Puma won't start :(

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RoxyKing2012

New member
Joined
Mar 12, 2012
Messages
13
Hello

Hopefully someone can help me! I am was at Glencoe for the weekend and car was running great, I went out started it, drove it to the front of the hotel for everyone's bags to be put in boot, parked up, no problem. Two minutes later, bags in boot, we jump in the car and it won't start!

No engine noise at all, I turn the key and it doesn't turn over at all. We had a garage come look at it and they couldn't help much apart from bump starting it. They tested the battery which was fine so suggested it might be the starter motor...

I thought it might have been an immobiliser issue as the dog was in the car when I left it, so wondered if he had bumped something and triggered it but from reading all the posts on here about similar issues, it does seem like the starter motor.

My question is, where exactly is the starter motor on the car? I want to try the gentle banging that was suggested in another post on this site but can't seem to find any information on where to locate the starter!

Its a 1999, 1.7 Puma.

Ford garage is quoting me £280 to part and fitting...I've previously just bought parts online for a previous car and had my local garage fit them though so any recommendations of online part shops would also be appreciated!

Do you think this sounds like a starter motor issue?

Thanks so much

Roxy
 
mine did the same thing, thought it was the wires going to the starter motor but the next time it did it i got my partner to hold the key in the crank position while i moved the starter wires ind it did nothing but when i touched the throttle position sensor wires it fired up, the next time it did it that didnt work either but fired when i moved the wires next to the coil pack. still dont know whats wrong but i will tracj it down eventually.

the starter motor is at the front of the engine, under the intake manifold and the idle control valve.
 
Thanks very much for your reply :)

I'll have a look in the morning in the daylight, if I still can't find it, i'm pretty useless when it comes to everything under the hood, if I can't find it tomorrow, if I take a picture and post up here, do you think someone will be able to point me in the right direction?

I won't get electrocuted or anything by touching wires while someone is trying to turn it over will i?? Also, how do I reach the wires, from the top or from below?

Thanks so much

Roxy
 
Thanks for the replies guys, i'm actually going to nip out now and try it again, I read online somewhere to check the fuel cut off, I will see if I can find that and check just to rule it out. Will also double check the immobilizer red light to triple check its not that but the Ford garage said there is no way it could be that if it was bump started.

Anything I should look out for now while I give it a quick once over? :(
 
several things,it could be ignition barrell contacts starting to wear out,loose conection on starter motor,loose battery connection,when you turn the key to start do the dials do a sweeping action????
 
Hi, thanks again!

Yeah, they do appear too do a sweeping motion, all lights come on and then settle, when I try and turn the engine on, all the lights go off then start again? Does that make sense, hope so!

Couldn't find the fuel switch in the passenger side foot well, it is pretty dark though, will be easier in the morning in some proper light! Think I am going to get it up on the ramp and have a look at these wires, so random how it was fine 5 minutes before then dead as a door nail!!!
 
hopefully this might help you

gallery_10651_14_374788-1.jpg


Photo is from one of the other members on here but i cant remember who
 
Hi,

Just back from a very unsuccessful bump start, car is now further down the road half sticking out from a bay (which I am going to now get a parking ticket from :()!!

Double checked and its not sweeping the dash lights, sequence is:

Key in, turn one, lights come on. everything lights up, radio comes on, dashboard lights settle.

turn two, no noise from engine, I think dashboard lights go off, I'm going to need to go back down and check again! Maybe I will take a video.

My issue is even worse now as its not going to bump start, its on a flat, so I have no way to get it to a garage! I could cry!

The battery was tested yesterday and we hooked it up to another car with jump leads and it still wouldn't turn over, so surely it can't be the battery?
 
Have you checked the leads from the battery to the starter motor? It's a long shot, but when I changed the battery on mine once, the lead was nudged, and a connection in the middle of it came apart a little. Everything else worked, but it wouldn't start.
 
ScubaSteve said:
Do the needles on the dials sweep across when you turn the ingition on or not?

Sorry, memory like a bloody fish! I'll be right back, going to check and take some photos!

Thanks for all your help everyone!
 
Okay, picture time.

Just checked, the needles do not sweep.

This is the dash on turn one:

i24pie.jpg


Turn two, trying to start the engine:

11uw8t1.jpg


Engine, is that the starter motor, bottom left?

35i3cdc.jpg


More to come...
 
Checked the cables as best I could and I found this:

One of the cables is snapped but I cant trace it back to find out where it goes and the car is too low to get under!

xehhj9.jpg


ml1mdj.jpg


f1xthu.jpg
 
The black cable has two thin wires coming out and going into the white plug, one of the cables is snapped out of it? Could this be anything to do with it?

I tried hitting the starter (i hope it was the starter) but still wouldnt start, nipped into the garage which is one street away and they quoted £250 for a new starter but they wont come tow me so I would need to pay for a tow as well!
 
If it's just the cable that's snapped you shouldn't need a whole new start i doubt.

I believe that is the offending cable that comes from the battery but I can't confirm 100% as I never traced it down on mine. Have you tried tracing it from the battery side?
 
thats the pas pressure sender plug, wont stop your car starting but will cause issues with the idle, good idea to get it fixed but not the cause of your problems
 

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