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Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: amazonian on 16 June 2019, 14:06:32

Title: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: amazonian on 16 June 2019, 14:06:32
Greetings all,

I have a Renault Scenic 2005 1.6 16V.  Automatic Petrol.  Yes, I know...

Anyway after a very long trip to France we started having problems whereby the car would turn over and not start.  Thinking it might be the alternator I took it into local mechanics who checked alt & battery and found no problems.  On doing a diagnostic they got 'an error message about the starter motor' which they found weird considering it has started perfectly for both me and them that morning several times.

Then they couldn't start it so they plugged it in again and got 'a couple more messages about the timing belt or the cam belt' and said I would need to take it to a main dealer.  Which for obvious reasons I would rather avoid doing...

So in summary the car will always start when cold.  Then say half an hour later after a drop off it will start again and then it will start again a few mins later.  However on about the 4th or 5th try it won't start and you have to wait for it to get 'cold' again before it will start.

Other symptoms are
-The dashboard lights are now dimming when we manually turn the lights on.
-When idling the 'range' mileage (ie what's left in the tank) display shows the mileage gradually dropping and then it will climb again once we start driving again
-The lights don't always come on by themselves any more when they always used to (in tunnels, etc)

When the starting issue happens the car turns over and sort of judders and bumps but won't start.  There are no error messages on the dash, either.

So if we can rule out the battery, alternator and possibly the starter motor, we can also rule out the cam belt (I should hope) as this was only re-done less than 2 yrs (10k miles) ago.

Browsing on google I have seen some suggestions saying it might be a faulty sensor etc, and I have no idea about the timing belt? So does anyone have an inkling as to what might be the problem?

Sorry for the long post and TIA for any help!


Title: Re: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: ronnyd on 16 June 2019, 14:32:32
If it,s when warm that the problem is worse could it be some sensor issue? They tend to throw up other weird issues too. I,m sure someone with far more knowledge than me will be along soon. Oh, and it,s French. ;)
Title: Re: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: henryd on 16 June 2019, 15:17:14
Crank sensor would be my choice,oddly Renault describe it as "vehicle speed sensor" just to throw you off track ::)
Title: Re: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: STEMO on 16 June 2019, 15:47:30
Ignore the 'range' issue. It will drop while stationary because it's trying to tell you how far you will get if you sit with the engine ticking over for ever. Not far.  ;D
Title: Re: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 16 June 2019, 16:48:17
Crank sensor would be my choice,oddly Renault describe it as "vehicle speed sensor" just to throw you off track ::)
This was my first thought as well.

Battery voltage and condition is also going to cause problems is it's starting to go flat from trying to start the car as the ecus and sensors are quite sensitive to voltage drops ;)
Title: Re: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: amazonian on 16 June 2019, 17:18:31
Thanks fellas, 
 Would;nt a crank sensor also cause misfiring and rough running though, or not  always ?

Seems to run well enough when its going,  I suppose the idea of it being the starter motor can be discounted,  and the   'timing belt'  code could also really mean crankshaft sensor fault.

Whats a ballpark figure for supply and fit a sensor,, or is it an easy diy job?
Title: Re: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: henryd on 16 June 2019, 17:42:20
Thanks fellas, 
 Would;nt a crank sensor also cause misfiring and rough running though, or not  always ?

Seems to run well enough when its going,  I suppose the idea of it being the starter motor can be discounted,  and the   'timing belt'  code could also really mean crankshaft sensor fault.

Whats a ballpark figure for supply and fit a sensor,, or is it an easy diy job?

Normally pretty easy on the 1600 16v engine,where gearbox joins the engine,two bolt fixing roughly top centre of joint
Title: Re: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: amazonian on 16 June 2019, 21:55:48
Well, it may be worth just getting a new crank sensor and trying diy route then if its that simple to do.

Doctor Gollum,  The battery seems to have plenty of life in it !

Title: Re: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: Gaffers on 17 June 2019, 09:24:33
I think you will find that the fault can be traced all the way back to when you decided to purchase a French car :D
Title: Re: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: ronnyd on 17 June 2019, 20:16:34
I think you will find that the fault can be traced all the way back to when you decided to purchase a French car :D
Serves him right really then. :-*
Title: Re: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: STEMO on 17 June 2019, 20:30:56
Yeah, it only lasted 14 years before playing up.
Title: Re: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: ronnyd on 17 June 2019, 20:47:20
The delights of having a French car, if only for one day, are seared on my memory.  ;D
Title: Re: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: amazonian on 02 July 2019, 22:05:11
Many thanks to to those who gave a possible diagnosis for the problem outlined in this post,  you were spot on and the crank shaft was changed and now all is well.

Thank you all very much.   (clicked on smiley things,  but they don't work)

                                                                     
Title: Re: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: ronnyd on 02 July 2019, 22:19:45
Do you mean crankshaft sensor or the whole shaft?  :o
Title: Re: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: Nick W on 02 July 2019, 23:18:34
Do you mean crankshaft sensor or the whole shaft?  :o


it was a Citroen, not a Mitsubishi.
Title: Re: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: Raeturbo on 02 July 2019, 23:22:02
Do you mean crankshaft sensor or the whole shaft?  :o


it was a Citroen, not a Mitsubishi.
.   
                   Err it was a Renault,
Title: Re: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: ronnyd on 02 July 2019, 23:23:16
Do you mean crankshaft sensor or the whole shaft?  :o


it was a Citroen, not a Mitsubishi.
Sorry Nick, you,ve lost me, (which ain,t difficult :D)
Title: Re: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: Kevin Wood on 03 July 2019, 18:52:00
Do you mean crankshaft sensor or the whole shaft?  :o


it was a Citroen, not a Mitsubishi.
.   
                   Err it was a Renault,

That means they've probably figured out how to make camshafts out of plastic. ::)
Title: Re: Renault Scenic Intermittent Starting Problem
Post by: Nick W on 03 July 2019, 21:51:26
Do you mean crankshaft sensor or the whole shaft?  :o


it was a Citroen, not a Mitsubishi.
.   
                   Err it was a Renault,

That means they've probably figured out how to make camshafts out of plastic. ::)


broken crankshafts are not uncommon on Mitsubishis.
Broken everything is common on Renaults 8)