ENGINE WON'T START

Post by **Bowton Lad** » 12 Aug 2007, 11:12

Left VW Extravaganza last Sunday, van started first time & drove home with no problems whatsoever. The van is registered January 1984 with 1.9 DG petrol engine. The engine is a recon fitted about 6 years ago & has only done around 22,000 miles since then.

The van has stood for a week but would not start this morning. There is plenty petrol & a good (almost new) healthy battery. The engine turned over no problem but never showed the slightest hint of wanting to fire up. The mechanic from Equity Red Star (Flux Rescue) came & checked all the leads & connections. He used my WD40 on the coil/dizzy etc.

He reckons it's the alternator but I'm not sure that he is correct. I would have thought that if the alternator was failing then the battery would not be charging & it would be flat/almost flat. The Bosch spark plugs are almost new & the plug leads are in very good condition.

It is most likely to be an electrical fault but I noticed that he did not check the fuel pump. I thought that the fuel pump on this van would be electrical but it does look like a mechanical pump.

I have checked the wiki but it says very little about starting problems & certainly nothing about the engine turning over & not firing.

Anyone got any ideas please?

Post by **Sir Chad** » 12 Aug 2007, 11:59

for starters here's what I would do..
check if you're getting a spark, take out a spark plug hold it tight against a good earth point and get someone to turn the ignition for you and crank it over. (mind you don't get a shock, insulated pliers or a marigold glove) if you see a spark then ignition system is probably ok. Although timing could be out. Sniff the plug to see if fuel is getting in.
If you think ignition is working ok then next take off air filter/induction pipes off of carb and either pour a little bit of fuel into your carb or spray in some easy start. if it tries to start then you've got a fuel problem, none in tank, blocked filter, carb problem etc.
hope this helps.
Very unlikely to be alternator.
Chad

Post by **ringo** » 12 Aug 2007, 12:57

Air, fuel and electrics - thats all there is.

If the engine is turning over - its not the battery is it!

Try the above - i cant offer any more advice - but we need you back on the road ASAP for next weekend!

Ringo

Post by **ermie571** » 12 Aug 2007, 16:44

Hi - the fuel pump just stopped one day on mine. Engine turned over, and over, not a hint of firing....

But, no petrol smell in engine that there would have been if it had been pumping fuel...

Hubby took top pipe off filter (one that goes to carb) and nothing while turning over. Nicked pump and the "needle" from spare engine (phew - not all are so lucky).....turned a couple of times....then she was away.

But, it just stopped. Working one day. Not the next.

Hope this helps.

Emma

Post by **Bowton Lad** » 12 Aug 2007, 18:50

Thanks to everyone who has suggested what to check. The weather was very wet for most of today but sunny now, a bit late to go out messing with the van. I am going to start checking the electrics & fuel supply (eg.filter & pump) tomorrow. The fuel pump is mechanical so I will be checking the VW Heritage website just in case. I will post again when I have an idea what's wrong.

Post by **hi_tower** » 12 Aug 2007, 19:40

Is there plenty of fuel in the tank? Ive fallen for that one!

Post by **Bowton Lad** » 12 Aug 2007, 19:43

hi_tower wrote:Is there plenty of fuel in the tank? Ive fallen for that one!

Gauge reading between 1/4 & 1/2 a tank.

Post by **Fritz** » 12 Aug 2007, 21:55

Steve, I can nip over one night in the week if you need some moral support if you feel you need a hand.

Regards

Fritz,,,,,

PS, ours is a 1.9dg if you need check any bits which may be at fault.

Post by **Bowton Lad** » 13 Aug 2007, 11:40

Fritz wrote:Steve, I can nip over one night in the week if you need some moral support if you feel you need a hand.

Regards

Fritz,,,,,

PS, ours is a 1.9dg if you need check any bits which may be at fault.

Thanks for the offer of assistance, Fritz.

This morning I poured a small quantity of petrol directly into the carb & the engine fired up briefly/roughly. I repeated the operation using a slightly larger quantity of petrol & it fired up again. So, problem identified as the fuel pump. It has failed without any warning whatsoever!

I've just been to GSF Manchester (North) & bought a new Pierburg mechanical fuel pump for £31.50 + VAT (Including 10% club discount).
The only thing is, the pump doesn't come with a new gasket so I've bought some Hylomar 'Universal Blue' gasket &jointing compound which is resistant to most things.

I'm going to fit the new pump this afternoon & I hope the van will be ok once that job's done.

Post by **Bowton Lad** » 13 Aug 2007, 18:34

Well, I fitted the new fuel pump & then poured some petrol into the carb to get the engine going until fuel was pumped through the system. The engine fired up & then cough, splutter, stop!!!

It obviously isn't the fuel pump that was faulty & given the fact that there is fuel in the filter under the o/s of the van, that means that there must be a blockage in the fuel line.

I am puzzled as to why my van (manf. 10/83) has another fuel line coming out of the bottom of the tank on the n/s. There is a fuel filter in the line & it faces towards the rear of the vehicle.

This can't be a return fuel line because if it was, it would feed back into the top of the petrol tank & not the bottom.

I'm off to buy one (two?) fuel filter(s) tomorrow & some of the black plastic fuel line. The 'Purple People Eater' will ride again soon!

Post by **hembo666** » 13 Aug 2007, 19:03

Could be a blocked yet on the carb, try some carb cleaner or if you have time strip it down and clean it.

Post by **VWCamperfan** » 13 Aug 2007, 20:32

Silly as this sounds... I had my float chamber needle/valve assembly get stuck in the closed position while i was driving along a while back. A little bit of dirt had lodged itself in the valve and kept the bu**er shut! Just a thought.

Post by **Sir Chad** » 13 Aug 2007, 20:36

I reckon it's a carb prob too

Post by **Mocki** » 14 Aug 2007, 11:35

is the fuel stop solenoid on the carb operating?
with ignition switched on ( with red lights on dash) remove the spade connector , does it click?

if it does take it off and see if it moves the plunger in and out with power??

Post by **Bowton Lad** » 14 Aug 2007, 17:29

Due to it raining all day until 4.15pm I managed 45 minutes work on the van.

I removed the (pump to carb) hose at the carb end & stuck it in a jam jar. I turned the engine over & there was no fuel in the jar. I then repeated the exercise for good luck & still nothing in the jar.

I need to get under the van & remove/change the inline fuel filter to see if there is fuel flowing freely from the tank. I also want to check the old filter for blockages/water. A visual inspection of the filter in situ shows clear fuel & no obvious sign of water. If everything mentioned above is ok it will most likely mean a blockage in the line between the filter & the pump.

I also want to renew the braided hose in the engine bay which runs from a plastic hose just showing through the bulkhead to the pump. The end behind the engine is under 2 water hoses & is a swine to get at. It has one of those awful crimped clips on it.

I need to get a length of 5mm fuel braided hose as the 7mm hose I bought at GSF is too big.

Halfwits don't sell fuel hose clips, only Jubilee clips. When I mentioned plastic fuel hose to the assistant the look on his face was ''

''.

The saga contiues.