General Fiat Panda Dynamic automatic

[Starr]

If car is left for 1 or more days without being used it will not start, all the dashboard lights come on but there is nothing when I turn the engine on.
But if I start it everyday there seems to be no problem as yet.

 

[koalar]

We need more information

From the description it could be lots of things

Relay
Earth
Battery
Accumulator
Brake switch
And so on

When it failing

Which dash lights come on immediately
Which then go out

What's the gear selection saying in on the dash

How do you get it to work again

How many seconds does the pump run for when you open the door after it's be left for awhile

If you don't already try selecting neutral before switching the engine off and parking up

 

[DTanner]

Some additional background information would be useful.

What is the full spec of the car - is it petrol or diesel, what year is it?
How old is the car?
What mileage is it at?
Over the last year how used is the car generally - many long drives?
How old is the battery?
Do you hear the engine crank (the starter turning) or is it just dead?

 

[Starr]

Some additional background information would be useful.

What is the full spec of the car - is it petrol or diesel, what year is it?
How old is the car?
What mileage is it at?
Over the last year how used is the car generally - many long drives?
How old is the battery?
Do you hear the engine crank (the starter turning) or is it just dead?

It's petrol, 2004, mileage 84690, only short drives, battery was changed a few years ago, engine is just dead.

 

[jrkitching]

If car is left for 1 or more days without being used it will not start, all the dashboard lights come on but there is nothing when I turn the engine on.
But if I start it everyday there seems to be no problem as yet.

Classic symptoms of a failed battery.

It's the first thing to rule out.

Do you have a battery charger? If so, this could be a good time to use it. If putting it on charge for a couple of hours enables you to start the car, then it's 99% certain that simply replacing the battery will fix this.

If you only use the car infrequently for very short journeys, then even a good quality battery could be ruined in a short period of time if not regularly charged.

 

[koalar]

Let's not forget this is a dualogic

It add a starter inhibitor into the equation

If it's in gear and not recognising the foot is on the brake, the starter will not activate

If oil is leaking onto the the neutral switch, the starter will not activate

If the diagram has ruptured in the accumulator and the car will struggle to find neutral, the starter will not activate

If the contacts are dirty in the relay the starter will not activate

A dead battery would not normally start unless it's been charged back up first

What gear is shown on the dash when it's failing is a good indication as to whether it's a electrical fault, battery wires starter relay or gearbox/brake switch

If it does not fail if parked in neutral, it will need some diagnostics run on the gearbox, and unfortunately probably an expensive repair

You can get a rough idea on the state of the accumulator by how long the hydraulic pump runs for when the door is opened

We need to diagnose the problem, which is why I asked for more information

Which dash lights come on immediately
Which then go out

What's the gear selection saying in on the dash

How do you get it to work again

How many seconds does the pump run for when you open the door after it's be left for awhile

If you don't already try selecting neutral before switching the engine off and parking up

My guess is you just keep trying and eventually it starts

Which would be earth, relay, selector switch or accumulator

 

[Starr]

Classic symptoms of a failed battery.

It's the first thing to rule out.

Do you have a battery charger? If so, this could be a good time to use it. If putting it on charge for a couple of hours enables you to start the car, then it's 99% certain that simply replacing the battery will fix this.

If you only use the car infrequently for very short journeys, then even a good quality battery could be ruined in a short period of time if not regularly charged.

I'm using the car every day at the moment and it starts fine, trouble is when I don't start it for 1 or 2 days but then suddenly it will start the next day! Makes no sense.

 

[MrMagoo]

Battery

 

[koalar]

I can't see it being a battery, as it starts a few days latter

It's easy to confirm put the interior overhead light on, it would go out as you turn the key if the battery was bad


Here is a starter inhibitor relay that has gone bad



I wouldn't do what the guy in the video does, there are identical relays in the fuse box to diagnose with, and replace with new if faulty

But symptoms of not starting after a few days on a dualogic follows more closely a unable to select neutral fault

Here someone has there foot on the brake

But when they turn key nothing happens for 10 seconds, watch the dash when the dualogic eventually finds neutral, the starter kicks in

This car would start fine if left for short periods but failed overnight

This was diagnosed by leaving overnight in neutral, it would start every time confirming a dualogic fault

If it was a faulty earth the oil and/oil would go out on the dash as you turned the key

Without the information asked for in post two as a starting place it's impossible to come to any meaningful conclusions, wild guesses

 

[MrMagoo]

Mine (Dualogic) did the same; ok for a few days and then next day no start. New battery fixed it. Battery was 4 years old.

 

[koalar]

Mine (Dualogic) did the same; ok for a few days and then next day no start. New battery fixed it. Battery was 4 years old.

If it doesn't start and try you tried it a few days later it did start

It would be the first battery I heard of that does that

The original poster is saying It's dead one day and a couple of days later it works without doing anything it

I'm using the car every day at the moment and it starts fine, trouble is when I don't start it for 1 or 2 days but then suddenly it will start the next day! Makes no sense

At least that's how I am reading it, but it is open to interpretation

 

[the green vanper]

I'd also check the battery terminals and connectors, and the battery to body and body to engine / gearbox earths. And the dualogic wiring, too. It costs nothing...

Bad contact, building up oxidation. Who knows...