usual silliness with starting !

[tone]

Had our van ( 2.1 1989 ) for three years - each winter I SORN it until April and leave it under a Justkampers cover periodically starting engine. Each winter about this time it starts playing up when I attempt to start it and run it for a while - usual story - Clicking but not turning over ! Then sometimes ( paticularly when stone cold ) it will start , run for twenty minutes until nicely warmed up but when I turn it off will refuse to start again until stone cold again.
Since I've had it the starter motor has been replaced as well as spade thingees on contact with solenoid. To be fair it always starts all right throughout the summer but always makes e nervous wondering if it's going to play up !

I'm beginning to think it's got a life of it's own and telling me to stop storing it up over the winter !!!!

Any ideas to try and resolve this problem permanently.

Tony

[R0B]

yes mate dont sorn it.drive it.(someone will be along shortly with another answer im sure)

Any ideas to try and resolve this problem permanently

[1664]

If you have a clock and a radio with a memory they will (over a period of non use) gradually drain your starter battery. Pull fuse number 3 if you're going to leave it standing for any appreciable length of time.

Although this may not be your actual problem it certainly wouldn't help

haven't a clue about the warm engine non start problem though.........

[kevtherev]

new or not the starter solenoid will stick in the winter with no use..
mine used to stick, so I took it apart and greased inside the solenoid bore.

[chriscburgess]

Hi Kev

How easy is to take the solenoid off and grease it?

Ta
Chris

[kevtherev]

it's not.. easy
but what is

[tone]

Thanks to all responses - solenoid sticking does seem the most likely!

Tony

[tone]

Still playing up so got in RAC to see if they could find the fault - helpful bloke spent about an hour checking connections, voltage etc. He couldn't find a problem at the engine bay end so started looking at the steering wheel/ignition end. I had a new ignition switch so he took steering wheel off etc and changed the switch but still the same. Then he disconnected the new switch, put the old switch back on ( still loose ) and used a flat screwdriver in the loose switch to turn the ignition on and lo and behold it started everry time. He concluded that the inition barrel must be worn so that the key was not turning enough to make a proper contact. He has left the wired switch dangling to enable me to start the engine and drive the van to a garage to be repaired with a new barrel.
Does all this make sense ? Can I just get an ignition barrel ? Looking on the justkampers website they've got an ignition barrel with two keys for £15 - seems cheap but if thats what I need then I'm grateful that I can get this sorted once and for all. What do you think?

I've also decided to keep the van on the road all year !! Taxed it today for 12 months!!