starter does not start when i turn the key

Hello,
i have a problem with my c3 pluriel 1.4 hdi,

regarding the ignition.

When i was traveling with my car, i saw some lights on the dashboard of the car (randomly, about abs, airbag, etc)
Worried, i stopped the car.
Then, i was no more able to start the car:
when i turned the key, the dashboard lights were fading, the wipers were turning on, an i heard some clatter like 'tac tac tac'...
I thought was a problem of the battery .
The day after, i called a mechanic, he told me was a problem of the alternator.
He changed the alternator with a new one,
and my car worked well for one day...

Then, began to occur another problem:

When i turn the key, sometimes the starter does not start:
The lights in the dashboard light up regularly, i hear some 'tick' ,
and nothing else.

I tried many times, but the starter never started...

Then i waited about 2 hours, and retried:
the car started without problems, as nothing was happened.

The same problem occurred the day after, an the day after ecc...

Then i thought it was a problem of the battery, so i tried connecting
another battery, but this didn't solve the problem... it occurred
again

The strange thing, is that waiting 1-2 hours since the last start, the
car is starting without problems....

What can be the problem?

Can be a problem on BSI, that need reprogramming after the replacement of the alternator,
or a starter problem (solenoid problem) ?

Could someone give me some hint to hep me to discover the problem of my car?

Thanks a lot!

Best Regards
Lodovico

Hi vicolodo

Can be a problem on BSI, that need reprogramming after the replacement of the alternator,

No, this is not required.

Sounds like the starter could be faulty, or some of the wiring getting a poor connection near the starter or engine bay fusebox.

I would be tempted to see what codes are stored in the BSI (using a lexia reader) just to be sure is not an immobiliser type problem.

How many miles has the car done, how old is it and is the servicing up to date??

Arfur Dent wrote:Hi vicolodo

Can be a problem on BSI, that need reprogramming after the replacement of the alternator,

No, this is not required.

Sounds like the starter could be faulty, or some of the wiring getting a poor connection near the starter or engine bay fusebox.

I would be tempted to see what codes are stored in the BSI (using a lexia reader) just to be sure is not an immobiliser type problem.

How many miles has the car done, how old is it and is the servicing up to date??

Hello, thanks for the answer.
The car has done a lot of miles (about 200.000), but it worked perfectly until some days ago, when has been changed the alternator...
Seems the change of alternator has produced some side effect...
could it have some side effect on codes stored in the BSI?

Thanks!

Hi vicolodo

I would do:

Arfur Dent wrote:Sounds like the starter could be faulty, or some of the wiring getting a poor connection near the starter or engine bay fusebox.

(or alternator - check the correct alternator is fitted and that its wired up correctly)

and I would do:

Arfur Dent wrote:I would be tempted to see what codes are stored in the BSI (using a lexia reader) just to be sure is not an immobiliser type problem

(and glean any extra information)

vicolodo wrote:could it have some side effect on codes stored in the BSI?

If you are saying 'has the BSI been damaged', then the answer is 'yes', but that's not where I would look first, I would do the 2 things above. If you are saying, 'are there codes stored in the BSI regarding this problem', then I doubt it, but I am not saying 'don't look', as there may be something in there that can help (even the lack of DTC/error codes can indicate something).

C3driver52 wrote:Hi vicolodo

I would do:

Arfur Dent wrote:Sounds like the starter could be faulty, or some of the wiring getting a poor connection near the starter or engine bay fusebox.

(or alternator - check the correct alternator is fitted and that its wired up correctly)

and I would do:

Arfur Dent wrote:I would be tempted to see what codes are stored in the BSI (using a lexia reader) just to be sure is not an immobiliser type problem

(and glean any extra information)

vicolodo wrote:could it have some side effect on codes stored in the BSI?

If you are saying 'has the BSI been damaged', then the answer is 'yes', but that's not where I would look first, I would do the 2 things above. If you are saying, 'are there codes stored in the BSI regarding this problem', then I doubt it, but I am not saying 'don't look', as there may be something in there that can help (even the lack of DTC/error codes can indicate something).

Thank you for the suggestions!

I think that i will buy a lexia reader (i found some cheap reader searching in the web), could be it will be useful also in the future...
But for now i have only a tester to measure the electric voltage.
Someone suggested me to do the following test:
- 1) Check the electric voltage on the PIN1 of the 2 WAYS BLACK PLUG of the engine bay fusebox (BSM), when the key is turned for ignition: if it is +12 volts, the fault is in the starter or the wires from the BSM to the starter
- 2) if there is no electric voltage on this pin, check the electric voltage on the PIN1 of the 16 WAYS GREY PLUG (the central plug, near the 2 ways plug) of the engine bay fusebox (BSM), when the key is turned for ignition: if it is + 12 volts, the fault is in the BSM; else, if there is no voltage there, this means that the fault is in the ignition key block or in the wires from the ignition key block to the BSM (including the BSI).

What do you think about this? Do you agree with this method to discover the fault?

Thanks!
Best Regards
Lodovico

SOLVED:
starter was faulty, i replaced it , and now i have no more problems!!