Boxing Day Flavia Puzzle

[Michael Bedford]

Since it was sunny and dry today for the first time in ages, I took my Flavia PF coupe (iniezione) out for a run but when I returned to the car after a short stop it declined to start. Battery fine but starter motor not even engaging or clicking. The attached pics show a part that appears to have come loose. The casing has the words 'Electra Tem[p?] Controller' on one side and the black switch has positive and negative markings on either side of the casing and an error on the head. Can anyone tell me what it is and whether it is connected to the starting system? Also, is it likely to be repairable at the roadside or is it a recovery only job?  Any views from those who recognise the part would at least be a big help when I call the AA on a bank holiday tomorrow and ask them to rescue me (yet again). Many thanks in advance for any thoughts.

[Jaydub]

Looking at what appears to be a capillary tube ( Copper tubing) I would suggest it`s the rheostat for an electric fan, hence the wording temp. controlle.
If so nothing to do with the starter motor. Sounds like solenoid problem or just a jammed  starter motor.
Good luck.

[lancialulu]

As John says nothing to do with starting.

Could be your ignition switch has fallen to bits internally if it is the original. A quick test of hot wire the starter solenoid from the battery should show if the starter motor is functioning. Something the AA man should be able to do…. It should start then with the ignition switch to on….

[Richard Fridd]

Puzzle prize to Jaydub I expect. A 'Thermostat' then, so is an electric fan still fitted? A hotwire should do the trick.

  Richard 

[Michael Bedford]

Thanks for all the helpful replies. Yes, indeed, the electrical switch was a complete red herring so far as the non-starting issue. The car does have a non-Lancia electric fan and the temperature control for that was replaced last summer. I am not sure whether the part in the earlier pics is now redundant or forms part of that replacement. Once they are open again after the Christmas break I will ask the garage that did the work.

However, the more immediate issue was solved by the local mechanic contracted by the AA simply pushing in one of the electrical feeds to the solenoid that had worked itself loose (not visibly so but enough to break the connection) and the starter motor circuit was complete again and the car started. Obviously, I felt somewhat foolish that I had not sorted that problem out myself but the set up on my car does not quite seem to reflect the diagram in Fig.07/5 of the Flavia Repair Shop Manual so I was not sure what was what. For anyone interested, the loose connection was the lower of the two brown wires in the attached pic.

I also now have a small fuel leak to resolve, but that's a problem for another day... Thanks again for the invaluable assistance.