2004 Peugeot 307 intermittent starting problem

By not starting do you mean it,s cranking over but not firing or is it a starting system fault where it,s not turning over?

Hi the car cranks but does not seem to fire.

You need to start from scratch ,check for fault codes,check it,s getting fuel,does it have the red immobiliser button ,just in case it,s causing an issue,check the fuel is not running back.glow plugs are working ,as if the temp.is down it may need them to fire,compressions okay,no hoses off or blocked on intake side,Only other thing is does your model have a single air intake as the butterfly may be jamming ,hopefully this lot will assist you or at least give another's input towards fix.

Hi glow plugs are working fine and fuel is getting to injectors. not sure where to find red immobilizer button on 307 HDI any idea?

There isnt a red immobilizer button.The fault may be a different one as unfortunately it does happen.Are you using a spare key to try and start it?

Hi, I am using the same key everytime (knowing its worked perfectly is the past).

is the engine turning over ok or are you getting nothing when turning the key?

Would you believe engine started the other day and has now been ok for a least a week without any problems at all. I'm sure the problem has not been sorted and expect to be let down again soon. could it possibly the air intake sensor causing this problem?

it could be an engine speed sensor fault or associated wiring fault. Cambelt may be slightly slack so no synchronisation on cranking .there are all manner of faults it could be unfortunately.Do you have any fault codes?

Hi the only faults picked up during diagnostic check at our peugeot dealership pointed to the starter motor and this has now been replaced. The vehicle was fine for over a week following the replacement and to be honest I thought it was sorted then. The car is running and starting fine at the moment but I'm still expecting it to let me down when I need it the most.

it was probably pulling a lot of current when turning over but thats not to say there isnt another fault elsewhere.

try not using shell fuel.

Same problem, 130k on the clock, wont start without jump if cold or left standing for a couple of days. Started in October RAC 'told me off' for using supermarket fuel & took a reading of low rail pressure. I changed glow plugs and relay (waste of time, doesn't use them till minus temps)& coolant sensor. Starting using shell. All good so had cam belt changed & full service. November, failing to ignite at times, starts with a jump (or easy start, just the once to test). Don't use it much, jump it & run it up weekly. In March, won't start at all. Refurbed starter motor fires her up, running on Shell V power, still probs though. New high grade battery has improved reliability even more but winters coming, & it seems my pug runs on sunshine.
Think I have read every forum in English on it, next? There's still not enough power to build pressure, so Lazy HP fuel pump? Voltage is good but could there be a short somewhere. Rail sensor, is it built in meaning whole rail replacement? Injector leak off test, ummm, but once running drives so nice. All the above changes have resolved the problem for many other owners, but there are the unlucky few of us that still haven't got an answer!

I had a very similar sounding problem and found a solution in the end that I want to share. It seems several other people had this problem but didn't solve it. I was on the verge of scrapping the car so I hope this is useful. I have no mechanical knowledge so please excuse any inaccuracies.

To summarise; there was an intermittent fault when in ignition it didn't seem to turn over at all. Completely dead (except for faint clicking around the battery/fuse area). The car would start first time sometmes and others would not start for half a day or half an hour. Then it would start for no apparent reason. One of the main problems with this was that the car often wasn't faulting when it was at the mechanics.

I spent £600 on 4 different mechanics and went to a Peugeot specialists and main dealer but got nowhere.

They changed the battery and checked the starter. The earthing was checked. One of the garages suspected it was the ignition, apparently the barrel was changed. The fuses where checked and they were all OK. The main dealer did a diagnostic check.

I asked whether it could be the Immobiliser and none of the mechanics agreed.

In the end my Dad connected a push button switch directly to the starter. It now works perfectly every time. I turn the key as normal and press the button and it "hot wires" to start.

I haven't found out exactly why it doesn't work. I'm happy to carry on as I am. I believe my dad said it could be a "relay" but he couldn't get to it easily.

Anyway, I hope this saves you a lot of time and a few quid. If nothing else it may narrow down some of the possibilities.