Hi, our Fabia 1 (2009) has been sat in the garage for 5 years and has less than 16k on the clock.  After getting it on the road with a new battery and MOT, it occasionally fails to start with just a click from the starter motor (just like you would get if battery was flat).  Battery is only 3 weeks old and has been checked along with the alternator by our local Skoda garage.  

The fault is really intermittent and random (starts absolutely fine most of the time) but the garage are now recommending a new starter motor fitted at 500 Euros (currently in France).  With so few miles done, I can't see how the motor could have possibly failed.  I have removed it, and I am intending to clean out, grease (if recommended?) and refit to see if that cures it.

 

Can anyone guide me through this please?  Is it possible to open up the solenoid to clean in there?

 

Help gratefully received?

I'd be checking all the terminals and connections. A car that has been stored for that long, it surely has some coroded parts, including electrical stuff. Are you sure it is a 2009 Mk1 Fabia?

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There is a little bit of corrosion (white dust) on some parts but I have already traced and cleaned all the wiring from the battery to starter motor.

 

NB: I have now opened up the solenoid and starter to clean and check, but nothing is obviously wrong, so I am going to put it all back together and try it.

 

Definitely Jun 09 

It will be a Mk2, it's just that Skoda confusingly called some models of Mk2 "Fabia 1".  I bet your VIN has 5J in it, not 6Y.

 

You have put fresh engine oil in the car, after 5 years of sitting?

Edited 28 June, 20169 yr by Wino

The part number from the starter engine says it's a 6Y.

The part number from the starter engine says it's a 6Y.

?

 

This page, for a 2009 5J has it listed as the third option down.

 

Appears to fit and be used in either/both generations of Fabia.

Edited 28 June, 20169 yr by Wino

Check the Earth strap from the battery Negative to car body, on the front passenger side front turret, remove, clean up and smear with vaseline and re-connect.

 

DB.

It will be a Mk2, it's just that Skoda confusingly called some models of Mk2 "Fabia 1".  I bet your VIN has 5J in it, not 6Y.

 

You have put fresh engine oil in the car, after 5 years of sitting?

Yes, 5J.

Err - not yet, but I will.

 

 

Check the Earth strap from the battery Negative to car body, on the front passenger side front turret, remove, clean up and smear with vaseline and re-connect.

 

DB.

 

Yes, done that with all the connections i can find.

 

I have put the starter back on after cleaning and the first 5 attempts at starting produced just a click, then it started fine for the next 5!  This is baffling me.

 

The French garage said that they had replaced the starter relay.  I can't find this - Is there one?

No relay on a Mk1, and I doubt on a mk2 either.

 

A common fault on the Mk1 is for the single-wire solenoid connection to fail close to the cable entry of the loom connector.  Usually that results in a stony silence when the key is turned rather than a click, but I could imagine that there might be a scenario where enough strands of wire were broken inside the plastic insulation that it could only carry enough current to move the solenoid weakly, generating a click, but not engaging the gear or connecting the main current feed.  I'm not sure about that theory, but it may be worth a close look at that wire.

 

Seems odd on such a low-use car, normally I'd expect the years/miles of vibrating and getting pulled around as the engine rocks on its mounts to be the cause of such trouble.

 

Can you get a voltmeter onto the battery terminals and see what the voltage dips to as you try to start it?

With a voltmeter I get 12.8v (stopped) and 14.4v running.

Started it three times doing that - no problems.........!! 

Nice figures! Can you also measure the voltage drop when you start the engine?

Later edit: when the starter doesn't want to turn the engine, turn off the ignition, try somehow to reach it and give it a few knocks on the solenoid side. It might work in some cases. It's an old workaround.

Another thing just came into my mind. How much humidity was the car exposed to? Has it been kept into a garage? If you scan it for errors, does it say anything? I've been reading a few years ago about some cases when the ignition switch was faulty, causing the exact issues you are facing. It might worth checking at least. It is a 5-10 minutes job. I'm talking about this:

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Edited 28 June, 20169 yr by Alexandru

11.8v when starting (or clicking!).

That time it clicked 6 times before it started on the 7th attempt!

 

It was kept in an old garage - so there is potential for damp.

 

I can't scan for errors as I don't have any kit, but the garage didn't tell me of any when they checked.

 

Is there a way to check the ignition switch that you know of?

 

Thanks very much for your help on this.

 

PS - I have started carrying a small block of wood in the boot just in case I need to whack it.

Edited 28 June, 20169 yr by FabiaNiscars

11.8 when clicking? Hmm... Interesting! Take off the steering column plastic and you should see the ignitiong plug. Take it apart and inspect it.

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That's a very healthy voltage at the battery, any chance you can move the positive probe to the positive starter connection stud and try again?

 

Actually, not so sure it's very healthy when the starter isn't running?

Edited 28 June, 20169 yr by Wino

A fault in the ignition wiring should be logged by the ECU. The clicking noise is made by a relay. It could be faulty. Try scaning the car for faults.

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Edited 28 June, 20169 yr by Alexandru

 Take off the steering column plastic and you should see the ignitiong plug. Take it apart and inspect it.

 

I can't seem to do this.  I have undone the screw on the underside and have separated the bottom from the top but the bottom section seems to need the steering wheel taken off - surely that's not right is it?

It seems so.

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If you hook up jump leads from another car, does the proportion of clicks to starts change?  That would be evidence for a problem of power at starter rather than ignition switch issue?

I would take the starter apart and have a look at the brushes and comm. Might just want cleaning up after being stood a long while with a fibre stick

 

You could hook a battery to it while its on the bench and run it a bit to see if it remedy's itself

Edited 28 June, 20169 yr by SuperbTWM

That's a very healthy voltage at the battery, any chance you can move the positive probe to the positive starter connection stud and try again?

 

Actually, not so sure it's very healthy when the starter isn't running?

With the positive probe on the starter I get 12.7v when stopped, 9.75v on starting, 14.4v when running.

If you hook up jump leads from another car, does the proportion of clicks to starts change?  That would be evidence for a problem of power at starter rather than ignition switch issue?

I have only done this 3 times and it has started first try each time.

Is that 9.75 when it clicks but doesn't crank, or when it does crank? Or both/either?

 

Is that 9.75 when it clicks but doesn't crank, or when it does crank? Or both/either?

 

When it started.  It didn't click at all that time.

I have only done this 3 times and it has started first try each time.

That would make me want to try swapping in another battery, preferably borrowed rather than bought, as an experiment.

WHAT is the voltage drop across the solenoid? Any ore than 0.5V  and there's solenoid problems.