Please help, desperately fed up with unreliable car!!

[chuckie]

Please help!!

Has anyone else suffered with this problem with there phase 1 clio 1.8 16v.

Basically johnny sometimes refuses to start. i think i have managed to track it down to only happening on wet days. What happens is you turn the key in the ignition, the fuel pump kicks in but the starter motor is completely dead. So basically i go out in him, park up. get in a bit later on to go home etc and he wont start. BUT leave him a little while and he starts...without touching or doing anything!!

Chuckie

 

[Trev_m]

Sounds like a very bad earth disconnect the battery and clean the terminals with emery paper then grease them up with copper grease if you have any also check the earth strap that goes to the body loosen it and clean thet up and grease that as well.
Hope this sorts out your problem.

 

[Ben j]

could need a new starter motor or could be the simple case of ya dizzy cap getting damp inside, take it off spray in there with wd40 and taa daa.. happy!

but u should know they do cost a lot to maintain, cost even more to repair

 

[chuckie]

I know its not the dizzy cap cos its got abrand new one, and you dont need to tell me about repair bills, i have just spent 600 notes having the head gasket replaced, i had only had the car 5 weeks!!! hence why im so fed up with him!!

where do i find the earth strap as im pretty sure its not the battery either as the terminals are greased!! found that out when connecting the power lead for my amp!!

Chuckie

 

[Nick Read]

Could it be an immobiliser problem?

Anyway Chuckie apart from the not starting, how you enjoying your 16v? Better than the old Vauxhall?

 

[chuckie]

no we thought it was the immobiliser to start with but its not that cos the fuel pump runs, an immobiliser is supposed to stop that working. Also you can push start it if it wont start, again if it was immobiliser it would not run due to lack of fuel.

Apart from that, yes enjoying johnny, but missing my vauxhall cos at least i could go out in the rain and not worry about will my car start or not. but im sure its going to be something daft, just one more thing to fix!! BUT there is nothing like the feeling of blowing cars away! the corsa was only good for other corsas, novas and saxos n the like!! the clio is a match for quite a few bigger cars!! (there go the girlie racer horns again!!)

Chuckie

PS nick gonna need some stickers soon!!

 

[matt4478]

Hi Chuckie!

I had a similar problem with my old RSi 1.8 8v, eventually tracked it down to the starter motor. Replaced it and all was well... until it did the same thing again. So I replaced the starter motor again and also replaced the missing starter motor heat shield that had caused the problem in the first place! Aarggh!

Anyway, the car died completely shortly afterwards, but I think that fixed the starting issue!

Sounds like the same problem, but mine just randomly didnt want to start - nothing to do with rain. Again, bump-starting it would start immediately - just no go from the starter motor sometimes...

Cheers,

Matt

 

[cliodude44]

chuckie,if your battert light on your dash dims when u turn the key,you have a battery problem/earth problem
hope this helps

 

[Alex M]

Try this,

Get a multimeter and set to volts and attach across your battery the next time this happens. Now get someone to attempt to operate the starter. If the volts drop from say 13 odd to below 12 or any obvious signs that a current is being drawn, ie headlights diming when starter operated points to a dead starter. If this does not occur, you know the problem does not lie with the starter, and I would suggest going over all connections, cleaning them and tightening, this should locate the problem.

Alex M (alexmac)

 

[GR7]

Chuckie, perhaps your car is fed up with the name Johnny!

Why not have a competition to find it a new name! I will start with the suggestion of "Hector" which might make your car sound more powerful!

 

[chuckie]

Girl racer, my old fiesta was called Hector, and would you rename your children??

Chuckie

 

[GR7]

But Chuckie, did Hector ever let you down?

 

[chuckie]

In all the time i have been driving i have had 10 cars and 2 motorbikes, my clio is the only one that has ever let me down, sometimes i regret selling my modded corsa to fund the clio, he was incredibly reliable, and i was able to work on him myself, ............but then i see a golf gti in the distance which shortly becomes a dot in my rear view mirror, then johnny is forgiven!!

chuckie

 

[Nick Read]

Well Renaults arent known for reliability, especially electrical problems. Its just something you have to get used to - high maintenance if you like.