... she wont start ?

[ak1234]

So after 8 years I finally registered my car and charged the battery and drove the car got gas and back home... parked it and went to try to start it up and a dead thud she wouldnt turn over .. light all lit up , horn worked, so i roll started her and started right up ... the volt guage reads 11 volts when running ... alternator ?  starter solenoid ?   any help trouble shooting this problem would be greatly appreciated.
   
   Ron

[SunDude]

I'm not very mechanical, but this sounds like a problem I just had with my Superformance Cobra.
   
   I bought my car five years ago and it still had the same battery; I don't know how old it really was.
   
   I was over at a friend's house the other day, and the car would no longer start.  It seemed to us like there wasn't enough cranking amps to engage the starter solenoid.  We brought the battery in for testing and, while it had registered plenty of volts, it only had 30% of the amps left.  I bought a new battery and the car now fires right up.
   
   Your old battery might be on its last legs.

[cobham cobra]

The starter solenoid can be a weak point on the MkIV, but it usually causes the starter not to disengage which is a whole different problem. In the past I also had a problem starting my car and it turned out the earth/ground wire had a very poor connection. Although it looked like the bolt and cable were a good connection, in fact the circuit was being made by just a few strands of wire. With a better connector, things were cured. BTW – I had a linked problem with the battery isolator under the dash – again not making a good connection. I had the switch replaced with a better quality unity with better connections.
   Cheers – John.

[westcott]

Had the same issue with different root cause.
   
   Two connectors inside the Lucas plug connecting the ignition switch to the main loom burned and had to be replaced.
   Sometimes the engine started sometimes not.
   
   If you still have the Granada column switches check the if the ignition switch is snapped to the ignition lock. The plastic ears on the switch become weak and the force in the start position could push the switch off the lock and a bit out of position.
   
   If your connectors are in good condition check the battery as mentioned by SunDude or finally check the external starter solenoid located behind the door in the passenger side footbox.
   
   Check earth wires/cables as described by John.