How Likely is it a relay has blown?

[Sidzrx]

Over the last week I \'ve been having a few problems with the FD. It wouldn\'t start, so I de-flooded it checked the spark plugs etc and it would start. I replaced the leading coil pack and it still wouldn\'t start. And we also checked the fuel pump to see if it was pumping fuel, which it was. Anyway I also replaced the battery with a new one and de-flooded once more. but didn\'t have enough power to start the car. Anyway I put the battery on charge over night and put it back on the car and it started up. I got warm and ran it for a while and thought all was fine. Problem is when I came to try and start it again this morning it wouldn\'t start and it has only been left over night. It was running fine yesterday when I didi get it started.
I thought I would try and de-flood it again but the spark plugs were bone dry.
Is it possible I have got a sticky relay somewhere or even blown it?
I\'m getting really annoyed now as I\'ve just rebuilt the engine and every time I seem tohave sorted it something else crops up.
Is there any way I can test the relays?

[Sidzrx]

Also I forgot to mention that I have charged the battery up again and it starts. Then I get the same problem, It seems odd after I\'ve charged the battery up for long periods that the car starts.
I don\'t know what to do or where to look, but I can\'t just take the battery out and charge it up every day/night so that I can use it.

[grinder]

i suppose the first thing would be to check why its isnt charging the battery - then look at why it wont start

OR what you could do

1 - charge the battery
2 - put it in the car
3 - try and start it the next day

if its flat - then look for a light being on permenatly ( boot is a prime exampkle )

fix the easy bit first - then look into more serious probs ( if any )

[Sidzrx]

The battery is actually putting out good voltage and is actually charging,this I\'ve checked, and it is not draining at all, but it won\'t start unless I\'ve taken the battery out and charged it for a long period of time. It\'s a brand new battery, but the same problem occurs with the old battery as well (as this isn\'t completely dead and should be adequate for starting). It just seems as if I need that extra bit of cranking power for everything to start.

[adamk]

Get a new Batt mate, they can be funny things!
Then after that, it puts the batt of the picture!
Put it this way if its a few years old it can\'t do any harm anyhow!
 
I used to have a 205 gti for 2 years. Once in a blue moon it would turn over and turn and turn..... but not start! I changed the batt never did it again till the day I sold it?
 
Also a lad I work with has a Ninja motorbike, his batt was on the way out, bike would turn over but not start with lights on. Yet Turn the lights off and it started 1st time???
 
Bloody strange?
 
Cheers:Thumbsup!

[Sidzrx]

Got two new battery\'s and still the same problem, except for when I have charged the damn thing up for a while. When I try starting it as new it nearly fires and thats it, until I have charged it up over night.

[grinder]

OK - lets take all this out of the equation

if you get a socket on the front fully - can you turn the engine by hand ??

maybe you built it TIGHT and it needs max power to turn the thing over - hence you needing to charge the battery to max capacity ??

is the battery turning the car over OK - and it just wont fire - or wont it turn it over at all

the other thing to check - not sure if it will help

if you put a meter on the battery and see 12-13v - what do you see when you crank the car ?? - does it just take all the voltage and nothing happens ??

[Sidzrx]

I can turn the engine over no problems. Each batteries voltage has been in excess of 13v although I have not checked when cranking.
I should probably also have mentioned that it was running fine and then a coil pack went on me. I put the coil pack in and checked everything fired before putting the plugs back in.
It just seems odd as I was not having this problem after the rebuild, there was a period when it was firing up without a problem on a partially cahrged battery.
Anyway the car stillwouldn\'t fire so I tried another battery, same problem. By this point it was dark so I put the new battery back on charge overnight and when I put it back in the car it started, and ran quite nicely. I took it out for a drive just to make sure evrything was ok, as it seemed to be. Then the next morning I tried starting the car once more it struggled a bit but it started, I was letting it warm up and the revs then gradually began to slowly fall and then they kept falling and the car was idling just below 500 revs which was worrying, anyway I was just about to make some adjustment and the car stalled. Then I was back to square one not being able to start the car.
This made me think it was something electrical and possibly a relay, but I don\'t know where to start, as I know there are probably a few things that could cause problems that are related.

[Shiuko]

I haven\'t got a lot of experience with this cars, but I can show you a trick that works for me.

If the car won\'t start first time, quit trying and disconnect the positive on the battery. Wait a couple of seconds, put it back on and start it again.

It doesn\'t start the second time because you\'ve charged the battery, but because you disconnected it and connected again.

[Shiuko]

Did you find out what the problem was?

[Sidzrx]

No not yet, car won\'t even start using a fully charged battery now. A couple of times it has nearly fired, but not quite started.

[gsb876]

Check the fuel pump relay as its common to play up and might just need replacing, my last 2 FD\'s had this problem.

Front fuse box near the drivers side front light.

[Sidzrx]

How do I check them?

[gsb876]

Basically when you turn the ignition on can you hear the fuel pump fire up ??

Fuel pump is located in rear boot under the carpet on the passenger side, metal plate with 2 thick cables coming out, if you can hear the fuel pump fire up then its not the relay.

Deffo worth checking as easy fix if its that.