2000 P38 diesel auto
This morning I jump in the car and turn the key to position two and pause, waiting for the heater plugs to do their thing. The dash all lights up and I hear the brake pump operating. Then, after a couple of seconds the dash lights all die and the brake pump falls silent.
I think "You idiot, you've either not turned the key fully or you've managed to knock it back off." I turn the key back and on again - nothing on the dash and no brake pump noise. A couple more attempts and it's definite, no life.
Up with the bonnet and check the battery leads, both secure. Into the fuse box and check fuse one. (not certain why, just a niggle in the back of my brain). Anyway it's not only intact but not even any of the bubbles that you get in the plastic of these when they've been stressed but haven't blown yet.
Before I go any further I try the ignition again and the car fires up, first turn as usual. No 'window not set' messages so I don't think that I have lost power totally but the after-market stereo has lost it's memory,so mixed signals there. I stop and start it four or five times and it starts each time. I took a chance and headed off out to what I had to do. I was out and about for a few hours and the car has started perfectly six times.
It's as if the ignition switch failed but I don't remember seeing that as a particular failure on these cars so, before I start on the wiring diagrams in RAVE (I can follow a normal wiring diagram but you cannot believe how much I hate those stupid things in RAVE) does anyone have any ideas of anything else that might have caused this?
This morning I jump in the car and turn the key to position two and pause, waiting for the heater plugs to do their thing. The dash all lights up and I hear the brake pump operating. Then, after a couple of seconds the dash lights all die and the brake pump falls silent.
I think "You idiot, you've either not turned the key fully or you've managed to knock it back off." I turn the key back and on again - nothing on the dash and no brake pump noise. A couple more attempts and it's definite, no life.
Up with the bonnet and check the battery leads, both secure. Into the fuse box and check fuse one. (not certain why, just a niggle in the back of my brain). Anyway it's not only intact but not even any of the bubbles that you get in the plastic of these when they've been stressed but haven't blown yet.
Before I go any further I try the ignition again and the car fires up, first turn as usual. No 'window not set' messages so I don't think that I have lost power totally but the after-market stereo has lost it's memory,so mixed signals there. I stop and start it four or five times and it starts each time. I took a chance and headed off out to what I had to do. I was out and about for a few hours and the car has started perfectly six times.
It's as if the ignition switch failed but I don't remember seeing that as a particular failure on these cars so, before I start on the wiring diagrams in RAVE (I can follow a normal wiring diagram but you cannot believe how much I hate those stupid things in RAVE) does anyone have any ideas of anything else that might have caused this?
