i,ve got cold starting problems firt thing in the morning.
it struggles to start on first turn of the key but than fires up.
but if you turn it off stright away it starts up fine.
ive renewed the spark plugs,ht leads,cleaned the throttle body, replaced the earth strap on the gearbox and replaced the thermostat too and it still does it.
i,m at my wits end
my car is a 2011 fiat panda 1.2 euro 5 engine

Battery on it's last legs?

gr J

battery seems fine
wierd thing is when you start it up from cold it hesitates and seems like its running on 3 cylinders and after about three seconds it seems fine.
than if you turn it off and fire it up stright away its fine.

funkie75 said:

battery seems fine
wierd thing is when you start it up from cold it hesitates and seems like its running on 3 cylinders and after about three seconds it seems fine.
than if you turn it off and fire it up stright away its fine.

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Possibly a slightly weepy injector.

The fuel rail stays pressurised when you turn off the engine; it's possible some fuel is leaking into one of the cylinders when it's stopped for awhile, which gives you a lumpy start. Unless it's extreme, probably not worth trying to fix.

Not unusual on the Euro5/6 engines; fitting iridium plugs may help.

My 100HP has started to do this. First try - coughs and stops. Seconds and third tries are better then it starts, struggles to pick up then runs perfectly.

I had suspected battery but that's new after letting me down last week.

Four coils replaced a few weeks ago.

is it still doing it after the coils were replaced

It has always started fine but the engine warning light and limp mode showed up a faulty stick coil. I replaced the set with new coils. The cold start issues have come - erm - since it went cold.

There is another point. I suspect the old battery has been struggling for months. It has always turned for a couple of seconds before firing up. Sometimes I would get the immobiliser symbol remaining on after it started. With the new battery it tries to start instantly but struggles.


I'm thinking the fuel injector idea has legs, though I have never smelled fuel after the car is parked.

i believe the coolant sensor failed

antonis132 said:

i believe the coolant sensor failed

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Can you elaborate?

Older injection systems - like the Bosch L-Jetronic on my other Italian car - are hugely sensitive to correctly working temperature sensors. Incorrect signals will cause poor running and difficult starting, even on what is effectively an analogue (and fairly bulletproof) system.

On a modern digital system I can see that the effect would be more pronounced. Think about how the signal drops out on a modern (digital) mobile or car radio compared with how it just used to gradually fad out with analogue transmission.

And always check that the earth connections are good. A slightly poor earth connection could cause initial starting problems when the voltage is at its lowest, but go away when the car is running and the voltage (fed by the alternator) is normal.

Is there just one coolant sensor? I mean does the ECU have it's own separate sensor?


I ask because the instruments panel coolant gauge is working normally.

on panda 169, it's only 1 temperature sensor both for instrument and ecu taking readings.
temperature sensor shows a range of temperature, gauge stays on the middle for temperature ranges between 80-100C

Check fuel delivery. Older pipework, especially at joints, often hardens up and lets in air. Your symptoms point to this.
Do you park with the front of your car facing uphill (even a slight gradient) overnight? If so, try parking facing downhill instead.
Then check the results. If the car starts better, you've found your trouble.

what kind of pipe work and where do i look

my starlet turbo has done this for the last 6-7 years. its intermittent, but i have given up trying to find the issue.

i have tried changing literally everything and it still does it. if i start it and its a bit lump it will usually suddenly clear itself or if you blip the throttle that clears it too. second start will always be fine.

if you ever find out what it is, then let us know as it may be something i havnt even thought of!

This morning I turned on the ignition then put on my seat belt and eventually started the engine. It fired up with a shudder but much easier than usual. OK it was especially cold but it was very wet. This hints at the fuel rail pressure being down. It's probably possible to pressure test it.