I have a wierd intermittent starting problem with my 172.
Sometimes, when I try to start the car the engine turns over once and then everything dies (like the battery is totally dead) - all the lights on the dash go off (sometimes the speedo jumps up to about 40mph!). I then try again straight away and it starts, but it really struggles to turn over the engine. Once it's going it is fine. Usually this sequence of events causes the trip computer to reset (miles covered / mpg / etc reset to zero), occasionally it also causes the auto-lights function to switch back on.
Other times the engine starts perfectly normally.
I checked the battery a few weeks ago with a multimeter, and it said about 12.9V with the engine off, 14V running. Which I take to mean the alternator is ok and the battery is ok.
I've been searching the archives and a lot of people are saying TDC for starting problems, so I will have a go at cleaning that at the weekend.
Is there anything else I can easily check myself? (I'm not exaclty mechanically minded so it would have to be easy
)
I'm getting worried that one of these times it's not going to start at all. Car is due to be part-ex'd in about 2 months so I don't really want to spend any money getting the garage to diagnose an intermittent problem as I know they can be tricky to pin down.
One other question : if I disconnect / replace the battery do I need my radio code? (I'm not sure where it is, or even if I ever had it)
Sometimes, when I try to start the car the engine turns over once and then everything dies (like the battery is totally dead) - all the lights on the dash go off (sometimes the speedo jumps up to about 40mph!). I then try again straight away and it starts, but it really struggles to turn over the engine. Once it's going it is fine. Usually this sequence of events causes the trip computer to reset (miles covered / mpg / etc reset to zero), occasionally it also causes the auto-lights function to switch back on.
Other times the engine starts perfectly normally.
I checked the battery a few weeks ago with a multimeter, and it said about 12.9V with the engine off, 14V running. Which I take to mean the alternator is ok and the battery is ok.
I've been searching the archives and a lot of people are saying TDC for starting problems, so I will have a go at cleaning that at the weekend.
Is there anything else I can easily check myself? (I'm not exaclty mechanically minded so it would have to be easy
)I'm getting worried that one of these times it's not going to start at all. Car is due to be part-ex'd in about 2 months so I don't really want to spend any money getting the garage to diagnose an intermittent problem as I know they can be tricky to pin down.
One other question : if I disconnect / replace the battery do I need my radio code? (I'm not sure where it is, or even if I ever had it)
