Citroen C15 starting

If the starter goes clonk then I would say that the starter is either the wrong one or has the wrong pinion or is just worn, it is also possible that the flywheel teeth are damaged.

If there is nothing at all from the starter then there is either an electrical fault with the starter or its wiring.

If there is just a click from the starter then there is an electrical fault with the starter.

mrcheerful

Sounds like you've got a sticky starter solenoid again, or a damaged flywheel, more likely the former

Once had a Fiat Panda that sounds like it had a similar problem, when you switch off an engine it tends to stop in one of two places when either set of cylinders are coming up to compression. We used to put it in gear & rock the car which would move it a few teeth & then it would start. We sold the car like this telling the new owners of the problem, they booked it into a garage who found out it was the flywheel that was damaged at one of these points.

I'd put my money on the starter. There's a slim chance the flywheel has a problem, but I'd imagine that would manifest itself in transmission vibrations etc...unless the teeth are stripped. What condition is the ring gear on the flywheel?

Could you take off the flywheel and replace it a little rotated?

This is what I suspect, but before I get down and dirty I have emailed Citroen to see if they have ever had any problem like this reported to them. I wonder if, as another suggested I can move the flywheel round a quarter cycle. As far as I can see apart from acting as a flywheel it is only used to engage the starter. Thanks to all for the ideas John

Well it depends how well you want everything balanced :-) Do the teeth look badly worn?

The flywheel stops at a different position each time you turn off, so rotating the flywheel a bit would not help, also, to rotate the flywheel would involve removing it, in which case you may as well replace the ring gear, which from your description is by no means certain to cure your problem,

Mrcheerful

I will bow to your better judgement on this but are you sure it stops randomly? I was always under the impression it would stop in one of two positions, as it comes up to the compression stroke on pots one & four which is the same part of the flywheel. Or as it comes up to compression on two & three which I think is 180 degrees opposite, this is assuming it is firing 1, 3, 4, 2

As to replacing the starter ring, never done it, am told it's a nightmare & far easier to fit new/2nd hand flywheel complete. As to the answer about taking it off & moving it round, don't think this is feasible as they are normally keyed on.

I thought they might be, not many other ways of securing them to the shaft.