Slow Cranking when Hot

Knackered starter motor.

Bummer, Unlikey to be the bat then :-(

Long shot: could be a bad engine earth

I have a feeling Conor is prob on the right track, it seams to be heat releated though as the audi's cooling fans work even with keys out and when I turn the engine off they will kick in for approx 5mins, and if a try to start agian within a few miniutes I get the above problem but if i give them a good 5 mins (ie let them turn off when they want) blowing the engine will start fine

That's a common problem with Fiestas where the starter is close to the exhaust downpipe and gets too hot. It works fine when everything is new and in good condition but as connections corrode and the starter and battery get older the problem manifests. Clean the connections between starter and battery with emery and also both ends of the engine earth strap. That solved it on my old Fiesta.

Also make sure the battery is in good nick and putting out 12.6 volts.

My Fiesta stranded me at a petrol station one day when the problem was at its worst. Wouldn't even crank the engine over after I'd filled up. I pushed it over to the air/water station and ran cold water over the starter for a minute. Fired straight up and off we went. After that I finally got round to cleaning the cable connections properly and it never happened again.

Will give a good once over then in the morning and hope it's just a poor contact rather than a poor joint inside the starter motor, it's at that age where it's not really worth spending big bucks on, especialy when I am getting a 2001 tdi polo in a week or two, Just need it good enough to ebay without any comeback.

This is a common problem with older Senators. Try jumping 12v from the battery to the starter solenoid, if that works then I know a number of owners who have added a relay fed 12v to the solenoid to fix the problem.

Keep well,

Will