Weird starting failure

[ohidunno]

Hello all, my griff has been intermittently failing to start. I'm pretty sure that it's not the starter motor as that was replaced last year and I think it is probably alarm/immobiliser related and to that end I'm likely to have Carl Baker perform a full overhaul in the Spring.

But until then....
im not expecting anyone to be able to identify the problem online but occasionally when I try to start the car the starter will try to turn the engine but then will cut out and immediately I hear a high speed whir from under the bonnet. This can last for a few seconds or up to a minute then stops. Afterwards the car normally starts properly but sometimes not at all. So can anyone explain this odd noise which might give me a clue as to what the fault is.

The issue is not heat related by the way.

Not great having a car you can't depend on!

Cheers,
Stu

[ohidunno]

Hi guys, thanks for the explanations. What you are saying makes sense.

Still could easily be the alarm system but it sounds worthwhile getting a local mechanic to test the operation of the starter and earth connections, while I wait for the Spring.