Gen 7 Wont Start

July 8, 2011

I've just come back from 3 weeks out of the country and went to start my 04 T Sport. First problem I noticed was not being able to unlock remotely. Got in using the key and tried the ignition, absolutely nothing at all. Figured the Battery might have been drained completely (Battery isn't the best, had some problems over winter), so removed it and hooked it up to my charger. Charger shows full charge and wont charge it any more. Wiped off the terminals, put the batt back in and heard some sounds of life, a clicking noise almost like the indicators were on. Got in, thought the problem might be fixed but again nothing on attempting to start it. Thought it might possibly be the key fob (Battery had been a bit low), but checked the security light and noted that it flashed as normal without the key, but stopped with the key inserted, hence the immobiliser appears to recognise the key fine. Turned my attention to the rest of the car, and was surprised to notice that both dials were not normal, needles both pointing to approx 10 oclock. Checked hazards and interior light, nothing. It appears as if no power is being drawn at all except for the immobiliser. Figured I'd take a quick look at the fuses but have never come across a problem with fuses that was quite so extreme. Pulled the 40 amp main fuse, but can't tell how you're supposed to know if it's blown (I'm used to blade style, not these strange boxy ones). Should the fuse rattle or does that indicate it's blown? Any help in understanding the problem would be appreciated, the car is obviously immobile and would be very difficult to tow from it's current parking location (and I'd rather not have the expense either!). Thanks very much.

July 9, 2011

Ok so have changed Battery in key remote just in case and rechecked fuses in light of some google searches and none that seem likely to have caused such a catastrophic failure in the electrics appear to have blown. Next step is to get the Battery somewhere to see if my charger is giving a false reading on it's status. Any ideas out there on other possibilities? I'd like to eliminate the more trivial before having it taken anywhere. Thanks

July 10, 2011

Just hauled the Battery two miles on my back to National Tyres and Autocare to have their free Battery check... And it's the Battery. The tester wouldn't register it at all so glad I took it out there. The replacement they had in stock didn't seem up to the job however, the battery the car has had since I bought it last year has never seemed quite big enough and the one they offered had a smaller capacity so think it might be time for a trip to Halfords. Anyone got any opinion on lead vs calcium? Think I'll go for the calcium given better numbers and longer guarantee for not much more, but would appreciate any thoughts.

Lesson learned: don't trust your battery charger when it says the battery is full!

July 11, 2011

Go to Toyota, as believe it or not it'll probably be cheaper. The facelift batteries are smaller anyway & are well up for the job, as I've got one in mine & that has a lot more work to do than a standard 190.