Starter or alternator? Ve 2008 sv6

[Hughesy12]

Gday guys can anyone help me, my car is starting fine after not driving it for over an hour but if I do continuous in and out trips where the car is hot it’s struggles to start, always ends up starting but cranks slow and eventually starts any idea what it could be ??

 

[J_D 2.0]

Gday guys can anyone help me, my car is starting fine after not driving it for over an hour but if I do continuous in and out trips where the car is hot it’s struggles to start, always ends up starting but cranks slow and eventually starts any idea what it could be ??

Have you checked the voltage while the car is running and not running?

You should have around 13.5-14 volts when the car is running without any accessories on (radio, lights etc). If your not getting enough voltage when it’s running then it’s probably the alternator.

You should have around 12 volts when the car is off. If the car is starting fine after a long drive but a few short trips make it not want to start then the battery could be on the way out and not holding sufficient charge.

 

[Hughesy12]

Have you checked the voltage while the car is running and not running?

You should have around 13.5-14 volts when the car is running without any accessories on (radio, lights etc). If your not getting enough voltage when it’s running then it’s probably the alternator.

You should have around 12 volts when the car is off. If the car is starting fine after a long drive but a few short trips make it not want to start then the battery could be on the way out and not holding sufficient charge.

I haven’t I will check that now. It struggles to start after longer drives, so if I drove for 20 minutes, and then tried to drive it again within 15 or 20 minutes It struggles to start. But if I wait over night or a couple of hours it starts no issues

 

[Hughesy12]

Have you checked the voltage while the car is running and not running?

You should have around 13.5-14 volts when the car is running without any accessories on (radio, lights etc). If your not getting enough voltage when it’s running then it’s probably the alternator.

You should have around 12 volts when the car is off. If the car is starting fine after a long drive but a few short trips make it not want to start then the battery could be on the way out and not holding sufficient charge.

It is around 12-12.5 volts when it’s not running, so could it be the starter ?

 

[J_D 2.0]

It is around 12-12.5 volts when it’s not running, so could it be the starter ?

It wouldn’t be first on my list of probabilities as the starter will normally just stop working or progressively slow crank worse and worse not just slow crank when it’s hot.

How old is the battery that is in the car? If it’s already 5+ years old I’d replace that first straight up as it’s already on borrowed time anyway.

The voltage test with the car off doesn’t conclusively rule out the battery as they can hold a surface charge that appears to be ok at 12 volts but then can break down under load when you try and start the car.

The only way to rule the battery out completely is with a battery load test. Most auto parts stores will be able to do a load test on the battery.

How many volts do you have when the car is running?

 

[lout]

be aware ve have a smart charging system
so charging can be anywhere from mid 12v up tp 14.9v
as mentioned have a battery load test performed
usually a free test
the fact it cranks fine when cooled does seem to point to starter motor

 

[Pablito]

When the starter motor on my VE SS was on the way out I would turn the key and nothing would happen. No clicks or struggling to start, just nothing. Then I'd turn the key a second time and it would crank straight away. Over the course of about a year it began by doing it maybe once a month...... and then twice a month.....and then 3 times etc until one week it did it every time I started it. That's when I stopped running the gauntlet.

 

[J_D 2.0]

When the starter motor on my VE SS was on the way out I would turn the key and nothing would happen. No clicks or struggling to start, just nothing. Then I'd turn the key a second time and it would crank straight away. Over the course of about a year it began by doing it maybe once a month...... and then twice a month.....and then 3 times etc until one week it did it every time I started it. That's when I stopped running the gauntlet.

That’s pretty much what happened to my SV6 as well. Wouldn’t start until the second or third turn of the key. Eventually it started cranking slower as well once it did crank. I knew the battery was ok as it was only replaced about 6 months prior. Replaced the starter and it was all good.

 

[mtd]

Gday guys can anyone help me, my car is starting fine after not driving it for over an hour but if I do continuous in and out trips where the car is hot it’s struggles to start, always ends up starting but cranks slow and eventually starts any idea what it could be ??

Yep, nearly identical to my VE (2009). Only difference was it went a bit quicker. Battery was fine, alternator kaput.