Fiat Ducato 2016 - intermittent starting issue-

[DartFlight]

Hi all, I’d love some help, my van sometimes won’t crank at all, dash lights come on, glow plugs go off (although recently taking twice as long) then I turn the key and nothing. Silence.
It seems to reset the problem if I put it on trickle charge for 30 minutes or some jump leads, but that might just be incidental.

I have a battery protect from victron on there but that’s not activated when the problem happens (first thing I check)

The roadside help come out and of course it starts up right in front of him.
We’ve checked the engine fuses they’re all fine.

There was some dirty water on some wire connection block attached to the outside of the engine fuse box I noticed from a leaky drain but those wires don’t go in.

I’ve had advice to change the battery but it did it again when the battery was 30minutes into its new home.

What would symptoms like this indicate ?

Ignition switch ? Immobiliser ?

The intermittent silence of the problem is killing me!

Please help

 

[witzend]

A few years ago Fiat/Peugeot where always having earthing faults causing no end of problems Battery earth lead eng to chassie leads etc maybe worth checking and cleaning these usually replacing was recommended

 

[Tezza33]

First thing that I would check is the earth straps, Fiat are notorious for earth straps problems

fiat ducato earth strap problems - Google Search

If that is OK then ignition switch followed by immobilizer
Have you tried a different key?

 

[mistericeman]

As above my first go to would be making sure the engine is well earthed ....
Possibly even adding an extra earth direct from the battery to a good clean connection on the engine block ...

If you've some jump leads to hand ....
Put one lead from the battery to a good clean piece of metal on the engine block as a quick test .

 

[DartFlight]

Thank you SO MUCH !

I got a jump lead and it started perfecto
So I took a new earth as suggested from the negative pole of the engine battery,
Following the route the Pos takes to get to the starter, and bolted it onto the engine (up away from road/salt spray)
And it works!
Loads more cranking power
And I’m hoping that all the leisure battery issues in the back that I’ve had these last couple of years might subside with the same fell swoop as I’ve been underpowered in the back dispite two solar panels and two leisure battery’s

Very grateful thanks

 

[QFour]

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[witzend]

Thats great and thanks for letting us known what works. Only I'm not sure what you done will help the leisure side Maybe ? but if not you may need to do similar to the earth side of the leisure system