AX Starting problem

Post by **Interwired** » 19 Sep 2003, 18:40

The wife's little AX GT has developed a starting problem.
Situation this morning :
1. Start car, but forget to pull manual choke out, Car stalls.
2. Turn key again to start car, but nothing happens. No starter motor..etc, just a click from the Fuse box under the dask everytime I turn key.
3. 10 mins later I try again and everything is back to normal.
Engine was cold, weather was dry. Car had not been driven anywhere within past 24 hrs.
Is there a particular common fault that the AX is known to suffer with the starter motor, or is it likely to be anything from Loose Connection to simply a faulty Starter motor ?
Cheers,
David
91 Bmw 535is
89 Citron AX GT
87 VW Golf Gti

adrianeaton · Post by **adrianeaton** » 19 Sep 2003, 20:32

My BX 16V has developed a very similar fault - most of the time it's fine, other times it'll just click at you until after repeated attempts it'll usually turn over. Seems to be worse when the engine is hot through heat soak after standing a short time.
I'm reliably informed this is likely to be loose connections on the starter motor itself or possibly dirty/faulty contacts on the relay and wiring from the battery.
I presume access on an AX is OK, on my car you can't even see the starter motor without removing the radiator or the inlet manifold so I haven't yet attempted to find the cause - it is a common one on BX 16V's so I'm guessing similar vintage Citroen's are similarly affected.
Adrian

JohnD · Post by **JohnD** » 19 Sep 2003, 23:24

Clean all the terminals from the battery posts down to the starter motor. That may cure the trouble. On the other hand, the fault may lie in the ignition switch. Next time it fails to turn over, give the key a wobble.