Help Starting Problem?

[montoya]

Hi can anyone help me, I have just encountered a starting problem with my 2.7 Lux.
Went to start the car today after it had been standing outside for two weeks, turned the key and it fired up immediately and ran with no problems (approx 5 mins), turned the engine off went in the house everything OK.

Came to start it again about 20 minuets latter, will not start, engine turns over fine, however there is a clicking / ticking noise coming from the passengers footwell presumably were the ECU is located, carpets felt slightly damp but not wet, left the car a couple of hours tried again car started and ran with no problems.

Has anybody had a similar problem, Could it be the start of a fault with the ECU or just moisture from the heavy rain we have had?

Thanks
Jon

 

[Peter Empson]

DME relay? (thought I'd get that in first before anyone else did [])

 

[peanut]

the clicking sound is almost certainly a relay but it is probably unrelated. My guess is the relay that is clicking is for the interior light switches that are in the door pillars.They corode quickly and without daily use they rust and develop a high resistance, poor contact.
Try turning on the ignition and either removing the fuse or opening the drivers door see if it effects the clicking

If there has been some dampness around the bulhead fuse/relay box it might be an idea to remove and replace all fuses and relays to clean the contacts a bit.

 

[montoya]

Hi thanks for the help and sugestions,

Peter, it is not the DME relay, I fitted a new one a couple of months ago.
Peanut, it is a relay clicking but not the interior light or any in the fuse box.

I could defiantly feel the relay clicking in the passenger's footwell when I placed my hand on the carpet yesterday, this morning I removed the wooden cover to inspect the ECU unit, this contains the ECU mounted on a metal frame and also two other units, one Hella with alarm sender wrote on it the other unknown. Is this the normal?

I never knew the car had an alarm fitted other than the immobiliser, which is located under the steering column, the car does have the flashing red Led's in the door knobs though, I had just finished fitting a new plastic connecting rod on the central locking and had the door cards, central locking motor and the door lock off to clean and oil them.

Is it possible I had triggered the alarm and the immobiliser, the hand book states that if the alarm is triggered the engine will not start?

The good news is the car starts first time and runs fine, it is booked in with Promax soon for a service I will get Andy and Roger to have a look while it's in.

Thanks
Jon.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

I never knew the car had an alarm fitted other than the immobiliser, which is located under the steering column,

Mine has the original Porsche alarm operated by a key behind the driver's door, an immobiliser operated by a touch-stick thingy sited next to the sunroof swith and a later alarm/immobiliser on a plipper that also closes the windows and sunroof when they are working. I'd imagine a good number of the cars have had aftermarket immobilisers fitted which will cause problems as they age, I'd never have know about the last one if the PO hadn't given me the plipper and explained it.

If I set all three of mine the car won't be going anywhere fast, but the battery only survives a couple of days!

 

[peanut]

it could still be the door switches Jon Your alarm will be connected to the door and bonnet/boot switches. Thats how the alarm is trigggered.
I strongly suggest you pull the fuses to make sure .
Or you could turn the ignition on open the doors and press the switches in and out and see if it makes any difference to the clicking

 

[geoffbateman]

When I start my 87Lux there is a slight click from the passenger side as the immobiliser relay makes contact. I think the relay is actually in the main fusebox but you can always hear it make contact. Without it obviously nothing happens when you turn the key. It's just a standard N/O relay on mine so could be shorted out if it was a problem.

 

[montoya]

Hi everyone,
Removed and cleaned the door switches as recommended by Peanut, they are working fine.
I have just found out that the car is fitted with an original Porsche alarm that is armed / disarmed with a switch in the drivers door lock, (Clark's garage has info on bypassing the alarm).
I must have confused the alarm or got to much oil on the switch when I cleaned the door lock and the system did not disarm, preventing the car starting.

The clicking noise that I heard (like if you have left the indicator on) is a relay in the alarm unit for the sounder, located under the bonnet at the back of the fuse box which I discovered does not work, that's why I never realised it had an alarm fitted other than the aftermarket immobiliser. Both systems work independently of each other and both will prevent the car from starting, lucky me when they play up lol. I think it is time to have both systems removed, and replaced by a single good quality system linked to the central locking.

Geoff you are right mine also does that before starting, has your car got the red Led's fitted in the door knobs?

Thanks
Jon.