Had the car parked on the drive for over a month while the mem'sahib and I went off to Thailand for a well earned rest. Now, as you all know, my car has given me one or two problems with regard to battery charging and starting, maybe also related problems with the alternator, but I'm an optimistic kind of guy and set of for the driver's seat, key in hand about a week after we got home.
The first good sign was that when I opened the door, the alarm count down beeps started chiming which meant that the battery wasn't flat. I put the key in the ignition and turned it until all the dash lights came on. After a few seconds, most of the dash lights went out leaving just 3 or 4 lights glowing. At this point I removed the key from the ignition slot. I'll explain that later.
I put the key back in and followed the same procedure until just the 3 or 4 lights glowed and then gave the key an extra turn. The engine turned over for a second at the most and then she fired up and ran just as smoothly as you could wish for.
OK, why did I take the key out?
Experience has shown me that if I just turn the key a bit more after seeing the 3 or 4 lights for the first time, nothing happens. I have tried to start the car this way twice and each time it seems to just kill the whole system. The red light on the door goes out and there is no sound of the car even trying to start. But then if I start over from a locked car and do the proper routine as told above, it all works. Baffling but something that I can live with.
If anybody understands what is going on, please let me know.
Cheers,
Steve