my car has an intermittent problem, sometimes it wont start, car just coughs and cought and cought but never starts, then you try it again and and have it coughing for 10 seconds and it just manages to get itself started, but is a real struggle, it only does this sometimes, othertimes it starts straight away. also another intermittent problem is when im driving and i come up to a junction, slow down to about 2 mph, when i press the throttle to pull away the rev needle drops a little the engine goes quiet, hesitates then goes back to normal and pulls away. again this is very intermittent but is making me not wanna drive it anywhere cos im thinking it might not start on the way back or when i get to a junction its gonna cut out (which is what the car feels like its going to do).an example of the imtermittentness is i got in the car on wednesday, its started fine, drove to rotherham(5 miles) and was hesitating at junctions and roundabouts, got to where i was going and parked up. can back to car after a few hours and wouldnt start, tried 3/4 times and got it going, drove home with no hesitation whatsoever.

 

sorry about the essay but whats going on??????

Mine had starting issues when I first got it, I changed the PTU and that fixed my problems. I also have hesitation at junctions sometimes and it annoys me aswell, hopefully someone will be along with an idea soon.

bump

PTU as mentioned or perhaps MAF? I've seen two MAF's on their way out that made the car a dog to start, and hard to rev over 1.5 to 3k and missed like crazy.

 

Other times when it dried out and the weather was fine it ran perfect.

 

Other simple thing is coil packs and plugs (check connectors, nearly all the plastic clips get brittle and snap meaning they move easy off the plugs), if not loose and a coil is breaking down, it's likely to happen when the engine is warm, you could check the sparks (blue / white good, yellow / orange = shit).

 

Good luck!

p.s. for the maf just meet up with one of the guys and swap it over if they are kind enough, it's only a 10 min job getting the nose cone and clips off, just swap the T piece over or Y as it looks more like with the MAF in place :)

gonna change the ptu over first, see if that sorts it, ill take it from there but cheers for the advice

Hi Bud did you find the problem as i have the same issue non starter...

Hi Bud did you find the problem as i have the same issue non starter...

 

yes, PTU was the problem, swapped it over and not had a problem since, in fact, its running better than it ever has.

It is your CTS that is making it hesitate.

Check your TPS wiring as well as its voltage setting. Do you have access to a ConZult or Datscan system?

Whats a cts?

CTS = Coolant temperature sensor

TPS = Throttle position sensor

coolent temp sensor

My coolant temp sensor is coming up on the diagnostic, but have recently replaced it (all be it a second hand one) after a full engine re-build, not had it on the road yet, and seems to run fine, but when I get it on the road, what problems could it cause me. Also, how do I reset the ecu after a diagnostic? Cheers guys...

i had the same problem a few months ago slick pete told me what to do :) it was the ptu and also the coil packs were green and corroded so i just cleaned em all up andit runs sweet now

My coolant temp sensor is coming up on the diagnostic, but have recently replaced it (all be it a second hand one) after a full engine re-build, not had it on the road yet, and seems to run fine, but when I get it on the road, what problems could it cause me. Also, how do I reset the ecu after a diagnostic? Cheers guys...

 

 

Why didn't you just buy a new one? They are only £25. Probably next-day with MJP.