Starting problems 1.6L 16v 100. yr1999

[Tony]

Hello,

My car is a Fiat Palio but has the same engine as the Bravo 1.6L 16v 100 year 1999 (i'm in France).

The engine was difficult to start when hot.
No problem at normal temp, just when i get stuck in traffic.
It was starting from cold very well.
Last night i couldn't restart after stalling. This morning i expected it to start from cold but no joy!

The engine will just about turn over two or three times, it seems laboured like a flat battery but the battery is good (shows green) and voltage good on my meter.

I am not suspecting the starter motor as it was whizzing round happily just yesterday morning?

After reading many forum posts i decided the not starting when hot problem could be the ECT temp sensor ? but now its not staring from cold either, so im not sure, there are many sensors which could be the problem, Lambda, engine map, air temp etc ???

I recently replaced the Coil unit & plugs which solved an injector warning light & rough running situation when hot.

Anyone have an idea ?
Thanks a lot, Tony

 

[Tony]

Sorted

Hi all,

Well the problem turned out to be the battery after all.
The Voltage showed at 12.65 Volts, a green indicator supposedly meant it was in good condition.
There is not much airflow under the bonnet and in traffic the temp was getting high enough to damage the battery.
When it cooled down it worked again so causing my confusion, i thought batteries were bad when cold, better when hot, but not too hot it seems!

So even with good voltage, lights and stereo at full power the battery can still be useless to start the car.

Hope this helps someone, byee Tony.