Fiat Punto Unreliable starting

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Sun 22 Dec 2002 17:47
Fiat Punto Unreliable starting - Drage
I wonder if anyone could suggest a cause for a frustrating long term problem with starting my Mk 1 1998 Punto 60SX?
50% of the time the car starts first time
25% of the time it will start on the second attempt but
25% of the time it requires muliple attempts (5 or 6) to get the engine running.
Once the engines fires it runs perfectly
The problem can occur whether the engine is hot or cold and appears to be independent of weather conditions or dampness.
I don't touch the accelerator pedal before the engine fires and the car has recently had a new battery and it passed its MOT a few months ago when the spark plugs were replaced
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Mon 23 Dec 2002 16:03
Fiat Punto Unreliable starting - John Basnett
I have a 98 sporting and have similar problems although not as often. on mine the problem appears to be with the spark plugs. the problem started in about march and i had the plugs changed in august but the problem continues. the best solution i found for it was turning the ignition on and waiting for the spark plug light on the dash to go out. a noise can also be heard between turning the key and the light going off. the car will then start straight away. however if the light does not go off and flashes and the noise is not heard then i know that it will not start. when this occurs the problem can sometimes be sorted by turning the ignition off and on a couple of times. it is a hastle and has even made me think about getting rid of the car. let me know if you have any luck sorting it.
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Mon 23 Dec 2002 22:40
Fiat Punto Unreliable starting - puntoo
There is an immoboliser in the car which responds to a widget in the key. If one of the lights in the dash (I thought it was a injector sort of thing) goes out, then you are ok and everything is working, you should be able to start the key no problem. If it stays on for longer than a couple of seconds then the widget in the key may be damaged.

I had a similar problem which eventually resulted in a complete breakdown of the car (the lights and starter motor etc still work but it wont fire). A new key cured the problem (you could try using the red one).
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