Merc in p/x". The ad says "No p/x".

The world would, IMHO, be a better place if breathing required a
minimum
amount of intelligence.

Indeed.


AS I keep pointing out Darwin is not survival of the fittest,. it is
merely propagation of those not sufficiently dysfunctional to fail to
generate offspring.

Are you suggesting that the ability to get an erection should require a
certain level of intelligence?


NO, I am saying that the reverse is true. The ability to impregnate
women and have babies requires no intelligence at all, otherwise the
human race would probably have died out years ago.

Except that there are studies that support the concept that intelligence
is inherited, and unfortunately less intelligent families have more
offspring.

We're doomed!!!

On 20/09/2016 18:28, David Lang wrote:
On 20/09/2016 18:00, Roger Mills wrote:
On 19/09/2016 22:48, David Lang wrote:
On 19/09/2016 22:03, The Natural Philosopher wrote:


What is the symptom? you disengage the clutch but gearbox is still
connected to the the engine?

No, clutch pedal flops down to floor, so can't operate clutch at all.

Then check the fluid level.

I've topped that up.

If the shared system is like the one on my
Volvo, the clutch feed from the reservoir is at a higher level than that
for the brakes. Obvious safety feature, so that if you use fluid, the
clutch gives up before the brakes stop working.

Logical!

So top it up and then fully pump the clutch pedal a few times. That will
hopefully restore the clutch function. Then keep a careful eye on the
fluid level, and have a leak investigated urgently if the level keeps
falling.

I have tried that to no avail.


These days, the clutch slave cylinder on a lot of vehicles is integral
with the release thrust bearing inside the bell housing - which makes it
a major operation to replace it.

:-(

I think (& hope) this one is external.

Was the fluid level below the clutch feed?

My instinct says its your clutch master cylinder but first bleed the
slave cylinder. Usually it's enough to open the bleed nipple and allow
the fluid to emerge. If that doesn't make the clutch pedal have any
resistance then it is the master cylinder.

If you see fluid dribbling from under the car, it'll be the slave cylinder!!