Hi all,

 

2009 Fabia 2. It's only done 30K miles so I'm determined to keep it running.

 

In the last couple of months I've noticed an intermittent starting problem. I put the key in and turn it one click, all dash lights are on. Next click to start the starter motor nothing happens. It does not engage. I try again a couple of times and same problem. Eventually it just starts as though nothing's wrong !

 

Sometimes it will start first time without any problems. But it always seems to start in the end. However the problem is getting worse and I need to fix it before it leaves me stranded somewhere.

 

The battery seems fine and I tested it at over 12 volts.

 

I'm guessing this is an electrical fault and could be easily fixed if I knew what the problem was. A loose connection or failing part ? I don't think this is a mechanical problem because when the connection is made the engine starts immediately.

 

Any ideas ?

 

Thank you

@A_VW_by_any_other_name   Maybe best say what engine it has.

2 hours ago, Roottootemblowinootsoot said:

@A_VW_by_any_other_name   Maybe best say what engine it has.

1.2 petrol

Have a good look at the starter solenoid wire, the thinnest one going to the starter. They can suffer from the insulation cracking close to the connector cable-entry, leading to gradual corrosion of the copper wire and unpredictable ability to carry enough current to energise the solenoid.

1 hour ago, Wino said:

Have a good look at the starter solenoid wire, the thinnest one going to the starter. They can suffer from the insulation cracking close to the connector cable-entry, leading to gradual corrosion of the copper wire and unpredictable ability to carry enough current to energise the solenoid.

Oh joy 😞 I've seen a few hours of YouTube vids on this intermittent "No Crank" type of problem. This issue is not easy to diagnose, and if I can't find it myself a garage could charge me anything. I will post my conclusions as and when. cheers.

Dear all, FYI, I finally had a garage look at this problem and they fixed it. It was  . . . THE BATTERY. Yes, after they put a diagnostic tool on it, they didn't find any problem with any sensors but the battery was showing a fault. Weird thing is I checked this first and it was showing > 12 volts. The garage said that as the battery gets old they can show normal voltage but don't hold the charge. It was the original battery, so > 10 years old.

 

Strange thing, is that it usually fared up from cold 1st time. It was usually on returning to the car that it was failing to start.

 

Job wasn't too expensive and I'm glad it's done.

 

Hope this is helpful to someone out there.

Yes the annoyances that modern batteries can cause, the battery's ability to deliver the required current is dependent on its own internal resistance also there could have been some rogue bits of conducting scale/s;ag present in the battery that sometimes moved around and shorts out a plate or two.

I had a similar issue. No spinning of engine when key turned. Hold it turned for a short while or release and try again and then it would start. No dimming of dash or slow tun of engine, etc. I fitted a new battery and all seems good. There IS just a little hesitation though of an extra second or two so this might be what Wino suggested but the initial problem seemed to be the battery in the cold weather. Only did it on the very first start of the morning!