Engine Sometimes Not Starting - Mk2 Clio

[Towers]

Hello,
I'm hoping someone here can help me with this issue!
I have just purchased an 04 plate Clio, 1.2L 16v. Unfortunately there are two issues with it.

1. It is sometimes not starting

After being left for a few hours, it will not start on the first attempt, sometimes taking six or seven attempts to start. I have found this YouTube video that sounds exactly like mine does when it tries to start. After a few attempts and maybe a little rocking of the gas pedal, it will fire into life as if nothing ever happened. I've then tried turning it off, leaving it a few minutes and turning it back on and it starts perfectly. It drives fine and the issue is only starting up after not driving for a few hours.​

2. Coolant Leak

I'm putting this here in case it is related to the above, which is my main issue. At the moment this can be resolved with careful monitoring and regular top-ups until I resolve the above. There is a leak of the coolant, resulting in a drip from the very front, nearside of the car. It is probably losing between 1L and 2L of water per week.
​

Seeings as the car came with the original, 12 year old, Renault battery, I thought that may be causing the starting issue. I've just had a new battery fitted and it has not helped the above issue.
I've been looking around the net and I can see people having similar issues that are being resolved with new starter motors, cleaning or replacing the crankshaft sensor and others.

Not sure if it is worth noting but weather here in England, for a change, has been very warm in the last few days so it surely can't be too cold to start.

Does anyone have any ideas? I'm interested if, to someone more knowledgeable than me, the problem is obvious.

Thanks!

 

[James363]

My 172 was doing that, as well as misfiring very heavily occasionally at 5000 rpm. I replaced the crank sensor and it fixed the issue. That could be the cause of your starting issue, and it is only cheap to replace. Buy a non genuine part, if it fixes it and then the problem comes back after a while, get the genuine part. As to the leak, I have no idea, just try to trace the leak to it's source. I would suspect it to be a coolant hose, as the car is old enough, they may have started to crack.

 

[Towers]

My 172 was doing that, as well as misfiring very heavily occasionally at 5000 rpm. I replaced the crank sensor and it fixed the issue. That could be the cause of your starting issue, and it is only cheap to replace. Buy a non genuine part, if it fixes it and then the problem comes back after a while, get the genuine part. As to the leak, I have no idea, just try to trace the leak to it's source. I would suspect it to be a coolant hose, as the car is old enough, they may have started to crack.

If I took it to a local garage and said "source a crank sensor and replace it" how much would you expect them to charge?

 

[172PSD205]

The thermostat housings are common for cracking and leaking.
As for the starting issue is there any warning lights on? Is the immobiliser light going out?

 

[James363]

Probably 50-80 quid I should expect, although I am no expert as I do all the work on mine myself. The sensor for mine was 20 quid, and to fit I removed the airbox (two screws) and ten unbolted the sensor (it's only held on with 2 bolts). There is a tutorial on youtube on a 1.2 here:

 

[Towers]

Thanks for your help guys.
A local garage has said that they think the head gasket is going as there is no visible leaks, but I saw a drop and puddle the other day? Is there anything else that could point to a head gasket going?

 

[James363]

Yeah, if you take off the oil filler cap and there is a white mayonnaise like substance on the cap, or if you find the same substance in the coolant, that points to the gasket being on the way out. The reason for this is that the oil mixes with water and forms an emulsion, which is what you can see in the cap. It's important to note that if the car has only been run for a few minutes before this test, the mayonnaise substance can be due to the condensation formed in the engine. Check it after a good run.

 

[Towers]

Yeah, if you take off the oil filler cap and there is a white mayonnaise like substance on the cap, or if you find the same substance in the coolant, that points to the gasket being on the way out. The reason for this is that the oil mixes with water and forms an emulsion, which is what you can see in the cap. It's important to note that if the car has only been run for a few minutes before this test, the mayonnaise substance can be due to the condensation formed in the engine. Check it after a good run.

Am I okay to check the oil via the cap right after running the engine for say a 7 mile drive home from work? Thanks!

 

[James363]

Yeah, that should be long enough to boil off the condensation ok.

 

[Towers]

TDC sensor replaced but still an intermittent start. It's getting rather irritating now haha...
Could sparks be the answer? It doesn't misfire once it's running and idle's fine though

 

[James363]

If you have feeler gauges you could take them out and check the gap, although I would doubt that that was the problem. You could try some redex, since you mentioned rocking the pedal seems to help it. My thinking is that the injectors could be a little dirty and it's reducing the flow. The other option is to put an OBD2 reader in and see if there are any codes. I recommend the little blue ones on ebay that connect to your phone on the "torque" app, as they are exceptionally cheap. I'm not really an expert, so if this doesn't help, you might be better finding an expert, although I'm more than happy to try and help.

 

[DannyR]

Change battery, it'll cure the starting problem 100%

 

[James363]

Not disputing your knowledge, but why would a weak battery cause it to have an intermittent starting issue?

 

[DannyR]

Not disputing your knowledge, but why would a weak battery cause it to have an intermittent starting issue?

Clios are very sensitive to voltage drop on cranking. It's a proven fix that I myself have even had and solved.

 

[James363]

Ah right, cool, will remember it for next time.

 

[RyanL]

Hi, I have a Renault Clio 1.2 16v 2009 World Series. I have recently bought it and have found that sometimes the engine turns over but will not start. It has happened twice now, once when I stalled it and tried to start it again and once when I parked up and went to start the engine again. If anybody has any ideas what it might be please let me know.

 

[DannyR]

Hi, I have a Renault Clio 1.2 16v 2009 World Series. I have recently bought it and have found that sometimes the engine turns over but will not start. It has happened twice now, once when I stalled it and tried to start it again and once when I parked up and went to start the engine again. If anybody has any ideas what it might be please let me know.

Did you read the thread?

Try a new battery

 

[RyanL]

Did you read the thread?

Try a new battery

Okay thanks will try that.