Technical poor starting on my 2006 grande punto is driving me crazy

[forbesrobb]

I've got an early 1.4 Dynamic petrol Grande Punto registered Jan 2006 that I bought from new. The last month or so it's been driving me crazy with poor starting. It's gone from starting at once, to taking progressively more and more turns to get it going. It will eventually fire up and falter a number of times before it eventually starts properly. Once going it's fine and will start ok until I have to leave it over a couple of hours or so then it's back to square one. I've had the temperature sensor replace by one garage, and had it in another for a week. They struggled to diagnose the problem but cleaned out the carb & replaced the coil pack and said that was the issue. For a day it was better, but now it's slipping back into poor stating again. Don't know if it's related but sometimes the battery icon comes on and I lose the power steering, but if I turn the ignition off and on again it goes. I desperatley need help with this, it's driving me crazy, whoever I go to don't seem to have any clues or ideas and it's costing me a fortune

 

[Andy Monty]

See the faq grande punto section suspect the battery earth strap

 

[xlTomm]

Exact same thing is happening to me also I got some temp sensor changed because I got told that was the issue but it wasn't. The steering thing happens to me all the time also and mine is a 56 plate hopefully someone knows the issue

 

[jjr0305]

This happened to me last year. It would take 9-10 turns to start it when cold. Mine is also an 06 1.4 GP. Took it to my local garage and they didn't have a clue. Wasn't going to pay Fiat prices so I researched it myself and found that it was the MAP sensor. Bought one for £25 off eBay and fitted it myself. Dead easy too. Haven't had any problems at all since.

 

[forbesrobb]

back to this problem, went back to my original garage and told him what had happened & he said had I tried using an additive as maybe the injectors were clogging. I went and spent £9 on a bottle of RedEx Tuesday, put some in. As the week has gone on it's got progressively better to the point that this morning it started first time, no jerking or juddering. So after shelling out over £300 in garage fees it came down to a bottle of RedEx. The problem with garages now is that they've lost the skill of analysis, they stick the car on a diagnostic machine and blindly follow the results.