open a new thread if you can it's better.
also write what engine

I have had all of the above problems so I got another starter motor and a week later still have them intermittently. What is really strange to me is I also get the clicking sound when I try to start the car and this happens when I turn the engine off and listen to the radio for about ten or more minutes. The battery is fully charged so I am pretty sure its not the battery or alternator. This happens every time unless I remove the key and listen to the radio. Can anybody help please.

Don't no if you all got your gridding problem sorted we have 3 punto's in are house hold the first one was the daughters when hers did it I did the same swopped the starter when the wife's did it I just cut the earth strap off were it goes on to the chasse leg and put a new strap from one of the bell housing bolts to the leg and never had the problem again that was 6 month ago hope it helps others as that's the cheapest option

Hi all,

I am having the same problem with my 2013 (63) 1.4 Punto GBT.

Has anybody got down to the bottom of this? I have seen that they are known for bad Earth Wiring to and from the Starter Motor? But I have also read a number of other possibilities.

I had my starter motor changed before the car was given to me by the dealership. However, this didn't resolve the problem.

The car is booked to go into the dealership service department to see if they can resolve the problem! I have mentioned all of the possibilities to them so lets see if they can resolve it.

For now, has anybody had this problem fixed and could give me some guidance? If not I will get back to you all after 03/03/2017 with an update.

Hi All,

"full charged" battery doesn't mean it will still deliver what it used to, that component wears and need replacement, this is absolutely normal.

Less normal is the earthing issue. Seems like the cables Fiat uses for earthing is prone to oxydation resulting in "powdering" itself inside the insulation so you won't even see it. As a result, the usable section is reduced so its resistance increases (resistance is proportionnal to length and reverse-proportionnal to section, at least to a certain extend called peal-effect). Since the starter motor (even its relay) pulls a lot of Amps out the battery, the voltage drop through this earthing cable can be so high that the pinion doesn't fully engage on the flywheel, giving the nice embarrasing grinding noise...

To verify that cable, shunt it with a high section (7awg) jumper cable clamped from battery NEGATIVE to the gearbox.

- If its starts ok, the earthing cable is probably bad or has bad connections -> fix/replace.
- If not starting ok, the battery is probably dying -> try to connect a running car to it using jumpers cables: if ok replace your battery.
- If none of the above works you need more investigation: worn pinion, worn flywheel gear, dying starter, lack of lube, ...


Regards, Bernie

If someone helped you fix or understand your issue here, hit the thanks button, it's free !!

I would go with faulty starter motor. See

https://www.fiatforum.com/grande-punto/442010-2007-gp-1-9-multijet-130-starting-problems-2.html

Bigger battery can work but eventually the starter could get worse and an even bigger battery will be required.

Possible theory:
Too many amps are being draw when cranking in certain conditions (hot, cold engine) dropping the voltage too low for the ECU or Sensors to operate correctly. Start motor is the only component that requires lots of amps. Just a guess but can be tested by jump starting the car with some decent jump leads, effectively doubling your battery capacity. As the starter seems to work correctly it is not a suspect.

I broke down and got this on Wednesday but had it once before when the weather was cold. AA guy said it could be the alternator, battery or connection though its could be an ecu problem in general. Garage also uttered that puntos have a fault with the flywheel in general so that could also be the issue. Have had the starter and solenoid replaced twice and it has stabilised the issue but not fixed it so I still get starting issues intermittently. If you manage to get it fixed can you let me know what it was please? I'm at a loss without my grande (1.2 8v)

The noise, I was told by the AA, is the battery trying to get going

Cat2 said:

The noise, I was told by the AA, is the battery trying to get going

Click to expand...

What noise?

Batteries generally only make a noise when on fire.

I have 1.9 grande Punto diesel and the dual mass flywheel broke. This made a grinding noise sometimes when turning and moving. Apparently a common problem on Punto diesels. Hope it is not that though, because it cost me £1100 to fix.