Originally Posted by kimmo
I think the grinding sound was actually the starter motor that did not disengage properly. That seem to have cured when I put a better battery in, or was it just a co-incidense !?

If that's the case, make sure the ignition switch isn't sticking in the 'start' position. I had something simular happen to me when i went to visit friends- the car started OK, and ran without incident until it came time to park. Then I got this horrendous grinding sound when I moved the shift lever to 'neutral', it went away in 'reverse', then noisy again in 'park'. After collecting my wits, I noticed that the ignition switch hadn't fully returned to 'ignition' once I started the car and released the key.

A better battery prolly didn't fix the problem, but the replacement was a good idea anyway. It'll make diagnosing the fuel and ignition systems easier.