I had real trouble starting my mother's Felicia LXI 1.3 last night and there was a very different noise

i.e. the engine didn't seem to "catch" and the noise from the engine bay was simply an electrical "whine".

It eventually fired up and I drove it about 50 miles without a problem.

On the return trip...the same again.

I had to keep the accelerator on the floor whilst the starter motor took about 30 secs-1 min to fire the engine.

There was then some firing (actually more of a popping noise) and eventually the engine burst into life after some reluctance.

BTW I backed over a bag of sand yesterday but felt and heard nothing untoward.

Also the petrol was low earlier in the day but after filling up the car restarted fine twice.

Any advice on what this might be and what to do about it...much appreciated!

Edited 29 January, 201115 yr by fpga

Sounds like another mucky throttle body to me, just like mine. Only does it when warm - leave it for a couple of hours to cool completely and it's fine, same if it's fully up to temp and you stop for 5 mins.

It's pricey for a new throttle body - best quote I've got is £180 + VAT + carriage - but that's what I'm saving for at the moment. Meanwhile change the plugs and anything else that can be a quick fix just in case.

Sounds like another mucky throttle body to me, just like mine. Only does it when warm - leave it for a couple of hours to cool completely and it's fine, same if it's fully up to temp and you stop for 5 mins.

It's pricey for a new throttle body - best quote I've got is £180 + VAT + carriage - but that's what I'm saving for at the moment. Meanwhile change the plugs and anything else that can be a quick fix just in case.

Thanks very much for your reply!

In this case the car had stood for more than 4 hours on each problematic occasion and it was a very cold one yesterday.

After posting, this morning, I tried the car and amazingly it's back to normal i.e. starting immediately!!!

To make sure this wasn't a fluke I've just tried it again, now, and it's fine.

How strange!!!

Last night I wondered if something happens when you first try to start the car that then switches off very soon after the engine gets going i.e. like the choke and that possibly the cold weather made this stick or there's some sort of fuel jet that activates on start-up but then gets turned off...or maybe some muck in an injector that has now cleared...I don't know.

Please stay tuned 'cos knowing my luck this isn't the end of this problem.

i.e. the engine didn't seem to "catch" and the noise from the engine bay was simply an electrical "whine".

That to me suggests a starter motor issue - if you just hear something electrical-sounding without the engine turning over as well, then it's either the solenoid failing to engage properly (so you just hear the whirr of the motor spinning freely), or the motor failing to turn (which generally gives off a high-pitched whine). Either way it's wise to check all the connections are clean, dry and tight, especially if it's intermittent, although a replacement may be the only real fix. It's remotely possible that a failing ignition switch could be related to this, too.

I would say solenoid not engaging properly as well, and the popping may have been due to you flooding the engine.

The solenoid may just need lubricating, or it may have sand stuck to it and need cleaning!!!