I have had my Panda for 3 weeks.
In the first week, we went for a drive for about an hour, parked up, turned the car off and it took a couple tries to start it
again but there was no real alarming issue as we thought that maybe it was just having a funny 5 minutes and needed to reset for a bit. So after 5 minutes it started up no problem, didn't think too much of it but still kept it in mind.
I kept using the car as normal, even going shopping and parking up for 15 minutes and the car starting up, maybe cranking a little longer than usual but always starting.
12 minutes before my driving test this week, we had driven to the shop which was 5 minutes from the test centre, went into get a drink, came back out and the car wouldnt start again. But this time, it didnt start for 50 minutes and i failed to show up to my driving test (i know, what amazing timing for my car to pass out on me).
We managed to get it going again after 50 minutes and i drove home, when i got home i turned it off, tried to start it up again and there was nothing, not even turning over. Left it 6 hours and it started up perfectly.
Not cranking at all
I've had the crankshaft sensor changed, didnt fix the issue.
Not cranking can not be any sensor
I've had the battery checked, all fine.
It’s pretty hard to reliably check a battery, both the old fashioned load test (better) or newer electronic (worse) can be fooled. The only reliable way is by substitution of a known good.
The starter motor isnt the problem from what we can see, it usually starts up perfectly when its not been driven.
Correct. It’s unlikely but it hasn’t been eliminated.
The grounds cables are all fine, no worries there.
Has the battery, battery tray and clutch slave cylinder been removed ? It the only way to visibly check the lead
And the fuel pump is working.. but how far its getting to the engine is so far unknown as that's tomorrow's investigation. Whether its the injectors? not too sure.
ALSO theres no check engine lights and no error codes showing up on scanners so we're currently completely stuck. If we cant find anything tomorrow then its going to have to be a garage job.
Has anyone got ANY ideas on what it could be?
Its both haha. It basically starts when it wants to now but its more likely to not start when its been driven for a while.
So it fails both hot and cold just worse when hot ?
It will crank for a few attempts, then it will just click,
This must be a hint that there isn’t enough currant passing through the starter motor
all the electrics work, and the starter motor works but it doesnt do anything to the engine and then you leave it for 5 minutes and then the engine will attempt to start but not actually start and then out of the blue it'll start absolutely fine.
We checked the battery again last night and all the cables and everything is in working order
Voyage drop test is the only way to test the leads and connectors
with that, the starter motor is fine, but we've had a tip that it could be either EGR related or fuel injectors. My bf's Dad has worked on cars for years and he thinks its fuel related, whether it be a pipe blockage or something.
Right okay. The grounds look visually fine, what the best way to test them without resistance? - We've seen so many recommendations to test with resistance
Voltage drop test
We did have trouble with lights flickering in the car (dash lights and interior) a few times when we were attempting the start the car - would this be a symptom of a bad ground?
Surly this need rectifying before moving onto injectors or anything else
Is there a way to test it reliably or is it just to take it off and clean it or replace it?
Voltage drop test. Wiggly the cables. Substitution and so on
My car starts cold every single time couldn't get it to not start. Still not sure on ground strap being the issue
Earlier it was cranking longer than normal even when cold
It may or may not be an issue
You have to start some where
At the moment we are no further forward than at the beginning. If while failing you had tried to start the car with the jump leads by connecting positive to positive and negative to clean metal on the engine or gearbox. We would by now know if it was or not a battery or earth lead