Starter problem is back AGAIN

[Topgeartom]

Cannot believe this.

Had big trouble a few weeks ago with the car randomly not starting.

It came out the garage last thursday with a new starter motor which cured things completley - until this morning.

Its now back to the same old trick of doing nothing when you turn the key - immobiliser goes off, all the warning lights go out as they should, but when you turn the key to the starter position, nothing at all happens.

It did it this morning, I must have tried 20+ times to get it to go even after bumping it and running it round the block twice. Whenever you stopped it, there was nothing again.

Drove to the garage that did the work some 15 miles away, and typically it worked beautifully from then on - must have stopped and started it 50 times and again ran it round the block to try get it to reproduce the fault but nothing - it started perfectly the whole time.

I've since been stopping and starting it all day and its been perfect - came home just now and thought i'd try it out of curiositys sake and surprise surprise it now wont start again.

Im just about at the end of my patience, its like its timing it to piss me off.

Its unlikely its the starter as thats brand new and has been working fine for 5 days. We even put a fresh earth strap from the engine to the bosy to see if it was that but that clearly hasnt helped.

I need help before i get it crushed.

 

[Jonff]

Just out of curiousity, does the problem come about when the car gets hot?

When mine decided to play up majority of the time it was when the engine was hot. I think mine was missing a heat shield though so I came to the conclusion the manifold was cooking the starter.

 

[Topgeartom]

It can be any time it likes really, hot/cold, day/night.

It wouldnt start this morning when cold, yet did when hot. Yet tonight it started when cold yet refused to when hot.

It does have the heatshield also but thanks for the suggestion

 

[Jonff]

Also mine use to play up when ever I left the battery disconnected for a while, might be worth trying if you need to try and prove to the garage who did the work it's not starting.

 

[laz5758]

mine failed to start a faire few times, i just changed the battery and it fixed it straight away, dont know if this is any help at all? btw i asked you about your stereo in halfords a week or so ago...iv got a 182, used to have a ka that u helped fit my sub into???

 

[Topgeartom]

hello man. Thanks for the suggestion but im pretty certain it isnt the battery. Its way too inconsistent for that to be the case, and when it does work it cranks strong and consistently so the battery isnt an issue

Nice to see youve got a 182 now as well man, im not in leeds anymore but i used to see you around in the zetec-s a fair bit

 

[laz5758]

u finished uni now? im just starting my third year....epic ball ache. yeh got rid of the zetec s, needed something a bit quicker! sorry for ruining your problem thread lol

 

[Topgeartom]

lol no worries man, its light relief from me pulling my hair out over this s**t. And yeh finished in may, graduated with a degree in politics.

 

[Alex_X93]

Its the connection on starter wire spade connector on exciter wire prob had it. If not try using a jump cable as a power wire from batt to starter to check main power wire could even be a corroded +batt terminal.

 

[laz5758]

oh sweet, im at the music college down the bottom end of town. you dont seem to be havin much luck atm with your motor...but u did manage that epic road trip! so not all so bad

 

[Topgeartom]

The more it happens and the more i think about it I come to the concusion it must be something like this. But surely the garage which fit the new starter would have wired it up with a bit of care rather than just throwing it on?

 

[laz5758]

depends mate, you get all sorts of muppets working on cars. those monkeys down at halfords are a lol

 

[laz5758]

that wink is actually quite homosexual....i do apologise

 

[saltyhair81]

what a shite, I feel for you bud - I had a Corrado with a Clifford Concept, terrible, terrible alarm, played havok with the ignition system. Hope you get to the bottom of it

 

[Topgeartom]

bit of an update on this.

As mentioned last night the car wouoldnt start after i came home, tried it just now and again nothing. Popped the bonnet and wiggled both the power cable which comes to the right side of the starter (as you look at it from above) and the spade connector on the left side even though i could only get my fingers on it.

And it started.

It really does have to be a loose connection or bad wire somewhere.

 

[Beef-Mc]

The spade connection buggered me for a while, wiped down the connection with bit o sandpaper then popped it back on and it was fine when I last saw the car.

 

[Topgeartom]

how do you get at it? I can get my fingers on it to wiggle it from above but i cant see how i'd be able to get clear access to it to clean the connections.