Club 80-90 Forums

Sir Brixalot wrote:It's a DG so no ECU. Start with buying a multimeter, you will know in seconds whether the battery is flat and it's voltage and the voltage at the alternator. I had a seized engine but is sounded terrible before it seized so I think it's very unlikely. Perhaps stick up a post on general chat to see if someone experienced near you could pop over. With one of these vans you have to get your hands dirty

The bit about the seized engine is very reassuring Thanks for this.

alter your signature to tell us where in the world you are.. Many knowledgeable people on here - there may be one round the corner.

You put sounded like the battery didn't have enough charge to restart the van or to turn the engine if I was you I would just put it in gear lift up the engine cover rock the vehicle in gear with no handbrake on and see if the engine turns over if it does big relief and then let's go from there.when turning the key there can be numerous reasons why the van does not turn over this way you'll know for sure sure if its seized or not

mrhutch wrote:alter your signature to tell us where in the world you are.. Many knowledgeable people on here - there may be one round the corner.

Done, Thanks.

clone123 wrote:You put sounded like the battery didn't have enough charge to restart the van or to turn the engine if I was you I would just put it in gear lift up the engine cover rock the vehicle in gear with no handbrake on and see if the engine turns over if it does big relief and then let's go from there.

Van is on a slight incline and haven't got much room to spare but I'll see if I can try this. It's also the least technical so I like it.

Freddievan wrote:Not slept a wink. Things like this are always more difficult for me because my technical abilities extend to oil water and petrol (and I've got that wrong before). The van just stopped dead from a smooth run. The lights were on and heater blowing full but it still doesn't make sense that it's anything to do with the battery or alternator (that was just wishful thinking on my part).

I'll probably need someone to check the voltage as I'm not even sure how to do this properly

As you have said you are no mechanic

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Freddievan wrote:

clone123 wrote:You put sounded like the battery didn't have enough charge to restart the van or to turn the engine if I was you I would just put it in gear lift up the engine cover rock the vehicle in gear with no handbrake on and see if the engine turns over if it does big relief and then let's go from there.

Van is on a slight incline and haven't got much room to spare but I'll see if I can try this. It's also the least technical so I like it.

If I put the van in gear and let it roll forward very slightly, will this serve the same purpose? As I said it's on a slight incline and I can't rock it.

You really need to rock it backwards and forwards to see if the pulley moves

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If you cant rock the van backwards and forwards because it's on a slight incline the only other way to do it is put a spanner on the crankshaft pulley bolt and tried to turn the engine over when it's in neutral as somebody has suggested on here but mine was the non-technical method

Back to basics here !

Check the oil !
Check the battery voltage .
Do NOT rock the van with it in gear , take it out of gear and see if you can turn the engine over with the alternator belt and pulley by hand first . ( even better if you can get a spanner or socket on the big nut in the centre of the main pulley )
If you can , even a little it’s doubtful it’s seized .

Did you have any starter motor issues previously? Turning slow , not turning at all on occasion ?
My money is on either the starter motor or the wiring so far with what’s been said .


Anyone in Barnsley near enough to go help ???

Mocki wrote:Back to basics here !

Check the oil !
Check the battery voltage .
Do NOT rock the van with it in gear , take it out of gear and see if you can turn the engine over with the alternator belt and pulley by hand first . ( even better if you can get a spanner or socket on the big nut in the centre of the main pulley )
If you can , even a little it’s doubtful it’s seized .

Did you have any starter motor issues previously? Turning slow , not turning at all on occasion ?
My money is on either the starter motor or the wiring so far with what’s been said .


Anyone in Barnsley near enough to go help ???

OK. Had a spanner on it and it turns fairly easily.

How long had the van been left standing?

lefty67 wrote:How long had the van been left standing?

Only a coupla weeks.

Can you swap the battery over for a known good one?

lefty67 wrote:Can you swap the battery over for a known good one?

No. I've got a charger.