W-401 · Elektryka
Won't Start: Silent Starter, or It Cranks and Never Fires
Park/neutral, battery cover, headlights as a load test, PATS key chip, damp coil plugs, ECU feed, and the under-bonnet fuse tray.
Starter Does Not Turn
On an automatic, confirm the selector is in P or N. The inhibit switch will not allow a crank in any other gate.
Unclip the battery cover on the left of the bay. The posts and clamps must be clean and tight. Then switch the headlights on and try to start. If the lamps collapse to a dull glow, the battery is flat: jump it, then find why it went flat.
Starter Turns, Engine Does Not Fire
Fuel in the tank first. Then PATS: a working key should disable the immobiliser as it goes into the barrel. A cut key with no transponder, or a replacement that was never coded, will crank forever. Coding is in the handbook, not a roadside job.
If the bay is wet, switch the ignition off, wipe the obvious moisture, and treat the ignition and fuel connectors with a water-dispersant spray. On petrol cars pay attention to the coil plugs. Diesels rarely refuse to start from damp, but still check every visible plug.
Five Points Under The Bonnet
- A: Battery posts, after the cover is off.
- B: Coil wiring plugs on petrol.
- C: ECU power-supply plug.
- D: Engine-bay fuses. One blown fuse is enough to kill the crank or the injectors.
- E: Remaining earths and feeds, ignition off, none of them hanging.