You originally said 'no ignition'. Maybe that is meaningful slang across the pond, but here it implies, but isn't clear about it, that the starter is spinning the motor, but with ignition it never fires up.

When asking for troubleshooting advice, you must be explicitly clear about exactly what does, and doesn't happen. Ambiguity is the enemy here.

Nothing when you press the staet button still leaves room for confusion. Especially since no ignition (ignition means spark at sprk plugs, igniting engine and starting it) implied more than nothing. A potential contradiction.

So once again, what exactly happens when you press start?

Does the starter spin the engine?

Do you hear any sounds, even a click? From where?

Do the dash lights dim or any other observations?

 

cheers Chuck having considered I think the solenoid option is the most likely.are you able to advise
​a.how do I do option 1
b how do I do option 2
your replies are much appreciated!

 

When I start it in the morning there's no problem,
Once I arrive at my destination if I return to the car relatively quickly; local shop trip for instance ; the dash all lights up no noise that i can hear when i press start.
if however it's left for a period of time it starts no problem- hence my thinking it's something to do with an engine heat issue,?
Does that make sense ?

 

Check
Low tension lead on starter motor.

 

Unfortunately noodles I ain't a mechanic so I wouldn't know what to look for but thanks i'll try to find someone local.

 

You still weren't explicit, but apparently you mean:

When issue occurs, I press Start, and literally nothing at all happens. Nothing. No sounds, no clicks, no dimming of dash livhts. Definitely rrrrr, rrrrr sound indicating starter motor is turning engine round and round.

The dash lights are already on, bc they went on when key turned to start position.

Is that correct?

And never, not even once, not even a little bit, did any of that stuff ever happen when this issue occurred. Yes?

But later, once things cool down, it starts fine. Yes?

The reason this matters is even the slightest clue could lead to a completely different diagnosis. Rule things out, etc.

This is how diagnostics is done. On everything. Cars. Computers. Medical. Everything.

Careful observations turned into explicit, unambiguous information is vital. Or else you get the wrong diagnosis.

If all above is true, something is preventing the starter from getting any power at all, but only when hot.

The starter uses more battery juice than any other system in the car. That is why the cables to it so fat.

But they can't route those fat cables to Start button. So instead, they use this sorta remote control switch, called a relay. An electromagnet. Skinny wire to Start button, powers up magnet. Magnet pulls big, fat switch like in Frankenstein's lab, which is right at starter. Mad power to starter. Vroom.

But wait, there's more! Its not an ordinary relay, its combined w other stuff to become, A SOLENOID. Tada!

This electromagnet also pulls a level that pushes the small gear from starter motor out to engage flywheel teeth. The moment that gear is fully engaged, that is when the Frankenstein switch makes contact.

Gear engaged, switch turns on, starter spins, gear spins, flywheel spins, engine spins. Engine starts (if everything else works).

If the lights dimmed, or you heard a click, or some other symptoms, that would tell us some power is getting to starter,or at least solenoid, but not enough to either fully engage electromagnet, or possibly jist nit enough fpr starter to spin all that engine stuff (the exact symptoms would guide us which of these).

Since literally nothing at all happens, we know no power is getting to that electromagnet. That is the issue.

Ok, but why?

Could be a lot of things. Could be the Start button. Could be a frayed wire, that when stuff gets hot, doesn't make contact. It could even be the electromagnet has some semi shorted wires in that big loop of wire that goes around the metal core that makes the magnet magnety, but they only short put and touch when things are hot (metal expands, etc). So it doesn't even try to pull the lever.

A mechanic can put a meter or even just a test light on that skinny wire on starter (that powers solenoid), have someone press Start, see if that makes juice appear at skinny wire.

Yes, that points to solenoid. No, that points to something in wiring path. A wire, the start button, etc.

See, you're not a mechanic, but this stuff isn't that hard to learn.

 

wow that's a brilliant reply CA thanks v much.
​​​​I'll contact a local diagnostics guy this week and see if he can idolate the issue
thanks everyone f