geesmith

I had this car for 5 days and alls been well. The only problem it wouldnt unlock unless I use the key in the door. The car has started immediately first try everytime.

This morning I stopped to reverse into a parking space and the engine stalled. When I tried to restart the motor took a while to catch. The next time I tried to start it I took around 7 attempts. The car then started immediately on the 8th try like there was no problem. The motor was spinning fine on each attempt so the battery and alternator arent suspect.

I replaced the battery in the remote and the car still would only lock with the key except for one time later when I got home. The car started first try like new for 4 attempts but on the fifth it spun a while before catching. Thats how it seems to be now. I will try another new battery for the remote cuz that DID seem to cure the fault at first.

The car drives good once its running but gets a touch of kangaroo effect when you run with slight deceleration.
I searched under "wont start", "starting trouble", starting problem" etc. etc.
Could this be a crankshaft sensor even though it starts normally sometimes? I was hoping someone had experienced this and found you could cure it with a gum wrapper or hairpin or something....maybe a little too optimistic. All attempts to help are warmly welcomed, as is flaming, post whoring even off topic if it keeps the thread alive until I find a cure.......

A million thanks to the power of three in advance. smile.gif

supercow

really sounds like battery/alt. take it to autozone and test.

have a multimeter?? you should get about 12v on the battery when the car is off, 14v when running.

REDZMAN

Don't think there's an autozone in the UK.

TopSpeedFX

Was your CEL on at all prior to this?

BlizagaXx

I work at the fine establishment of Autozone.. The starter might have a dead spot. If it doesn't start immediately, adn the starter doesnt crank, tap the starter with a breaker bar/hammer etc. If not, it COULD be a battery, i had the same prob and a battery cleared it up. Check the leads for the battery for corrosion as well. Might be bad spark too. There's lots of reasons it might not start, but check the easy spots first. Battery, Battery leads, and plugs.

geesmith

Thanks for the suggestions. The battery is good...14.2v running voltage....12.6v after turning the motor for approx 6 x 5second bursts when it wouldnt start. . . so a pretty good battery. After 6 attempts I got out my Fluke multimeter and tested positive to engine block and positive to bodywork screwhead (thats a fixing not an insult..smile.gif . )..and got 12.6v on the DC setting. Then when it started up a couple of tries later I tested the same again.
I just went out and the car sarted first try but the remote wont lock or unlock the car. I sat in the car with the ignition at the accesory position and played some music with the lights on dipped beam...switched off the head unit ( thats an accesory not a mental health department....smile.gif . )...and the lights didnt brighten noticeably. Tried to start and it fired up right away.....man oh man thats frustrating!
I checked that all fuses and relays were secure and checked for signs of corrosion or arcing on the contacts...all okay. The worst part is remembering the car stalling this morning as I was about to reverse . .(I tried reversing a few times earlier to see if that caused a fault but everything was normal)..cuz I dont want this to happen at a busy intersection tomorrow morning...sort of plays with my confidence..smile.gif
This kind of thing was easy with carbs and cave electrics. I'll see how tomorrow goes and let you know. Having started the thread I will post how this turns out for the sake of the search engine at least. Lots of threads you find when searching just peter out........

Thanks again RDT members..

Sorry Topspeed, no CEL at all.

Alex01tib

He said the motor is cranking fine so i doubt its the battery, unless he thinks its spinning normal and its really spinning slow.

I think its your plugs man, if theyre old they sometimes have a hard time starting when cold.

My tib had a problem like that before i modded it, realized i hadnt changed the plugs in a while and it started fine afterwards.

Matter of fact selinas prelude was just having this problem a little while ago, it wouldnt take 3 times of cranking to start, but you could tell it was having a hard time starting.

Theres no real way to type exactly what i mean so pardon the crudeness:

Instead of the usual: waa waa waa vrummmmmmm

it was more like: waa waa waa waa waa waa waa waa waa waa vrummmmmm.

Changed the plugs and it starts great again.

geesmith

That does sound pretty close to where mine was Alex. If it occurs again tomorrow I'll change out the plugs. I will change them out anyway soon along with leads etc. I could do with a spend break really but any excuse to upgrade is a good one. Thanks for the PM... I'll update tomorrow.

01tibby

wait, do you have remote start?

i think im being confused by your apparent attempts to link the two problems together.

i would definately change the plugs if it has not been done in a while.

geesmith

Tibby01, I don't have remote start, I was referring to the fob on the keyring with the central locking buttons....and the immobiliser chip. If the battery dies you lose the immobiliser disarm frequency so I was playing with the idea that the low battery was causing the problem. You wont see me dissapear under the water without a lot of flailing around clutching at straws.. smile.gif


....the more I think about it, the more I like the plug idea. I know the car has been chipped, I dont know where the mixture is. It will be good to see the condition. May have to wait until Saturday unless I have a real bad day.