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Technical Punto Grande 1.3 multijet - starter, glow plugs, sender pump

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Technical Punto Grande 1.3 multijet - starter, glow plugs, sender pump

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nathanrobo

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My son went out to his Punto this morning and it wouldn't start. I assumed that it was the battery (although the battery was replaced a couple of months ago). So I changed the battery for a fully charged one, went to start it but nothing. Everything electrical works and the dash lights up normally, except:

1. The glow plug lights,
2. The pick up pump in the fuel tank can't be heard
3. The starter


I don't know these cars too well, but I'm assuming that whatever the fault is, it has to be common to all three. Any ideas?

The car is a 2006 1.3 Multijet Punto Grande
 
Just realised that the 'padlock' symbol should go out straight away and it's not. So seems like the immobiliser system is locking us out.

Anyone know what's involved in solving this one?

He's only had the car for about 8 months and there seems to be a problem every couple of weeks :-(
 
Skyperr said:
Have you tried a spare key?
Click to expand...

Hi

Yep tried the spare key, tried locking and unlocking with the keys in and out of the ignition, also tried swapping relays, disconnecting the battery and checked fuese.

My guess is that it could be the transponder around the ignition barrel, or... the immobiliser itself. Given that it won't reset itself easily, there's either something at fault or it needs an OEM or similar diag machine to reset it?
 
nathanrobo said:
Hi

Yep tried the spare key, tried locking and unlocking with the keys in and out of the ignition, also tried swapping relays, disconnecting the battery and checked fuese.

My guess is that it could be the transponder around the ignition barrel, or... the immobiliser itself. Given that it won't reset itself easily, there's either something at fault or it needs an OEM or similar diag machine to reset it?
Click to expand...

I'd look at the transponder ring and all of the connections around it and the steering column. Disconnect the battery first and pull apart and reseat all of the connections, make sure they are all sound. Likewise, check the fuseboxes and make sure there are no signs of water ingress or corrosion.

Failing that, the body control module will need to be scanned to see what fault codes its yields and take it from there. MultiECUscan will read it but you will need the ELM 327 cable and the "yellow" adapter to do this. There might be someone near you who has this software and cables and can do the needful for you. :)

I've got a 1.3MJ myself, if there's anything I can easily look at on my car to help then pop me a pm
 
Skyperr said:
I'd look at the transponder ring and all of the connections around it and the steering column. Disconnect the battery first and pull apart and reseat all of the connections, make sure they are all sound. Likewise, check the fuseboxes and make sure there are no signs of water ingress or corrosion.

Failing that, the body control module will need to be scanned to see what fault codes its yields and take it from there. MultiECUscan will read it but you will need the ELM 327 cable and the "yellow" adapter to do this. There might be someone near you who has this software and cables and can do the needful for you. :)

I've got a 1.3MJ myself, if there's anything I can easily look at on my car to help then pop me a pm
Click to expand...

Thanks for such a detailed response. I'll work through the suggestions that you give and let you know how I get on... thanks again :)
 
Hi there , just a idea but check the earth that goes from the battery and bolts to the body . Make sure it's clean and tight . Also check the earth that goes to the gearbox . Could be a simple bad connection . If fuses etc are all ok then have the wiring checked . Hope this helps .
 
Had another thought , run a earth from the battery to the engine to see if this helps !
 
I've pulled disconnected the earth terminal, removed the transponder ring, taken off it's connector along with a couple of other plugs and pushed them together tight. Decided to leave the neg lead off all night to see if that helps too - so I'll update in the morning.

If no different tomorrow, I'll try to borrow the software and leads, if not I'll order a set up.

btw have you come across the "Emergency Start Procedure"? It's mentioned on the MultiECUscan forum.
 
I tried these earlier... the earth lead has no corrosion and is good and tight. Tried a decent jump lead to connect earth directly to the engine.
 
That makes sense! My son's Punto doesn't have a key code, so it won't apply (have pm'd the person on original thread on multiecuscan though).

I reconnected the ignition plug and the transponder ring, but no change... Also disconnected the transponder ring and put the key in with the battery still connected and no change, which leads me to think that it may be the transponder?? I've kinda made the assumption that if it was doing something that taking it off would effect the lights on the dash?
 
Quick update... disconnected a bunch of connectors including the main ecu connector (been told that the fact that both keys were locked out suggests that it's a communication problem between body control module and main ecu).

Did all of this with the battery off then with the battery connected and the keys in the ignition. After a lot of fiddling around and a subsequent earth lead connect I heard the fuel pump come on, got in the car and it started fine! Went for a drive, switched off and the same thing (padlock symbol comes on solid and stays on), but now if I disconnect the earth and reconnect it will start and run. I have to repeat this on every start.

Any ideas?
 
Probably stating the obvious but a duff connection or possible a lazy relay somewhere. Can you check all of the earths around the engine bay, particularly the one between the gearbox and chassis, and the battery cables themselves. Also, there is no corrosion on the ECU connectors and where it screws to the body. After that, the techies here might have a better insight
 
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