Hi everyone,

I have a 2005 Fiat Panda 1.2 petrol and I’m having a strange starting problem.

On the first start of the day the engine often struggles. Sometimes it cranks longer than normal before catching. Other times it fires up for half a second, immediately dies, and then keeps cranking until it finally starts.

Once the engine has run for a minute or two, if I shut it off and restart it will start usually normally. Even if I let it sit for about 5 minutes after running, it sometimes goes back to struggling again.

What I already checked or ruled out:

The battery is fairly new (about a year old).

I tried priming the fuel pump by turning the ignition on and off several times before starting. This made no difference, so it does not seem like the fuel pressure is bleeding down overnight.

The starter spins the engine fine, so I do not think it is weak.

The car has had regular services, so spark plugs and coils should be in decent condition.

What I suspect:

Possibly the coolant temperature sensor giving the ECU wrong info on engine temperature, which would cause incorrect fuel mixture on cold starts.

Maybe an air leak or throttle body issue, but the car runs fine once it is started and drives normally.

The video does not show the catching for a half second issue and sometimes its longer as well but maybe a general idea

Starting issues fiat panda 169