Renault Clio II (2001 - 2007) - 00 172 Engine starts, then dies.

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Thu 13 Sep 2007 20:19
00 172 Engine starts, then dies. - Optimus Prime
I've just bought a 2nd hand Renault Clio 172, 2000 W reg, with 60,000 miles. When I start the car, the ignition catches, the engine fires, and then it dies. Once this has happened it often then won't even turn over for a couple of minutes.
I have got around this by giving the accelerator pedal a kick when starting - the revs go high, the engine starts, and then I can normally keep the revs mid-range for a couple of seconds. If I have managed to keep the revs up and the engine alive for a few seconds then the car is normally ok and will keep running. However, if I mis-time it and don't keep the revs high enough then they drop to zero and the engine dies.

What is the problem? Any advice appreciated. I'm taking it back to the garage for checks, but it would nice to be armed with some information before I go.
PS. The car does have an aftermarket exhaust on it, but this is the only modification. Could this be linked in any way, or is it irrelevant?
Thanks.
s
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Thu 13 Sep 2007 21:23
00 172 Engine starts, then dies. - Screwloose
OP

If it won't even crank over; then I'd wonder about the immobilizer? Fire, run - and cut, is an immob fault's trademark.

Has an aftermarket nasty been fitted to add to the OE one?
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Fri 14 Sep 2007 09:33
00 172 Engine starts, then dies. - Optimus Prime
The aftermarket nasty is the full exhaust, from the back box all the way back to the cats. However, I am intending to have it removed and replaced with the OE parts ASAP.

If it was an immobilizer, how come I can overcome the problem often by revving the engine for a few seconds?
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Fri 14 Sep 2007 12:36
00 172 Engine starts, then dies. - Screwloose
OP

It was the refusal to crank that set me wondering about an immobilizer. There's many things that can cause failure to re-start; but failure to even crank is a completely different matter. Does it even try?

The aftermarket nasty that I was meaning was a second immobilizer of some sort.
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Fri 14 Sep 2007 20:46
00 172 Engine starts, then dies. - Optimus Prime

"The aftermarket nasty that I was meaning was a second immobilizer of some sort."


Oh, I see what you mean. I don't think so - in fact, it's quite possible that the immobilizer is working as intended. I have now read the manual, and I'm probably not leaving the key in the ignition for long enough before attempting to start. I've started successfully a couple of times this evening, so hopefully that's the problem solved.
When I got the car on Saturday the battery was a bit low, so it was a struggle to get going. I have now charged the battery, but one set of symptons (battery low) masked the fact that I wasn't operating the immobilizer correctly - I thought that the two issues were linked. D'oh!

Thanks for your help. I imagine that this is the problem is solved, but if not I'll re-post.
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