Get This Thing Started Before Thursday!

[BamBamGTI 0]

Hi there people.

 

More woes with the pug... Went for an MOT last week, car ran fine to get there and was running all the time the MOT went on (30mins) The low fuel light was on, so I knew I needed petrol bad on the way home. Car drove to the staion ok but started spluttering and hesitating by the time I pulled up at the pump.

Filled the car with about 5ltrs of fuel and drove back, but about 10mins from base the car starts hesitating and spluttering again - then conks out.

I couldnt have used 5 ltrs of fuel on the way home (2miles) so what the f*** is it?

Checked the HT leads, dizzy cap, rotor arm (all are less than 12 months old). Checked the fuel filter to see if it was empty but it was full up. There is only three things I can think of to be causing the fault and I dont know how to test them.

 

1. Fuel pump not working

2. Bad earth in the starting circuit

3.I also have a factory alarm fitted, which if disconnected stops the car starting. I want to get the thing removed (its never used)

but i guess the wiring needs adapting if its taken out of the circuit.

 

If there is anyone about who has any idea how to fix this and who lives in surrey (i live in kingston) I will feed and water for technical assistance!

[McDude 33]

You could have pulled some crap into the injectors and/or damaged the injectors by running them dry.

[BamBamGTI 0]

Ok, so how do I check the injectors? just take off the fuel rail??

[M@tt 77]

the fuel tank has a tunnel down the middle of it for the ehaust route with no channel between the 2 iirc so if you're low on fuel you could find that what little fuel you do have has sloshed over to the otherside of the tank and is sitting there so there's none on the fuel pump side.

 

Just go get some more fuel and put it in to rule it out

 

or lift up back seats and remove fuel gauge then put some sort of measuring stick in and see how far up the stick the petrol line is that would indicate whether you've got any fuel on that side of the tank.

 

HTH

Edited April 8, 2008 by M@tt

[BamBamGTI 0]

managed to get her started for about 1min then she chugged out again. I suspect the fuel pump as i cant hear it running when the ignition is first switched on. gonna have another go tomoz.

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

The fuel pump doesn't run constantly with the ignition switched on.

 

Occasionally it will pulse for a second or two (not always everytime) when you first turn the ignition on to start just to pressurise the fuel system.

 

An easy test to see if it works (although access isn't easy) is to pull the starter solenoid wire off & turn the key as if starting the car. Obviously it won't but the fuel pump shuld stay running once returned to the normal position for engien running.

 

Graham.

[BamBamGTI 0]

Problem solved... Found a bad connection on the coil lead (coil end), cleaned it all up (and drove around 3 halfords to find a new coil lead) and changed it.

[BamBamGTI 0]

Can you still buy the plastic shrouds for the dizzy cap? The leads at the dizzy cap end always go blue with water corrosion after about a year. maybe a little silicon bag (like you get in shoe boxes) inside the shroud might do the trick...