krazynayba

Thanks for the suggestions mate. Not sure if it'd be water in the tank as it has been happening for a while now. Took it back to the mechanic who found a fault code for the O2 sensor and replaced it. Didn't fix the problem though. Next I think I'll just replace the fuel filter, I've looked up some guides and it seems straightforward. Failing that I reckon I'll try replacing the pump, my only question is would this interfere with an ECU tune at all, or is it just plug 'n' play? 

Just to add more information, recently I took this to my local mechanic to have a look. The first morning they started it they were able to notice the problem I was talking about. They had a look at it, checked the spark plugs (which were fine). Started it the next morning without any issues, and the following morning without any issues. They then ran some intake cleaner through it which they said seemed to clean quite a bit of crap out. I had them test the battery which failed, so I put a new one in (glad Repco recently had 30% off!). Unfortunately I've still been experiencing the issue.

 

The longer I leave the car sitting without driving it, the worse the problem gets. One night will cause sputtering most of the time, and the car will shake from side to side until it evens itself out. Occasionally the car will sputter and die. Two nights without driving will cause sputtering and shaking most of the time and is more likely to cut out. Recently I left it for three nights without driving and had to try 4 times to start it as it kept dying. Each time it would sputter and shake, but then rev up to 1500 rpm for 4-5 seconds (as if it was warming up normally) then the revs would drop completely and the engine would cut out.

 

So, TL;DR:

-Cleaned intake system and replaced battery but issue still occurring

-Gets worse the longer I leave the car without driving

-Engine sometimes stops running when trying to start in the morning

-No issues occur once the car is running

Unfortunately I don't think there is a CC relay (at least not in the under-the-hood fusebox). The guy who sold it to me said it was aftermarket and it looks to be just that. Gonna try getting a new relay and replacing the current one to see if it helps. Failing that it looks like an auto-elec job, which brings me to my next question - Anyone know any good, honest auto elecs in SA?

Hmm well it does have cruise control hooked up but not working. It was hooked up since I've had the car but the problem started a long time after. I know it is definitely the horn. It is much more likely to occur when the weather is cooler too. I doubt it's a loose ground moving around or something, as the sound often occurs just when I turn the key from acc to off. I've taken a picture of the horn relay and I'm gonna order a replacement then see if that helps. Have relays been known to be "finicky" in a way that would cause this? Or is it usually a car of them either "working" or "not working"? Either way I'll give it a shot! Thanks again for the help guys, keep it coming!

Dose it start on the second attempt though?
mine dose a similar thing where it takes for ever to start first go in the moring and splutters, but if i stop and try agen it starts no problem
might be same problem 

Yes, if it ever sputters then stalls completely it will always start the second time round. It seems to depend on the temperature a lot in that it is worse and more likely to occur when it is cold. Even when the car has been off for a while though and the weather is warm it'll have the same problem. My thoughts are that it's something to do with fuel, maybe the pressure is too low on startup? Is there something in an EFI system that controls fuel injection on startup specifically? Even once the sputtering calms down and I start driving, I get this strange feeling that the accelerator is "sticky" then "unsticks" itself after five or so seconds. Its hard to explain, but it seems like the car stops accelerating once it reaches a certain speed, no matter how hard I press down on the accelerator. This happens for the five or so seconds then there's a surge of power, as if something has "unblocked" or maybe pressure has built up in the fuel system enough for it to run properly. My thoughts so far are that the fuel pump is having problems (not sure if they're a working/not working part or can be somewhere in between?) or maybe the fuel pump relay is a bit finicky.. I'll take it into my mechanic soon to get it checked out. A bit annoying that I'd have to leave it with them overnight in order to replicate the problem. Though, hopefully with a good rundown of the symptoms they have enough to go by If anyone has any other thoughts, feel free to let me know!