Now when you say 'flickering', do you mean literally it's flickering or actually flashing when the start button is pressed. If it is flashing then there is a fault in the FI system somewhere. If it's flickering (as in a bad/intermittent connection) then I'd hazard a guess that the start button is not making good contact or you've possibly got a jittery/sticky starter relay.

If it starts sometimes OK, other after two turns and sometimes five, then it does seem to point to an intermittent fault or bad contact somewhere.

What's the battery like? Does it sound laboured when it's turning over the five times?

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