Club 80-90 Forums

got a early 1.9dg engine ,allways starts 1st turn on the key,but i can do 1 mile or 40 mile,turn it of ,and then nothing when i try to restart ,plenty of lights on the dash but nothing as though the batterys dead,then after couple of attempts will fire up and runs fine ,when 1st starting allways plenty of power in the battery,any ideas somebody mentioned bad earth lead on the gearbox?

Hi mate...in order of probability, going from the most likely first;

1) The 12volt trigger wire to the solenoid has a spade connector on it, these normally corrode and the terminal off the solenoid also corrodes. You may need to replace the spade connector but if you do be sure it has a good connection to the wire (soldering is best) crimped connections can be iffy.
2) Earth connection on the gearbox, remove clean and refit, checking the braided strap is NOT badly corroded.
3) General earths and positive connections, I mean battery terminals, earth strap from the battery to the body etc
4) Ignition switch going faulty, very common, about £9.00 from GSF and 40 minutes work removing the steering wheel, switch gear, and ignition barrel colar etc.

Hope this helps
Martin