This morning when I put the keys in the ignition the stability/traction control light came on the dashboard as usual however the light remained. So I tried starting the car however I didn't hear the engine turning over just the starter motor. Tried turning off the stability/traction control light however did not turn off. Tried starting the car again but same problem where engine wont turn over.

 

Took the keys out waited a few mins then tried starting the car again however I noticed this time the stability/traction control light went off as usual which is normal and the engine turned over and started fine. Took the keys out and started again and it was fine again where the car started.

 

I owned this car for nearly 4-5 years and never experienced the above problem.

 

What is the likely diagnosis that caused the above problem? Is this a early sign of something that's going to fail soon or shall I be not be concerned and everything will be ok and ignore it as it's just a one off strange issue?

 

 

I had this a few times before my battery crapped out. Sometimes the steering wheel error light came on but went away soon after. Turns out it was just the onboard systems freaking out due to low voltage. Take her over to your nearest car parts store, they should have a battery tester.

 

Then again it could be just about anything. I wouldn't be too concerned, if anything really went wrong your dashboard will light up like a Christmas tree and stay that way.

Wouldn't hurt to scan the ECU if you've got the right tools.

 

All the best!

Ok my battery is just under a year old bought from tanya batteries. I believe I have no problems with my battery as the battery was never flat.

 

I have a OBD diagnostics error checker scanner tool I remember buying off amazon years ago. Question is if a tool like this cant be updated via internet then does it become useless?

 

Ok I scan the car and come back here with the results. 

 

Before I do is it best to do the scan after car started while engine is running or do the scan with just keys in the ignition?

 

Which way gives the best readings?

14 hours ago, very452001 said:

Ok my battery is just under a year old bought from tanya batteries. I believe I have no problems with my battery as the battery was never flat.

 

I have a OBD diagnostics error checker scanner tool I remember buying off amazon years ago. Question is if a tool like this cant be updated via internet then does it become useless?

 

Ok I scan the car and come back here with the results. 

 

Before I do is it best to do the scan after car started while engine is running or do the scan with just keys in the ignition?

 

Which way gives the best readings?

 

As long as it is a decent tool you should be okay to scan the Mk2. But nevertheless, if you can update it then do by all means.

To use the scanner, plug it into the OBD port (located on the driver's side underside of the dashboard - way down by your shins) after you've switched the ignition to accessory (as far as you can before the car starts. If you're not confident with using one then refer to one of the many threads on the forums. What type of reader have you got? Preferably look for a tutorial that specifies in your tool as there can be a bit of variation.

 

Ok the latest is I scanned the car and it found nothing.

 

So what can it be ?

Update: 

 

I was driving today and halfway during driving at 20mph speed the car stalled and the light I mentioned above came on as well as the battery light then a moment later lights went off dashboard and car resumed driving normally then few moments later same problem happened again so I had to pull up to the kerb then tried starting straight away however just hearing starter motor and not the engine turning over.

 

Waited a few mins like in the 1st post mentioned above then started car and it started fine and I was driving normally to the nearest garage as I was concerned and dont want the problem happening again you know what I mean, the mechanic took it for a test drive around the block with me in the car and found no problem and handed back my keys so that didnt help so I drove back home normally for 5 mins with no problems.

 

I believe this intermittent problem will happen again.

 

What's the most likely cause of this?

 

 

Edited 21 March, 20197 yr by very452001

A good place to start if your battery is recent, would be the earth strap. Check its connecitons are clean. Have you also checked the battery terminals?

Ok at first glance the Earth Strap looks fine not dirty. Battery terminals look fine too no dirt/rust on them and also checked and found nothing loose on its terminals.

 

Ok hopefully we can narrow it down soon, what are the next most likely causes?

So if we disregard all the warning lights and fault codes that Octavias love throwing up when the battery is asked to do any work am I right in saying that your problem is that when you turn the key to the start position you hear the starter motor operating, that is turning and not just a click but the engine does not turn over?

 

If so then the culprit is likely to be a failure of the one way clutch in the starter pinion.

 

When you say the engine stalled, do you mean that it stalled through you not giving it enough revs, the clutch biting too soon or whatever? All of those I would call a stall and not a fault, or do you mean that the engine just cut out and died for no reason?

 

If so its hard to see how that could be related to the starting problem you have if you have described them both correctly.

3 hours ago, Westbury63 said:

A good place to start if your battery is recent, would be the earth strap. Check its connecitons are clean. Have you also checked the battery terminals?

 

I'd second this re earth strap or Live (usually fails further down where it attaches to the body)  - It may look OK but is only crimped and can go high resistance under load and change characteristics with vibration/movement.

 

When it next can't start attach a jump lead between battery "neg/-" terminal and a metal part on the engine and try again.

Edited 21 March, 20197 yr by bigjohn

52 minutes ago, J.R. said:

So if we disregard all the warning lights and fault codes that Octavias love throwing up when the battery is asked to do any work am I right in saying that your problem is that when you turn the key to the start position you hear the starter motor operating, that is turning and not just a click but the engine does not turn over?

 

If so then the culprit is likely to be a failure of the one way clutch in the starter pinion.

 

When you say the engine stalled, do you mean that it stalled through you not giving it enough revs, the clutch biting too soon or whatever? All of those I would call a stall and not a fault, or do you mean that the engine just cut out and died for no reason?

