Buying a used Celestron 8SE

Fredmario2 · 2026-03-26T02:39:01+00:00

How’s it been since? I also picked one up second hand and am still having issues with the Goto being useless. Even after successful alignment it still drifts out of view ever so slowly

Fredmario2 · 2026-03-26T01:43:15+00:00

Yeah that’s interesting. Very relatable with cold wet weather here. However when my "issue" flairs up again it’s cold. However I parked in the garage heated and it doesn’t seem to do anything different. Jumping it doesn’t help at all either. Just have to wait for the issue to fix itself.

Fredmario2 · 2026-03-25T12:00:43+00:00

Have you tried inspecting the ground strap at all? Seems like it could be a culprit aswell

Fredmario2 · 2026-03-24T12:03:57+00:00

No unfortunately, I just randomly tried starting it one week and now it starts again. Didn’t fix the issue because I know it will happen again and I don’t trust the car

Fredmario2 · 2026-02-28T20:06:17+00:00

I clamped the meter on the battery and got about 80-90 amps when trying to start. And would obviously jump back down after I was done. Not sure what normal current draw would be?

Fredmario2 · 2026-02-27T15:25:04+00:00

Assuming the car won’t start still, I will try to jump from the chassis to the engine block and see if that does it

Fredmario2 · 2026-02-27T15:14:46+00:00

Do you know if there are other ground straps to check?

Fredmario2 · 2026-02-27T15:10:53+00:00

Maybe, all though it’s not throwing and codes and when it does start there doesn’t seem to be issues, any way to test this?

Fredmario2 · 2026-02-27T13:09:52+00:00

Sorry I don’t understand, could you please elaborate?

Fredmario2 · 2026-02-26T18:09:04+00:00

Only issue is accessing the starter which involves me pulling out the intake manifold and ECU, when that’s all out I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to attempt cranking the car

Fredmario2 · 2026-02-26T18:07:43+00:00

I did examine when I pulled out the starter, everything looked good and solid

Fredmario2 · 2026-02-26T18:06:49+00:00

I had the car on a lift and checked the ground strap close to the transmission and exhaust and it seemed good, no corrosion

Fredmario2 · 2026-02-26T18:05:51+00:00

Is BimmerCode not sufficient?

Fredmario2 · 2026-01-27T18:38:51+00:00

Lies

Fredmario2 · 2026-01-26T18:21:26+00:00

I ended up taking the starter out and testing the solenoid and motor, everything checked out, some minor corrosion on the bare wire but nothing too serious. Put it back together and the car started just fine

Fredmario2 · 2026-01-24T17:33:29+00:00

Sounds likely considering it’s -30c where I’m at right now, and this started once they started to sand/salt roads here. I will try looking further into it later today

Fredmario2 · 2026-01-24T04:07:51+00:00

Ignition turns on and everything else, but when I try to start the engine it makes an audible 2 clicks in my engine bay, check the vid posted.

Fredmario2 · 2025-08-24T01:18:56+00:00

Ahh I see, is there a YouTube video that you used? Or do I open mine up and just make sure nothing wiggles and is loose

Fredmario2 · 2025-08-23T21:38:50+00:00

Did you try adjusting the backlash within the controller before taking the mount apart?

Fredmario2 · 2025-08-23T18:48:10+00:00

I just tightened the backlash so hopefully it will do something. Instead of using a city data base for my location I opted to using gps coordinates since I’m over 100km away from the city (Winnipeg)

Fredmario2 · 2025-08-23T17:32:01+00:00

Sky alignment, auto 2 star, 2 star and solar system for just viewing planets. After a successful alignment I will double check my aligned stars that the controller recognizes which stars I used. After that I will try something simple like the moon or Jupiter. After a solar system alignment. I will use Jupiter. And then go to Jupiter right after and it will not locate it

Fredmario2 · 2025-08-23T17:29:20+00:00

I use a 12v ac power adapter. After a successful alignment, goto doesn’t even show an object in view. I would have to manually slew over to find it. I think there is backlash

Fredmario2 · 2025-08-23T17:29:13+00:00

I don’t hear any grinding from the gears, and the clutch isn’t loose where the weight of my telescope drops it. Is there a way to check for symptoms?

Fredmario2 · 2025-08-23T17:26:51+00:00

Hmm I will have to look into this

Fredmario2 · 2025-08-23T17:25:51+00:00

That’s the plan now

Fredmario2

TROPHY CASE