2004 1.2 Starting Problems - Potential Causes?

[Gavin.]

All has been fine and well up until this past week or so. Most of the time the car starts straight off but it now and again won't start and it's becoming more regular.
Sometimes when I turn the key and it sounds like it's fired for literally a second and then dies. After it has done this it then won't start again, it just took me a good few 'extended' turns of the key to get it started. It also did this a few day's ago but I ended up having to bump it on a hill in reverse to get it going.
I have started compensating for this by keeping my foot on the accelerator slightly when turning the key, that way it doesn't die again.

So any ideas? It had a new coil pack about 2 months back and it fires when jump starting, so I know it is sparking.

Fuel pump? Crank sensor? I'm lost...

 

[James28]

Battery? Get a multimeter on it.

 

[Gavin.]

It seems to crank forever when it won't start, so it must have plenty of power. Or could it still kick out a lower voltage?

 

[Gavin.]

It now does this every time I try to start it. If I don't keep my foot on the accelerator when starting it just runs for one second and the stops again, then wont start (not easily anyway)

 

[James28]

Mine would crank over for ever. Never quite start, and it was the battery.
Slightly different symptoms, but easiest to eliminate as a possible cause!

 

[Billy.]

Battery.

 

[Gavin.]

Cheers fellas, i'll go and get one over the weekend.

 

[James28]

Cheers fellas, i'll go and get one over the weekend.

Not got a multimeter you can check current one with?

 

[Gavin.]

Yeah I have one, i'll check the current on Saturday. Busy week...

Thinking about it, I have a small cigarette socket 2 way adapter that has a built in battery tester. Last time I plugged it in with the car off it was red with a very dimly lit amber.

 

[Gavin.]

Battery is fine, just had the multimeter on it. 12.4 when not running and 14.6 when the alternator is charging. I'm going to run it with the spare key for a while to rule that out as well.

 

[Gavin.]

Well I thought I cracked it with the spare key up until today. It just took 20 mins to get it to fire and thats the second time today. Next is the TDC sensor I think.