Refine by channel:  Forum (5074)    Ask HJ (1532)    News (283)    productReview (122)    Article (113)    FAQs (7)    Good Garages (4)  

Sort by: Relevance | Newest first | Oldest first

• Renault Clio II - 1999 Renault Clio 1.2 Starting Problems 2 May 2011 (Forum)
  I am having a problem where by sometimes it will fire others it won't, it will just turn over. It can take upto six times to start the car and I don't want to kill the battery. I now start my car with my foot fully down on the clutch and accelerator, I am just scared  that I will flood it, yet it seems to work. I have treated it with redex incase there was a block in the fuel lines and it was serviced only 2 months ago with new plugs and filters.
• 1998 ford 2.0litre zetec mondeo hc - engine changed now not firing 13 Apr 2011 (Forum)
  hi i recently done a engine change, just the engine all other electricals were used from previous engine they worked fine prior to changing ,the car sat with no battery for a month ,now all hooked up correctly ,the engine wont start no spark but getting fuel ive been told its the key ,it needs to be re figured ,but as my remote key is broken i cant configure it is this the problem .i have little knowledge about electrics but i do have power to the coils on the middle wire but no spark when plug earthed ,crank angle sensor was from the old engine and was working fine prior to the exchange of engines only swapped the engines cause i cooked the old one,,checked and rechecked wiring all seems fine,can somebody please help with a answer i can try to get it going thanks
• Kia Cee'd - Door locks on modern cars 4 Apr 2011 (Forum)
    So, I am wondering how many other modern cars have this unhelpful design feature.  As long as the battery is not dead and that there are no electronic gremlins, this is fine, but I'd rather have a system that allows me into the car irrespective of what might be wrong with its electrics.
• Any - Hybrid cars 27 Jan 2011 (Forum)
  Am I right in saying that none of these can be charged from a charging point like a full electric car? If that is the case, then the batteries fitted to the hybrid car are always charged by the engine and therefore by petrol or diesel. This is a much more expensive way of charging than from the mains, especially with the spiralling fuel costs.
• 2007 Mazda 5 - Electric window switches not working on driver's d 11 Jan 2011 (Forum)
  Car has not been used for a couple of days. It was very cold this morning. When i tried to start the car it struggled. It felt like the battery was flat, dashboard lights went off, the engine turned sluggishly, then started. When the engine was started the needles on the speedo and rev dials turned clockwise to read maximum speed/revs then settled back to zero then went back to normal.
• 95 Ford Escort 55 1.8 (non-turbo) diesel - 95 ford escort 55 lost power and not starting 6 Nov 2010 (Forum)
  I pushed it home but couldn't start it. I took off the starter and had it reconditioned. Made no difference. I recharged the battery. The dash lights come on when I turn the key bet there's nothing from the engine when I try to start it. I had put on a new alternator about 2 months ago and everything was fine until last week.
• Hyundai i10 1.2 comfort - Starting problems on my new car 4 Oct 2010 (Forum)
    Have taken the car to the dealer and they say the battery is OK and at 14.2volts. They say, if the problem persists bring it back for another check. This sounds like a nightmare scenario. Its sad that I have to go through this with a new car. What are my options to resolve this problem quickly with my new car without being caught up in this vicious cycle of "back and forth" to the dealer.
• astra ll Astra EI think - heater plugs 22 Sep 2010 (Forum)
  The heater coil lights only come on very briefly and the engine cranks over for 5 to 10 seconds before starting. the longer I leave it, the worse it is. For example, I left the car for three days and it flattened the battery trying to start it . With a jump start it went and clouds, and I mean clouds, of black smoke belched out for a few seconds, impressing my neighbours enormously. Any ideas any one?  
• VW Polo Estate - VW Polo Estate 1.4 W reg Not Starting (Sometimes) 19 Jul 2010 (Forum)
  VW Polo Estate, 2000 (W reg) 1.4 16V Petrol 74500 miles EPC warning light on Brand new battery Serviced a few months ago Every now and again (but far too frequently!) my car has trouble starting.  I was able to capture it on video which I have uploaded to youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
• vw golf 1.3 - mk2 golf not sparking 13 Jun 2010 (Forum)
  hi i have a mk2 golf cl 1300 year 1986 and its now not staring as yesterday i drove home from work fine got home then 40mins later went back out in the car it started fine first time got 2mins up the road and cut out suddenly and wouldnt bump start but it has done this before so i have had a new coil on and that cured it for a week then it was over heating so i took the thermostat out and the choke was stayin open so i disconnected the auto choke and has been driving perfct for 2 weeks now it just doesnt start i turn the key and it turns over but doesnt start i keep trying and it runs the battery out after a few times and also ther is no spark any ideas wat it cud be and how to fix it as need it to get it to work and dot have any money for new car help needed urgently
• Volkswagen Golf IV (1998 - 2004) - 2000 2.0 - Keeps Cutting Out When Warm 8 Jun 2010 (Forum)
  we have a 2000 golf cabriolet colour concept which when warm keeps cutting out. The rev counter drops to zero, the oil light flashes then the battery light flashes and car dies. You have to stop the car, key out and then re start it but as engine gets warmer it cuts out more frequently. Read about relay 109 and garage said mine doesnt have a relay 109 and told me to change relay 30 which i did but it still isnt fixed ??
