My car is a manual 2005 Eleganza 1.9 JTD 16V on 69,000 miles. It has covered 36,000 miles during 3 and a half years of my ownership.

It is gradually taking longer and longer to start the engine.

I depress the clutch, turn the key to ON, wait for the 2 warning lights to go out then turn the key to START.

The car used to start immediately but now, after turning the key to START, the time taken to start / fire can be several seconds, and starting is accompanied by a large puff of smoke.

The battery was checked under load, by my mechanic, a few days ago. Everything seemed well with the battery. Fiat 12V 88Ah 580A 71718462 (2466 A855) is written on the battery.

The starter motor turns the engine strongly.

It is 6 months, 6,000 miles, since the last service which included the replacement of the glow plugs. The alternator failed and was replaced shortly after this service.

Any ideas about the cause of this problem and a possible solution will be much appreciated.

Have you got any warnings on the dash? Have you got a reader to check the errors ,if any.?
Start with the simple things first-- has the air filter been changed at the service?
Check for water in the fuel filter there should be a sensor to flash up a warning but it may be not working.
The MAF sensor may be dirty giving a false reading to the ECU saying " dont let any fuel into the cylinders , we`ve got bugger all air "
The ECU has so many inputs and outputs its mind boggling , I have put a schematic diagram on another thread, have a look at that and you will see how complex it is and why you need a reader to get any real idea whats afoot.If you have access to a laptop you can do allsorts to reset things and do in running tests etc.
Hope this helps.

Duff injectors? But that would give lumpy running more than likely, plus an error code. I agree, you will have to get a reader on it to look for error codes.

I don't have one so when mine had me scratching my head (this is a given with Croma ownership - the neighbours think I have nits) I took it to my local diesel specialist who sorted it in 5 mins for £30 Inc diagnostics.

Hi I have just fixed a vectra with exact same symptoms, the battery was tested on a proper tester and the starter appeared to turn over slightly slow but not that slow removed starter motor And the end bush had collapsed, the copper from bush had got into motor and the magnets were covered in muck. Fitted a new starter amazing difference in turn over speed. There is a you tube video of what a vectra starter motor should sound like listen to this and compare it to yours I bet yours is slow. i would imagine vectra starter will fit.

http://youtu.be/xSZ2Hr8lp04

The starter motor on my car does not turn as quickly as the one in the video link above. Many thanks Chris T. I think the slowing of the starter motor has happened so gradually since last summer, that I have not noticed it slowing.

I plan to take the car to my mechanics for them to check the starter motor on wednesday. Hopefully the car will keep starting until then.

Would a repaired or reconditioned starter motor be as good or better than a new one?

I don’t have a laptop reader to read error codes.

The only warning messages and lights on the dash are “check number plate light” and “parking help unavailable”.

The MAF sensor has not been cleaned in the 3 and a half years of my ownership. Should the MAF sensor be cleaned regularly?

Air filter, Oil and Oil filter are replaced every year.

The EGR valve was replaced 3 years, 30,000 miles ago and has been cleaned every year since.

The MAP (boost) sensor is also cleaned every year.

If the problem is not the starter motor then next is to check the injectors and check for water in the fuel filter.

There are plenty of starter motors on e bay same as a vectra 2.1 kW starter. I would go with a good recon ie remy or one of the good Chinese copies. I used a new Chinese copy and it was good in terms of quality and turn over speed. Maf sensor would not cause poor start in my opinion but I have been wrong before but not many times. The injectors have to be really goosed to cause slow starting but someone can check these with a leak of test or on a good scanner by looking at injector correction factors. The only other thing to check is the battery and good earths on engine. But your mechanics should no how to check that my money is on starter motor. Regarding check number plate light check you have correct wattage bulbs in each lamp. Parking sounds like parking sensor fault if it has parking sensors. Put it in reverse and put your finger on each sensor they pulse and you can feel it. The one not pulsing is the faulty one usually the sensor but can be corroded wiring. If one sensor is faulty it shuts system off, hence message

Did you get issue fixed

We had a very cold morning and the car would not start.

I phoned the breakdown / recovery / homestart company. Half an hour later a guy arrived, checked the battery, found that the battery was weak and said he thought the starter motor was ok.

He got the car started and I drove to my mechanic. The mechanic tested the battery, found that one cell was not functioning correctly so replaced the battery along with - a section of the exhaust with a flexible piece which was found to be leaking, the blown number plate light bulb and a blown front headlight bulb. The starter motor tested ok but it was not removed from the car and not inspected.

It is possible that the battery that was replaced was the original 8 and a half year old one the car left the factory with.

Since then I’ve driven 3 daily commutes and the car has started ok, but starting is not quite instantaneous and only time will tell whether the problem has been fully solved.

Yes, a parking sensor (or sensors) has failed again but as the cost of a replacement parking sensor from Fiat is outrageously expensive I’m living with it until I can source a cheaper one.

Just a point of order--- Do you go straight to trying to start from turning the key with no waiting? If I do that it takes a few engine revs to start and the starter sounds laboured.
I usually wait until the dashboard light for the glowplugs goes out before getting the starter turning and then the start up is far quicker. Stands to reason really, if the plugs are not at temp there will be little or no fuel burning. Hot starting up is another matter altogether.
Another thing to throw into the mix is the oil used, last winter I tried 0/40 fully synthetic Castrol which happened to be on offer, my cold early morning starts were somewhat easier than this winter using a 10/40 Halfords.

I do wait for the glow plug warming warning light to go out before immediately turning the key to start.

The car continues to start ok, but we've had no cold weather yet since the battery was replaced.

Thanks for your helpful replies.

I have recently experienced identical symptons, eventually the car broke down...rescue service called, diagnostics gave P2009 which is an engine sensor not sure its the MAF....however it's at the top rear of the engine, fairly central and easily accessible with the correct torx bit, having seen it done it's so straightforward! Loads of soot removed with the tip of a small screwdriver and some cleaning spray, careful not to damage the centre wire. Screwed back in and engine fired first time....

MAP sensor - mine recently looked like a dust cap

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evo-number-one said:

MAP sensor - mine recently looked like a dust cap

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Thats almost as new compared to mine, when I took it out it showed signs of the the carbon being bigger than the hole it came out of . It had a cylindrical shape which was smoother on the sides where it had been scraped to get it out of the manifold. WD40 & a toothbrush did the trick on mine :yum:

Dont think that's the one, just found the Britannia Rescue form,
P2009 fault code said Inlet manifold runner control circuit, and the engineer described it as an Oxygen Sensor, can take a picture of the location if anyone is interested....