2000. 3200 GTA Starting problem.

[Lusso916]

Hi all, any ideas ? engine turning over and not showing any chance of starting, battery ok but disconnected it put on charge, 5 hours later battery on, one last try and off she goes didn't turn over twice before bursting into life. One thought crank sensor.

 

[jluis]

Was it warm when it failed to start?
Did the starter turned at full speed?

The starters fail frequently and some cars have difficulties starting when hot

 

[conaero]

Immobiliser? Remove key, lock, unlock and try again.

Seen this loads of times on the 3200.

It's a good one to rule out first.

 

[CatmanV2]

Two very good calls. If the padlock was on on the dash it's the immobiliser. I think the connections to the the loop round the ignition switch are know to be a bit flaky.

C

 

[Rex B]

Battery voltage to low, it might turn the car over but it needs to be a minimum of 12 volts on mine for the car to start. If the car is not used regularl . Keep the car on a battery conditioner or charge it once a fortnight.

Rex B
Manual 3200

 

[redsonnylee]

I used to get this all the time so keep a trickle charger on to ensure the battery is fully charged. If not fully charged then like your original problem it turns but will not start. My particular problem is down to a secondary immobiliser being installed some time ago by a previous owner and some dodgy wiring.

When I first got the car I went through three battery's in three years as it kept going flat, I bought one of those cheap battery testers so managed to work out it was definitely draining down.

I now use it more often and the problem has almost disappeared. I use a Ctek MS 5.0.

 

[Almichie]

Battery voltage to low, it might turn the car over but it needs to be a minimum of 12 volts on mine for the car to start. If the car is not used regularl . Keep the car on a battery conditioner or charge it once a fortnight.

Rex B
Manual 3200

Second to this - battery conditioner is a must on these cars...

 

[RSM Masser]

Crank sensor is an easy and cheap fix - bit awkward to carry out as access is hideous unless you are a double jointed midget with extra long arms.
Happened on mine whilst waiting for an MoT, no warning, just refused to start - read low loader thread for pictures!
Don't rely on the dash voltmeter it's not very accurate (well mine isn't!) It never reads more than 10volts on start up with a full battery (I keep it topped up with an optimiser, when it is not used on the motorbike)

Starter motor is also a good call they slowly disintegrate internally causing progressively slower cranking, eventually they throw themselves into a billion bits and jamb solid - but only when on a parade lap of Brands Hatch or some other important occasion.

 

[tappets]

Battery trickle chargers are GOLD for these cars. A weak battery will create all sorts of starting issues. Under normal conditions a faulty crank angle sensor would not repair itself!

 

[SteveM]

Another one to throw into the mix is the fuel cut off if the options above dont cure it. Mine just refused to start one day - a slight cough on an initial start when cold but wouldnt start. Changed crank sensor as relatively cheap but as said above tricky to remove oil filler tube. Battery regularly charged and starter not that old. In the end it had to taken away on trailer of shame and the guys at Ftech discovered it was a fault in the fuel cut off (on the left hand side of the boot - opposite battery). Cheap part to replace.

 

[davy83]

and as if you didn't have enough completely different possibilities, one more for the pot. There is a contact switch on the gearbox that tells the ECU int park. if this gets slightly off setting then it thinks its not in park and wont go, the display still reads P but the switch is not right, as these are both from different switches! Try putting it in N and see if it helps. it starts in Neutral too.

 

[Lusso916]

No not been started for 2 days & has a new starter fitted. can a trickle charger be connected thro the power point/cigarette lighter without disconnecting the battery ? in hand book battery must disconnected when using a charger.

Thanks to all for your help

 

[sospanbach]

My 3200 the same if not on a trickle charge reluctant to start, starts every time instantly but the battery must be 100pc dave

 

[tappets]

Don't worry about that rubbish in the book mate.............that's just a "Cover the ***" exercise just ensure you connect it properly ie + to +......- to -. I've installed the plug and play wire harness on the battery supplied with the trickle charger so I can connect/disconnect in seconds. Can send a pic if you don't understand but very simple!

No not been started for 2 days & has a new starter fitted. can a trickle charger be connected thro the power point/cigarette lighter without disconnecting the battery ? in hand book battery must disconnected when using a charger.

Thanks to all for your help

 

[sospanbach]

ye tappets is right mate no need to disconnect battery to trickle charge, lot of nonsense in book, on the manual cars the book states depress clutch prior to start that is a no no I believe that habit starves thrust bearings of that vital lick of oil on start up

 

[Mott The Hoople]

I trickle charge without isolating mine all the the time. Never been a problem in 6 1/2 years.
Steve.