My 2001 1.8 GDI has lately started to cut out immediately after starting the engine.

The engine will fire and run for only a second or two and then cuts out, and at the same time of the cutout there is a click (sounds like a relay) from beneath the dashboard left hand side.

After a few further attempts at starting the car runs fine, and once running keeps going with no further problems.

The problem can occur with the engine cold or hot.

It is an intermittent fault, as some of the time the car starts perfectly first time.

Any ideas anyboby? Many thanks.

Well I didn't get any replies to my post back in March but wasn't too bothered as the fault stopped happening a few days afterward, and gave no more problems for a few weeks...... until now!

Now the same thing is happening again: car cuts out 1 or 2 seconds after starting; the cut out is accompanied by a click from beneath the passenger side dash; the problem can occur with the car hot or cold. Trying to rev the engine to keep it going does not help, but once it does decide to run it is fine. Everything else on the car is OK, and the engine warning light goes off after start up as normal.

Help!

Hi Bovril.....not sure this will help but just wanted to reassure you that people are reading and trying to think of possible solutions.

I have the same click (relay?) every time my ignition is switched off but don't have the cutting out problem.

Last car I had a problem like this one was an old Ford Escort XR3i and it turned out to be the amp unit. Don't know if the Carisma even has one of these!

Would be interested when you solve it though!

Good luck.

Thank you deepfatfryer. Shortly after my last post the problem yet again went away, and hasn’t happened since. I’ve no way of knowing if it will happen again though . The car has been running fine and I am very happy with it; good performance, comfort and MPG. The only thing I could fault it for is that it needs quite a bit of gas when you first pull off from a standstill, and if you don’t get it just right it “kangaroos”.

Yes that same relay click happens when you switch off the ignition.

I did a bit of Internet research into my problem and although I didn’t find anyone with exactly the same problem, many people have had similar problems with the GDI Carisma engine. I have read that the engines suffer from carbon build up at around 60,000 miles if used on 95RON petrol rather than 98RON petrol. According to reports this is best cured by an expensive de-coke and the use of 98RON petrol subsequently.

My car has done 62,000 miles and I have always used 95RON petrol. The manual and the notice on the petrol filler cap tells you to use 95RON. I have no intention of using 98 or paying £1,000 for a decoke. Some people say that no production car on sale in the UK needs 98RON petrol and that it is a waste of money.

Another common problem is the throttle body, which suffers from this carbon build up. This can be cured by cleaning or replacing the throttle body. There is a company in Derby that advertises reconditioned throttle bodies on eBay. You have to send them your old one (because there is only a finite supply of these throttle bodies) and in return they send you somebody else’s reconditioned one.

Some say that the GDI engine has been discontinued by Mitsubishi due to its problems.

The only remedial action I have taken is to add a bottle of STP Fuel Injector Cleaner to a tankful of petrol at around the time I was experiencing the cutting out problem. I had read that dirty fuel injectors cause erratic idling. My car suffered from erratic idling - fluctuating from 1500 revs down to the low 100s and I wondered if these low points were causing the cutting out. The dose of STP definitely made the idle speed a bit steadier, but whether it has cured the cutting out problem only time will tell. The instructions on the STP bottle tell you to use it every 3000 miles, and I intend to do this.

So far so good!

i would also go and buy some air intake cleaner, whip the throttle body off and give it a good clean! easy only 4 bolts and 2 coolant pipes.

Good call StephenM.

I have my throttle body cleaned at every service (done 67,000 miles now and had the car for nearly 6 years) and a gas treatment at the same time. So far it's kept the worst of the GDI gremlins at bay. Like you I've read of people having de cokes recommended but a decent gas treatment and regular throttle body cleans have done the trick for me.

Cheers,

I am interested in your experiences. I have a 02 plate gdi with noisy tappets. What do you mean by a gas treatment?

The noisy tappets are probably due to soot blocking the oilchannels in the lifters. Keeping the oil level in the engine close to max keeps this to a minimum in my experience.

Gas treatment means to put fuel injector cleaner in the gas tank, I'd reccomend on this as soot/carbon build up is an issue with the GDi engines.

Do you recommend any particular gas treatent. ie the best one. As this seems to be an answer.

I used STP Fuel Injector Cleaner. It is about £5 from Halfords.

Following on from the noisy tappetts. I have changed the oil for a good castrol semi synthetic. A forte top end treatment. And have just tried a forte gas treatment.

The tappets are still noisy but not as bad. Hopefully the gas treatment will help when it runs through the system. ( the oil is over max on the dipstick)

The engine starts first time and is smooth when being driven. However at tickover there is what i would describe as intermitant fluttering when at tickover.

Should i be concerned and can you suggest anything? Thanks in anticipation.