Hi, I just wondered if anyone has any experience or good ideas...

My 95 Tipo with 127K miles has an intermittent problem starting - specifically sometimes (randomly) when you turn the key it will just groan and half turn the engine, in the classic way that cars used to do when you exhausted the battery completely after several attempts on a weak battery. Sometimes I try it say 3 times and it will then spin fine and start, or sometimes if you wait a minute or so or maybe give it a little push it will suddenly be fine, and then run and start perfectly for ages.

It will do this sometimes if I have been using the car and started it a couple of times and then driven around, I will stop for something and out of the blue I get the problem.

Thoughts are:

1 Battery old and with a dodgy cell or something?

2 Something dodgy electrically?

3 Something worn in the starter and it stops in an awkward place

4 Sticking or worn teeth on the flywheel? But I thought this was only for older cars with the inertia style starters not newer pre-engaged.

So the starter engages and tries to spin, but there is either not enough juice / power or something is sticking.

Obviously a worn starter is perhaps the likeliest cause and is fairly cheap and easy to change.

Thoughts?

J

bluejohn125 said:

Hi, I just wondered if anyone has any experience or good ideas...

My 95 Tipo with 127K miles has an intermittent problem starting - specifically sometimes (randomly) when you turn the key it will just groan and half turn the engine, in the classic way that cars used to do when you exhausted the battery completely after several attempts on a weak battery. Sometimes I try it say 3 times and it will then spin fine and start, or sometimes if you wait a minute or so or maybe give it a little push it will suddenly be fine, and then run and start perfectly for ages.

It will do this sometimes if I have been using the car and started it a couple of times and then driven around, I will stop for something and out of the blue I get the problem.

Thoughts are:

1 Battery old and with a dodgy cell or something?

2 Something dodgy electrically?

3 Something worn in the starter and it stops in an awkward place

4 Sticking or worn teeth on the flywheel? But I thought this was only for older cars with the inertia style starters not newer pre-engaged.

So the starter engages and tries to spin, but there is either not enough juice / power or something is sticking.

Obviously a worn starter is perhaps the likeliest cause and is fairly cheap and easy to change.

Thoughts?

J

Click to expand...

Worth seeing if the dssh lights dim..no dimming mesns the starter isnt trying-switch/wiring..

Charlie

I'd say the dash lights DO dim... it's definitely trying to spin but the electrics are strainiing... either at the starter or battery end.

Well a final update to this issue...

I changed the battery for a good scrapyard one (£20) a few weeks ago, but I still got the feeling that it was working harder than it should and even the new one seemed to get weaker.

I therefore concluded that the starter must be slightly iffy, and looked on Ebay for a replacement. There seemed to be a couple of makes and types available, including some properly reconditioned ones for around £40. I finally took my old one off to compare with the ones available, and sort of decided to go for a recon. I noticed and half-remembered that mine had come from a scrapyard anyway (yellow writing on it saying "Fiat Tipo..), and then thought I'd see if my usual old-school auto-electrician could check it and maybe refresh it...

He scratched his head and remembered the issues that these models used to have, and I left it with him.

The next day he'd refreshed it nicely for a fairly reasonable £30, there was a sticky brush, sticky / cruddy pinion shaft and some other contact element in the solenoid that needed attention. He was happy with it and once I'd cleaned it up and painted it I stuck it back on, and all seems well...

It would have been nice to get a recon unit while they are available, but it's equally nice to give someone local the business and know that your unit is fighting fit and back on the car...

That's good news. Great, too, to see old school knowledge still winning the day! That knowledge has been brilliant for my Tipo - my mechanic mate's been enjoying the trip down memory lane with Tipo oily bits...

I've left him with the thorny issue of working out how to get my good fuel economy light working again... Let's see how that turns out!

Our Tipos will have to meet up sometime bluejohn125!

Problems like that are usually located at the starter motor or solenoid.
When I had myBeetle business, a Greek guy used to overhaul starters and dynamos for me, which saved my customers a lot of cash over the years.
Glad you got the problem sorted, BJ.

Good news, if anyone wants a new starter motor I've got one they can have it cheap???
I ordered a new ALTERNATOR from a motor factors on ebay and a starter motor turned up????
I rang and complained with some colourful language and they refunded me and said don't worry about returning the item.
I believe it fits other models besides the Tipo, well it was listed as doing so?????