Hello

My Punto wouldn't start this morning. Put the key in, turned it, lights came on after a second or two but the engine wouldn't turn over...

Is this immobiliser? Seems strange the interior lights and dash lights would come on but the car itself wouldn't start.

The battery went flat the other day, but I have been driving it for the last 3 days since it was recharged with no problems whatsoever.

Replacement battery?

I'm stuck and have no idea what the problem is. Like I said, key into ignition, lights come on after a second or two and then the engine coughs once and then nothing.

This Punto....one problem aftwer another!!!! Problem is I really really like it when its ok!

I had my exhast replaced the other day as well!! :bang:

If the engine 'coughs' once or twice, its not immobiliser - with immobiliser the engine does nothing at all.

Try getting in the car, putting the headlights on and then try start it. if the lights go dim, theres a huge load somewhere draining the battery. Other possibility is a starter solenoid fault - they can jam sometimes. If you tap them with a hammer, it often frees it for a temporary fix and will confirm starter solenoid fault.

If turning the ignition on makes the lights come on, you need an Exorcist, not a replacement battery!

Does the engine turn over and not start (chiggachiggachiggachiggachiggachigg... )?

Or does it fail to turn over (chi....uuuurrr..)?

Or does it not even engage the starter solenoid (click...ur)?

a) That could be an immobilisor issue, or the TDC sensor could have failed, or there is a fuel or ignition problem


b) Dead battery. If you had to charge yours 3 days ago then that suggests it's knacked. Why did you have to charge it? If it's going flat slowly you could have an alternator fault.. but if it loses all charge suddenly (it's probably 8 or 10v if you measure it) then you need a new battery.

Don't arse about with the lights if the battery is flat or maybe flat. Lights will work when there's anything above 8v in there -- to start the car you need to unleash the entire 12.6 volts and all the ampage you have available.

c) You could have a starter problem.


I'd look at "b" (for "battery") first... they do wear out any time after 5 or 6 years old, though I had a Marelli battery last 10 years once.


Ralf S.

can you hear the fuel relay running once you turn the key.if not try replacing the white relay in front centre of engine bay.mind had a crack on top,became rusted inside.

fuel pump relay on a mk2 punto is red (R9 in fusebox)...dont think its a issue in this case though

Ralf S. said:

Or does it fail to turn over (chi....uuuurrr..)?

Click to expand...

Hi all,

Just bought a 1.2 mk2 with what I think is a starter motor problem? it makes a continous whirring noise, it'll bump start fine, and electrics seem to be ok, was told a new battery was recently fitted.

Read a few posts about giving the starter motor a a tap or two... but not being a mechanic, can anyone tell me exactly where to tap? Had a look at the guides with the pics, but still unsure.. dont want to go tapping something andthings fall apart lol!

thanks,
edz

yeh sounds like it could be a stuck solenoid in your case... or stripped flywheel teeth in the worst case...

on the 1.2 8v, the starter motor is behind the engine (easiest accessed underneath) and the solenoid is the smaller cylidrical object mounted to it.

stripped flywheel teeth will that cost a lot to fix?

can't get underneath the car, no ramp i was hoping to get access from above.. took the filter box off still no joy.. hmm.. long stick and hammer jobbie?

oh.. i forgot to mention that it bump starts fine.

yeh if it bump starts, it definatly sounds like a solenoid problem. dont worry, i highly doubt it will have stripped the flywheel teeth - there pretty tough!

to be honest, you really need some ramps or axle stands for this, its a real pain in the ass to reach from above... inlet manifold and heater matrix piping gets in the way.

OK.. thanks for your help Xen, I'll get the mechanic to sort it out while they service it instead, its too cold out there! lol.

yeh just warn them that the stuck solenoid is quite common... may save you some labour fees if they think you already know the problem that way they cant claim they spent x amount of time sourcing the fault.