[Engine] sometimes won't start ECO mode displayed

[markallen5]

Hi,
  I've had my 1.6HDI multispace desire, 2006 for a couple of months now, it's done 99,000 miles. I've done about 2000 miles in it.
A week or so after buying it, after stopping, it wouldn't start, as in the starter motor just didn't engage. After a few tries, it did spring into life. This has happened 7 times now, sometimes leaving me for up to an hour trying to start it, just getting a quiet click sound when turning the key.
 When it does start, it does it immediately, indicating to me that it's not a battery problem.
The central display has read ECO mode for all the time I've had the car, not letting me play the radio etc when the ignition is off.
I have searched the forum about this problem, but not found a definitive answer.
My local garage says it's the starter motor and my Berlingo is booked in to have a new one on Friday, at a cost of £180.
  Obviously, if this problem is in some way connected to this ECO mode thing and NOT a faulty starter motor, I would like to find out BEFORE I part with my cash for the new starter, if this is in fact not the problem.
                               Hoping someone can help advise me.  Mark.

[Gryffindor]

I can't suggest a more likely reason, but can relate a different possible one. My last Bee (a 53 1.6 Desire) began occasionally not starting, after it had been fine for many years. The problem gradually got worse, and I learnt that I had to hold the ignition key at exactly 90 degrees to the barrel for it to start, but with the slightest of angles either way, it would not start. Just as you describe, nothing except maybe a single click (sometimes).

My research led me to believe that the electrical contacts in the ignition switch barrel are under-specified; I think from memory that two contacts share the starter motor circuit between them to halve the load, but they still eventually burn out. I did read up about ways that people had bypassed the contacts with a set of four relays so that the ign switch itself only had to power the relay coils (easy peasy), but I never got round to trying it out.

I got by for a while longer, but one day I stupidly stalled it in the middle of traffic and it refused to start, no matter what I did with the key. And the RAC took 3 hours to turn up - sometimes you're just not high priority I guess.

I took advice from my local garage; their advice was I now think wrong, that a replacement barrel also meant a replacement security system and could cost anything up to a grand! I knew nothing about ECUs then so scrapped the car (it had done over 180k anyway), but the scrapper who bought it clearly fixed the problem cheaply, because I found that it went through one more MOT - but only one. so I wasn't far off.

There must be some simple test you can do with a multimeter to see if the starter motor is faulty? Maybe try looking for youtube vids on testing starter motors?

Hope this helps!

[jj9]

The starter motor on the 1.6 hdi is at the back of the engine and exposed to heat & the electrical connections to it can suffer corrosion, removing them, cleaning the connections and resembling with a smear of grease is often all that is required.

As for the Eco mode, that shouldn't stop the engine starting, check that your battery is in good shape and the connections to it are clean, try a BSI reset to get out of Eco mode.

.

[markallen5]

Hi and thank you both for your replies. I will look into what you say.
Can you say how to do a BSI reset ?
Mark.

[jj9]

BSI reset....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQwhzngHQw4


.

[cancunia]

ECO Mode may be an indicator of low battery voltage. You can get the battery checked for free at Halfords and probably other places too, or it's easy enough with a multi meter. If the voltage is low, it may cause a problem with the starter solenoid.
A BSI reset first, then a battery test?