Intermittent Starting

[Ianz]

Firstly i hate doing this, ive just signed on to your forum and having to make my first post a question

my dad's 2002 1.25 Fiesta LX has a annoying intermittent starting fault, 2 week's ago it first started doing this: totally dead on the turn of the key, all electric's worked fine & the battery show's enough volt's (checked it via a meter) some time's it would sound as though the starter was jammed and just click, click, click.... but not engage the starter so we bit the bullet & replaced both the battery & the starter with brand new part's, all was good for a week or so and then today it returned, turn the key and you can hear the starter click (quietly, just the once) battery showing 12.4 volt's tried the spare key and still nothing, i then jumped it from my car and it start's no problem, battery charging fine (14.4v on idle) and then continued to start of the key no problem.

i'd be very grateful for any help to fix the problem, he's in his early 70's and like's to go drives in the country .. last thing i want is for him to get stranded.

i'm going to check any/all earth lead's & ignition relay (if it has one?)

[martyntdci]

try, taking the batt off and giving it a full charge and go from there..... next would be if anythings draining the power from the batt (constant live)

[Ianz]

try, taking the batt off and giving it a full charge and go from there..... next would be if anythings draining the power from the batt (constant live)

i don't think anything is draining it, it sat all day as it was dead at the key first thing this morning, first thing i checked this evening was the battery volt's which where a very healthy 12.4 volt's.

EDIT: it started no problem this morning, he then drove the car 3 mile's to go shopping, returned to it 30 min's later to it being dead at the key, he left it there all day until i finished work.

[Ianz]

the more i'm sitting thinking about this, the way it is dead at the key is like the immobilizer has kicked in and killing the starter's power?

that said, if it were immobilizer linked then even jumping it from my car should not let it turn over & start??

[Dan62]

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[Ianz]

Thank's Dan sorry i'm not up to speed with if it's a MK5 or 6?

i cant get to work on it or check it over until Friday, i'll take a note of what you & other's post & go through them all. yeah it's a brand new starter that i fitted but that said, new part's can be duff to.

[Ianz]

just spoke to my dad, the car started first time this morning, less than an hour later it was dead at the key again, he also said after he removed the ignition key the dash stayed live and both the speed/mph & rev counter needles were moving as if they had a pulse? he disconnected the battery after this and will leave it alone until i go have a look.

[Ianz]

SMALL UPDATE: looking very much like the brand new battery was at fault, a replacement was fitted last Friday and a whole week later all seam's to be fine (fingers crossed etc) :D