Fiat Ducato on going starting issue

[JP4184]

Hi, I own a Fiat Ducato 2008 multijet 3L van, which was a minibus in a previous life which has been plagued with mechanical issues over the past few years. It's on it's 3rd vehicle battery and 2nd starter motor in the past 3 years. Currently it will not start from cold, despite being fine over winter. I can jump start it, take it for a drive and then it will restart ok once it's warned up. It's not the battery as it is fully charged. After spending £'000s on various issues I don't know what to do for the best. The garage I use are reputable and always fix the problem but I feel there is an underlying issue causing the issues it's had starting, with the battery and the started motor. Has anyone had similar problems or have any advice please? I'm addition, the leisure battery is overheating and setting off the carbon monoxide alarm. It's less than 2 years old so should have plenty of life left in it. Again any advice would be appreciated. I'd love to get everything sorted in time for the warmer weather

 

[GeoffnDee]

The starting problem on Fiat Ducato vans has often turned out to be a faulty engine to body earth strap having a high resistance and although it can look ok , replacement (or adding another ) has often cured the poor starter performance problem. Worth trying as it is easy to do and not expensive.
The leisure battery will be damaged if it is being overcharged , which it may be , causing the overheating , also the gases produced can be dangerous and explosive , it would be better to turn off or disconnect any charging units until the possible overcharging problem is sorted out.

 

[pappajohn]

To check the engine to body earth strap fix a jumper cable between a clean, unpainted place on the body like a bolt head etc, and a clean place in the engine.
If the problem doesn't arise it's the earth needs renewing.
As above, the battery is overcharging and needs urgent attention.
The gas IS highly explosive

 

[fred_jb]

Has the cambelt been changed? Could be a timing issue if it has been installed out of sync or is worn enough to have possibly slipped a tooth.

I had a VW T4 which got difficult to start and then failed with expensive clattering noises. It turned out that the dealership had not replaced the single use main pulley securing bolt when changing the cambelt. It cost them a replacement engine when the engineer's report I commissioned proved that due to the stretched bolt the pulley was loose and had been fretting on the securing keyway until it finally failed.