Dodgy starter button cured?

[Russwhitehouse]

I recently left a post about an intermittent fault that had developed with the starter button. Sometimes nothing would happen and it would take turning the ignition off and repeating the starting process a number of times before she would eventually turn over and start. It started to get progressivlely worse until a few days ago it took about a dozen attempts and I was on the verge of phoning the dealer In Bordeaux to come and sort things out when she finally fired. Now I am a complete electrical idiot, but thought it can't hurt to have a bit of a poke around and see if anything is obviously amiss. I visited the fuse boxes in the boot and under the bonnet to make sure everything was fully pushed home and was amazed at how many of the connections had a little movement in them! Went round them all and gave them a bit of a jiggle and a gentle shove and lo and behold, no more starter button problem! I wonder how much of a diagnostic mountain the main stealer would have made of it if they had got there mits on the car?
Moral of the story. If you have an electrical gremlin living in your car, try giving all the fuses and connections you can lay hands on a little shove. You just never know !

[Tony V12V]

Also known in the trade as 'The Jiggle Test'
Glad it seems to have sorted the issue out

[avinalarf]

Russwhitehouse said:

I recently left a post about an intermittent fault that had developed with the starter button. Sometimes nothing would happen and it would take turning the ignition off and repeating the starting process a number of times before she would eventually turn over and start. It started to get progressivlely worse until a few days ago it took about a dozen attempts and I was on the verge of phoning the dealer In Bordeaux to come and sort things out when she finally fired. Now I am a complete electrical idiot, but thought it can't hurt to have a bit of a poke around and see if anything is obviously amiss. I visited the fuse boxes in the boot and under the bonnet to make sure everything was fully pushed home and was amazed at how many of the connections had a little movement in them! Went round them all and gave them a bit of a jiggle and a gentle shove and lo and behold, no more starter button problem! I wonder how much of a diagnostic mountain the main stealer would have made of it if they had got there mits on the car?
Moral of the story. If you have an electrical gremlin living in your car, try giving all the fuses and connections you can lay hands on a little shove. You just never know !

Thanks Russ ,good tip.
Nothing like a good poke.

[Russwhitehouse]

avinalarf said:

Thanks Russ ,good tip.
Nothing like a good poke.

Especially when combined with a little jiggling! One track minds think alike .

[avinalarf]

Russwhitehouse said:

avinalarf said:

Thanks Russ ,good tip.
Nothing like a good poke.

Especially when combined with a little jiggling! One track minds think alike .

Indeed Russ,however please allow me a small correction to your allusion as to my state of mind.
My mind has many tracks and they lead to many places.

[Russwhitehouse]

avinalarf said:

Indeed Russ,however please allow me a small correction to your allusion as to my state of mind.
My mind has many tracks and they lead to many places.

Of that I have no doubt.

[Neil1300R]

Russ, top tip. Can you come back in a couple of weeks to confirm it cured it? Would be a useful tip for the FAQ on electrical gremlins in general.

[Russwhitehouse]

Sure thing.