Unusual Starting

[grosey87]

my 99 is200 sport isnt right when i start it. first start of the day it starts fine, and when its left for hours, but if i go into the town, supermarket, quick trips etc, it takes longer for it to start! it has even drained my Battery once, have already put a new bat on thinkin my was shagged but still the same! im stuck dont know what else to look for!

[lexuslloyd]

have you tested you alternator? does it still read 14V on the meter on the speedo when turning over?

[kenfoxy]

I have this problem very occassionally. All I do is tap the accelerator with the ignition on before turning the key. Don't know what is going on but it seems to work.

[sprinter2012]

I get this sometimes, I did make a thread on it ages ago and a fair few people have the same problem.

It seems to turn over, almost start, then carry on turning over.

But it always starts second try.

It never happens in winter though, only in summer.

It seems to happen when the temperature increases while the car is switched off i.e. left out in the sun all day.

My guess is it's either something sticking, or a faulty sensor. But I can't be bothered to spend ages working out exactly what it is as it's not really a huge problem.

[steve2006]

If it seems temperature sensitive it could point to the coolant sensor?

[is200 Newbie]

Just a thought but would the coils cause this - they can do when it's damp outside when one or a few are on their way out?

[clossie]

With an old or new Battery my is200 sometimes starts first hit, others it take a few seconds, then on the odd occasion I need to try twice. Battery and coils checked out ok. Gremlins me thinks, so I'm going to live with it rather than spend mega bucks worrying about it.