Won't start ONLY when its hot

[Manny]

I live in a hot climate (over 100 F in the summer) and I have a problem that only comes up in hot weather. The car stars fine and drives well. But after I stop to buy something at a store, do an errand etc. the car won't restart.

This has happened on long trips when I stopped at a petrol station for about 10 minutes and on shorter drives around town. The length of driving time doesn't seem to matter - just the weather. It only happens in hot weather. I need to wait half an hour or so and then the car will start again. During the winter I don't have this problem.

It seems to me to be an electrical problem - like some circuit is overheating. I had this with another Citroen I owned years back. Trouble is that nobody here seems able to solve the problem for me. I've been to a garage. Had a mobile car electrician come to help me when I was stranded on the roadside, but by the time they arrived the car started fine.

Can anybody help me figure out what's going on?
Manny

[homeruk]

There is a similar thread already going on about this.

Injectors leaking off and losing rail pressure seems to be a common fault when this happens, you will need to do a leak off test to see if any injectors are faulty

Others have said that changing the coolant temperature sensor has solved iy

How long after stopping the car can you restart it?

[Manny]

I don't think I've explained myself well.

Its a starter problem. The starter won't crank - it doesn't move.

It takes 20 minutes to half an hour before the starter will work again.

Manny

[ron]

Have you checked all connections.I suspect that if all is OK there,it's the motor windings breaking down with heat.Good luck.alut:

[Manny]

Have you checked all connections.I suspect that if all is OK there,it's the motor windings breaking down with heat.Good luck.alut:

It can't be the motor windings because after 20 minutes the starter works fine and the motor runs perfect.

Is there a relay on the circuit between the switch and the starter that might be effected by the heat? It seems to me that is where the problem is.

Manny

[homeruk]

I take it its still hot outside when the starter refuses to crank?

But the engine has cooled down?

Is this the original starter?

Have you tried putting power direct from the battery when it won't crank to see if it will?

It can only be the wiring or starter just a matter of elimination.

Have you access to another starter motor or berlingo to try a starter swap?

[Manny]

Thanks homeruk. In answer to your questions:
1. yes its still hot outside when it refuses to crank.
2. No, when the engine has cooled down it starts again.
3. No. Not yet.
4. I don't think its the starter because most of the time its starts fine and I never have this problem in the winter. This is the second summer when its been an issue. But I do think the wiring is a real possibility. Or the relay.

I've been going over old threads here and I found this from Jimberlingo:

"This sounds like the old problem that used to affect lots of older Peugeot 205s and others. As wiring gets older it's electrical resistance becomes greater until sometimes there's not enough current to fully activate the starter solenoid.

The solution was always to bypass the long run of wiring to the ignition switch. Run a positive feed direct from battery +ve to the little terminal on the starter solenoid via a relay that is switched by the ignition feed from the starter switch."

That sounds exactly like what's going on. Now I need to find a wiring diagram for the starter solenoid + relay.

Manny

[homeruk]

Ok first things first , get that starter checked when it won't crank by running a cable from the battery.

If it cranks its your wiring and vice versa.

After that you can look at the starter solenoid and redoing wiring.

Always start simple and cheap.

[Manny]

Well, I finally solved the problem.

In the end it was the Anti Theft Device that was immobilizing the starter. The car electrician that found the problem told me he had actually installed the anti theft device on my car with the previous owner. So it took him about 2 minutes to disable it and the car has been trouble free ever since.

Thanks to everybody who helped me trouble shoot this problem.
Manny