• Volkswagen Golf IV PD 130 2003 - swapping the ECU to stop lumpy cold idel 7 May 2010 (Forum)
  Therefore, I was thinking of swapping the ECU’s over to see if the fault swapped. Can I do this with out needing any special equipment to re-program keys or any thing once the battery has been disconnected? Are their any tips on the best way to do this with out damaging any thing? And where is the ECU located on the cars? Thank you in advance for any help.
• Ford C-MAX (2003 - 2010) - 03 1.8 Unstable Idle when slowing 17 Feb 2010 (Forum)
  m slowing to a stop the rev's will bounce from around 500 to 1000 rpm until the car comes to a complete stop then the engine will return to normal idle revs. The problem has gotten worse over time and now the car is nearly stalling with the battery light coming on. I have scanned the ECU for but there are none registered. The car is also often a pain to start normally when been standing overnight the car will start then the rev's just drop off to 0 causing a stall.
• Vauxhall Astra F (1991 - 1998) - 98 1.7 td overheating 2 Feb 2010 (Forum)
  Firstly i flushed the system and put in fresh coolant which helped but didnt solve then i noticed that i dont think the fan is operating. Using some wire i connected it directly to the battery and it still spins so i know the motor on it is fine. I have since changed the thermostat and the coolant temp switch but it still gets hot when left sitting and i think the fan still isnt trying to cut in???
• Rover 45 (1999 - 2005) - 01 2.0 shorted wire - now no 'constant live' 1 Feb 2010 (Forum)
  since then i have nothing powered by constant live - i have lost central locking, interior light, radio memory, door open lights and the buzzer that goes off when i leave the door open with the lights on. today ive gone out and the battery is dead - im presuming ive either a) knackered the alternator or b) have a short somewhere which is causing the whole lot. i have checked all my interior fuses and the fuses in the engine bay and they are fine. all the fusible links look fine. the only things i cant check is the relays.
• Ford Galaxy (1995 - 2006) - 98 2.0 immobiliser 28 Jan 2010 (Forum)
  my galaxy has also had probs starting and garage seem to think its an immobiliser problem, I'm not so sure. had probs starting for about a month most days 1st time others not at all, plenty of battery but doesnt seem to catch/ignite. got it serviced to see if that sorted it worked for a week then not 1 afternoon after a short run. then after 300 mile round trip it coughed and spluttered 10 miles from home then cut out completely, started again 2 mins later and got me 300yards from home occassionaly coughin and spluttering again then cuts out wont start and hasnt since.
• Peugeot 406 (1996 - 1998) - 98 3.0 Alarm gone mad? Indicators flickering 18 Dec 2009 (Forum)
  Starting / stopping engine, locking / unlocking doors with keyfob seems to have no effect. The only thing I've found that cures it is either disconnecting and reconnecting the battery (which stops it temporarily) or pulling fuse 15 behind the immobiliser keypad (the one for the alarm). Any thoughts? and / or Is there any detrimental effect from running the car with this fuse out?
• FIAT Punto II (1999 - 2006) - 03 1.2 Power Steering problem 1 Nov 2009 (Forum)
  Does anyone have any idea what this is linked to (if anything)? I've seen suggestions it's possibly linked to a low battery function or overloading the electrics - last night I only had my headlights on. Since getting the new steering unit I have never used the City button. The car has only done just over 2000 miles since the new steering unit was fitted.
• Renault Clio 1 Diesel (1991 - 1998) - 94 1.9 heater plug light 22 Oct 2009 (Forum)
  i have just changed the cam belt and also changed the glow plugs i have also changed 2 of the glow plug wiring terminal ends as they wre perished after refitting fuel pump, cam belt i did the usual check (turned engine over manually 3 turns) bled up the fuel system and turned engine over and it fired up and run lumpy at first but smooth itself out as it warmed up it had been ticking over for around 10 to 15 mins when it just cut out and since that the glow plug light now doesnt illuminate i only get battery ,oil pressure and temp warning light . also fuel stop solonoid doesnt click when turning ignition on . any thoughts or suggestions are most welcome thanks in advance . neil .
• Peugeot 307 SW (2002 - 2008) - 02 2.0 Electric window problem 25 May 2009 (Forum)
  Has anybody else had a similar problem and if so how did you resolve it? Would it clear if I disconnected the battery for a couple of seconds or would this create other problems? Any advice would be helpful Thanks Allan