hey guys
basically cant get my 1998 s reg fiat punto 60 1.2l to start only bought it a month or so ago
it starts to turn over but wont fire up, have taken out the battery and charged it up for a good 10hours.
also tried bump starting & jump starting.
jump start did work a few times a couple of weeks ago, managed to get half way down the road and stopped working again.. note the jump start did take a long time to get it going.
any suggestions?
thanks in advance

Check for spark at plugs, fuel past the injector(s). Get back.

Check the wire between the battery negative terminal and the car body. Clean the battery terminals and grease well.

how old is the current baterry?

Or, how well is it turning over?

If it turns over well and no battery icon illuminated on dash, go to my first suggestion.

getting a spark, also the battery is a few years old, maybe its died in the cold? but then wouldn't a bump start work?

fingers99 said:

Or, how well is it turning over?

If it turns over well and no battery icon illuminated on dash, go to my first suggestion.

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it doesnt turn over well, and there is a battery icon on the dash
p.s i dont know that much about cars, so bear with me

I'd be inclined to borrow a known good battery, try that. If you still get a battery light on the dash you have an alternator issue which is why it sometimes bumps but eventually dies (probably).

fingers99 said:

I'd be inclined to borrow a known good battery, try that. If you still get a battery light on the dash you have an alternator issue which is why it sometimes bumps but eventually dies (probably).

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sorry i probably wasnt very clear about this, we've tried bumping it,it doesnt work at all, we jumped it a few weeks ago and it worked for a few minutes then died as i was driving it. have tried about 5 times since then for a fair amount of time to jump it again and it wouldnt work after that, will see if i can borrow a battery though thank you

I think its a management issue, crank sensor needs checking.

Cheers

SPD

rallycinq said:

I think its a management issue, crank sensor needs checking.

Cheers

SPD

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Is that something i can check myself or do i need to take it in to a garage, its outside my work at the moment cant move it unless we push it or get it towed

erfquake said:

Is that something i can check myself or do i need to take it in to a garage, its outside my work at the moment cant move it unless we push it or get it towed

Click to expand...

Easy visual check of gap, cleanliness and connection. Needs a meter to check its working, see faqs for details.

Cheers

SPD

That was my initial thought, but OP reports a spark, so I'm going along the duff battery route!

fingers99 said:

That was my initial thought, but OP reports a spark, so I'm going along the duff battery route!

Click to expand...

Can see where you're coming from, but the OP also reports that it desn't start with a jump either.

Very Strange

Cheers

SPD

I dont know if this will help because im useless with cars aswell but I had the exact same problems as you just without the battery light on the dash. I have a 1997 fiat punto 60S 1.2l

I charged my battery fully but it died again the next week and wouldnt jump start. I brought a new battery and that helps but I think the problem with mine is the starter motor, it trys to start up sometimes but just makes a high pitched grinding sound. I can eventually get mine to start now but it was impossible before. Hope this helps!

i could be reading this wrong but sounds like combo of dead/dying battery and dead alternator to me, especially if it managed to drive for a bit then cut out.

what the battery symbol lit up on the dash while it was driving the time you jumped it?

you say the engine turns over on the battery but what does it sound like? fast/higher pitched (normal), slow/lower pitched (struggling)?

if it were a dodgy crank sensor, i doubt it would just stop randomly - unless that was the time it decided to properly die.

of course, the other thing it could be is a snapped cam belt (assuming 8v). i had an 8v 106 once that snapped a belt, couldnt figure out why it suddenly stopped, had to call AA, he couldnt figure it out either...until after about 15mins of fiddling he checked the belt....was snapped but not fully, engine was still sounding like it was trying to fire from time to time on crank.

Cam belt is possible - old belts can lose teeth causing the belt to slip. The crank sensor is also possible with an intermittent fault.