 

If so its hard to see how that could be related to the starting problem you have if you have described them both correctly.

 

Yeah I meant the engine just cut out and died. I don't recall slowing the car down to stall.

 

Regarding the one way clutch in the starter pinion if it is that fault then would the clutch pedal feel different or changing gears would be difficult? What tests I can do to rule out this pinion fault?

Edited 21 March, 20197 yr by very452001

No, its nothing to do with the driveline clutch, its to prevent the starter motor revving itself to destruction when the engine fires up or if it is engaged by accident while the engine is revving.

 

The test is as I described, if the starter motor turns, sounds very fast as if its not under any load and the engine does not turn over (which is what you appear to have been saying but its hard to be sure) then its a starter motor fault most likely IMO to be the one way or sprag clutch, usually when they fail they make a screeching noise and the problem is intermittent gradually getting worse.

If the car has issues like the engine cutting out the issues with the starter are going to be a symptom of the issue rather than the cause.

Once the most likely things have been checked then it is worth checking the more obscure. 

As it is possibly an intermittent electrical issue, then have a look at the main fuse box next to the battery for signs of corrosion and melting of the plastic, particularly near the smaller fuses.

Water getting in here can cause corrosion of the fuse blades which in turn causes overheating. The result is poor or intermittent contact due to "loose" fuses. 

 

Edited 22 March, 20197 yr by pikpilot

Check wiring. Also, check the fuses. In the past I've seen a car with strange issues like this, which was caused by a broken fuse. 

There are multiple kinds of fuses, the one which caused the issue was a 'in line' fuse which was basicly a flat piece of metal (Don't know how they are called)

 

See for example this picture:

 

 

When I had a very close look, it appeared one of the fuses was broken. The fuse itself wasn't triggered by overcurrent, the metal just was broken. (Due to vibration I assume)

Since the breaking line was very thin, it did work, but randomly lost its connection.

 

 

2 hours ago, DJSmiley said:

Check wiring. Also, check the fuses. In the past I've seen a car with strange issues like this, which was caused by a broken fuse. 

There are multiple kinds of fuses, the one which caused the issue was a 'in line' fuse which was basicly a flat piece of metal (Don't know how they are called)

 

See for example this picture:

 

 

When I had a very close look, it appeared one of the fuses was broken. The fuse itself wasn't triggered by overcurrent, the metal just was broken. (Due to vibration I assume)

Since the breaking line was very thin, it did work, but randomly lost its connection.

 

 

 

Ok that picture is a in line fuse, the whole black plastic housing is called a inline fuse containing smaller fuses?

 

If so where do they be?

 

I thought the main fusebox next to the battery is where all the main fuses be.

12 minutes ago, very452001 said:

 

Ok that picture is a in line fuse, the whole black plastic housing is called a inline fuse containing smaller fuses?

 

If so where do they be?

 

I thought the main fusebox next to the battery is where all the main fuses be.

 

On my O2 this is the front of the fusebox. When removing the top you'll see the regular fuses, this is the front side.

 

In this picture you can seem them (well, just a little) at the right bottom corner

2 hours ago, DJSmiley said:

 

On my O2 this is the front of the fusebox. When removing the top you'll see the regular fuses, this is the front side.

 

In this picture you can seem them (well, just a little) at the right bottom corner

 

Ok I just checked all the coloured fuses in the fuse box next to the battery and all fuses look ok.

 

Are the fuses in the interior of the car relevant to the issue?

 

Do you mean the wires coming up to the front of the fuse box that is next to the battery going into those silver nuts/bolts/washers?

If so I can see black fuses with numbers on them. How do I tell they are broken?

I took a photo of the front of the fusebox:

 

The wires look fine and I don't see any burnt marks on the silver contacts/nuts/bots.

As you can see my engine is not super clean but kinda dusty as I dont jet wash my engine bay as I know water can possibly damage the electrics so we can rule out water damage from this thread.

 

Today the car was driving fine with no problems whatsoever. I didn't hear/smell/see any problems with the car today when I did a 45min round trip. Also I don't feel any performance issues with the car as well.

 

I was driving with headlights on, radio, heater, electric windows and no battery issues I have noticed. It's been a week since the problem and electrics work fine so can we rule out the alternator?

 

Finally how many earth straps the battery has?

 

 

Edited 25 March, 20197 yr by very452001

Hi,

 

Coming back to this thread I was driving earlier today and while I was driving I notice engine cut out for a sec with following orange epc & engine management lights only coming on the dashboard for a brief sec before disappearing again then car drove normally for the duration of the journey with no further problems.

 

Please advise.

Bump any help or ideas?

Bump again, dead end no hope of help?

I had starting problems and replacing the battery seems to have cured it. I know you said earlier that it was a relatively new battery, however I would get it checked out if you haven't already.

39 minutes ago, avi4tor said:

I had starting problems and replacing the battery seems to have cured it. I know you said earlier that it was a relatively new battery, however I would get it checked out if you haven't already.

 

Ok how old was your battery when you started to have problems?

5 minutes ago, very452001 said:

 

Ok how old was your battery when you started to have problems?

 

If battery has a faulty cell - age (er - of battery)  is not relevant. 

 

I'd just change it