3200 - a little gremlin happening - very strange!!!!

[Paul L]

Dear all,

I have had a most entertaining afternoon on a recovery wagon to take me home.

Out driving no problem, stop bite to eat and then off we go again! Then pulled over then switched off then the car wouldn't start again!
so tried a jump start, no go.
called out recovery they looked and then tried jump start, no good, then they looked at the ignition and thought that the ignition switch behind the key barrel could be dodgy,
so on the back of the recovery wagon and off home, arrived back and pushed back on the drive.
I then noticed the window needed doing up, so turned ignition and then the blessed thing started first time!!!!

Any thoughts guys?

The battery is full and good for charge

 

[Emtee]

Sorry to hear of your mis-adventures Paul. At least it wasn't raining (was it?)

No idea what it could be. Has it happened before?

 

[Parisien]

Did it turn over at all? Check all connections and earth, vital all clean and tight. Could be a poor connection within ignition circuitry starting at key and working back....let us know what turns up!


P

 

[NickP]

Two things that have caused similar in mine were a loose battery terminal connection & a dodgy starter motor which was on its way out.

 

[stradaman]

If the engine turned over, then, look at the fueling side. Could be a blocked tank pipe/vent pipe. Does the fuel filler, after several miles, go woosh, if you take filler cap off?
Also, the main relay, could be getting mad hot, then won't allow engine to start. But once cooled down, fine. Poor Earth wire will get hot, then again, will play up. But if lights on dash are fine, on turn of ignition [when no start],
ignition sounds ok.
Last, check wiring on fuel pump. Poor connection can cause exactly this.

Andy.

 

[Maser Sod]

... loose battery terminal connection ...

+1.

This is common, especially if you have removed the battery for charging any time beforehand. Symptoms fit perfectly, by the way.

 

[Paul L]

Dear Many many thanks for you feedack on this,

I have had the battery off for charging recently so will double check the conncetions are tight etc.

The car will not turn over at all with this fault - but listerning to your posts, it could one of the below,

The main relay, this could also be the problem too, happened once before at Le Mans, left the car for a couple of hours and then started up first time! Where is the main relay??

The starter motor is new within the last year,

Anymore ideas please send across, greatly appreciated

Regards

PAUL

 

[ledlights]

Hi Paul,

I had an intermittent starting problem that was caused by 1 or more relays.... It might be worth changing the ECU relay (and checking the fuse holder for connection) and the 2 fuel pump relays. They aren't too expensive and I can probably dig out the part numbers if it helps.

Regards,

Steve

 

[Maser Sod]

First and cheapest attempted fix is to secure the position of the battery to prevent any movement, and make sure the terminal clamps are firmly on with no play. If the problem is intermittent then a loose connection somewhere has to be a prime suspect. Some aftermarket batteries don't fit as well as the FIAMM in the battery bay and can move. (I used to use cardboard in one of my previous Masers to keep a battery in position.)

If the problem re-occurs, why not try to move the windows up and down - if they do not move correctly, you know you have some kind of electrical failure rather than, say, a starter motor failure.

Masers should never be jump-started, by the way.

 

[stradaman]

A good reference here.

http://www.sportsmaserati.co.uk/showthread.php/3463-Fuses-and-Relay

Andy.

 

[davy83]

is your car an auto? there is a rotary sensor on the side of the gear box which tells the ECU its in park. on my car the display reads "P" but the sensor is not in the right position and it wont turn over. try it in Neutral, if that works then its this sensor. I have been meaning to fix mine for a while, but i find if i drop it into "D" and then back to park and hold it there before starting it goes every time. I think the sensor is either worn or just turned a little. If its a manual then this is a waste of time sorry!