Club 80-90 Forums

Hi Guys, drove to the gym this morning and went to come home afterwards and bus wouldnt start.

At first it didnt even turn over, but that short noise it makes (is that the petrol pump initialising??) was happening, so got the Haynes out and checked the ignition coil/spark plugs/distributr connections and it said to switch on the headlights when starting (to check the battery out). Then it did start to turn over (coincidence??), but still not starting.

At the gym is a garage underneath (yeah cool combo) and I got one of the mechanics to have a quick look. He then drew my attention that the short start up noise (mentioned earlier) was not happening anymore. So he thinks that the petrol pump isnt working?

any ideas? why was it not even igniting before? do the symtoms make sense?

left the bus parked at the gym, and can have the garage look at it on Monday then

If it either clunks and doesnt turn over or does nothing with the battery ok then i'd say starter/solenoid. Hit it with a big mallet. Check the earth straps.

If it turns over but doesn't start it could be the connection on the fuel cutoff solenoid or fuel pump

Sometimes it's just the battery is shagged.

Might be dodgy ignition barrell switch or maybe thats just a t4 thing cannae remember.

Generally, as the winter creeps in, batteries, starter motors and alternators start warning you of impending doom, if they're not in the flush of youth that is.

but if its not making that noise when turning to the key, before starting, then the fuel pump is not priming the injectors? then there is no petrol in the system for a start?

Hi. So was just at the bus and it still doesn't start. So not a matter of giving it a few hours, as described elsewhere.

I test the battery. 12v then down to 11 once ignition turned on and down to 10 when trying to start.

Still no electrical noise when turning the key also the petrol pump is not vibrating for a short time either (as described in Haynes)

The petrol pump is old/original. Petrol filter/plugs/leads/cap and arm changed 10 months ago

I don't understand how at first it wasn't even trying to start, but with the electrical sound. So would point to ignition coil but now it's trying to start but not getting further without the sound

Is your starter motor trying to turn the engine over? The voltage drop shows that the battery it trying to do something. If the starter isn't turning over then as already suggested your starter solenoid if probably stuck. The battery should be at 12.6 plus and not drop much with the ignition switched on. Combine a flat-ish battery & a stiff solenoid and that could be the problem.

The only thing that will point to the ignition coil being the problem will be no spark out of it.

but if its not making that noise when turning to the key, before starting, then the fuel pump is not priming the injectors? then there is no petrol in the system for a start?

Is it cranking the engine fast and reliably? If not the above statement is inconsequential.

The best thing to do (honest) is take the battery away and have it charged ona good charger for at least 12~24 hours (best a multi-stage charger that tells you what's going on and that its finally fully charged (usually LED indicators)

Bring battery back and connect up, cleaning connections and making them well.

What happens when yu then try to start wuill tell you a lot !!!!

OK, at the moment, the bus is sat outside a garage, I suppose I could have it towed back to my place, and push it down into my underground garage, but if I couldnt fix it then I would be stuck . But dont want to have to pay through the nose for the garage to check/change anything. But I dont want to have to change the fuel pump on side of a main road.

BTW I did have a 2nd battery fitted in June and I also tried to use one of those battery/compressor packs on my battery, engine still didnt start, but not even sure if that thing is charged up fully anyway.

will pop back to the bus after work and can try and jump start it then with a friend of mine if that doesnt work then, must be something more serious then?

So me and a friend tried jump starting. No change. Voltage is upto 13 when connected.

Called the ADAC (german AA) and will explain all to him. Guess get him to take to nearest garage.

Is the starter motor turning the engine over?

Ok distributor not sparking but is rotating. So AA man thinks the control unit. Getting towed to a bus garage near here. He said that coil has voltage and distributor is moving. So Thing in between ie control unit may be buggered. Thats a little hard to check on side of the road

Arrived, blow by blow account here. iPhones r great! So nice garage with a bus mad mechanic. He's gonna check it all out then.

I guess that that the starter motor is the only thing that is turning over then and it can't kick in without that spark. As for the other symptoms above. I would still like to know. More investigation needed

so, ive got the bus back, dead ignition coil. Swapped for a new one and now all working

So apparently the noise coming from the engine bay is the ignition coil or something that is now able to initialise due to a working ignition coil.

Can nobody still not shed any light on this?

Got stung on the bill, 12 units work (what is a unit, cant be an hour, surely!) at 5.50 euros to find out the issue and replace it and 62 euros for the coil itself (BERU - ZS 124). So wont be using them again. Munich prices!

So apparently the noise coming from the engine bay is the ignition coil or something that is now able to initialise due to a working ignition coil

The ignition coil makes about the same amount of noise as a light bulb - nothing.

The only thing it initialises is your spark plugs. Maybe that noise from the engine bay is the engine running.

idle stabiliser buzzes when ignition switched on that's normal sound, that and the fuel pump running up if system pressure has dropped

so, lets try and clear this up then. I can only assume that either people aint got a clue what im on about or that it happens on Digifant, SS engine Ignition only, which maybe many people dont have.

When the ignition coil was broken there was no "buzzing" sound when turning ignition on (not starting), now that its been replaced, the buzzing is back.

so as Aidan says: "idle stabiliser buzzes when ignition switched on that's normal sound", even though the iginition coil makes no noise, it is needed by the idle stabiliser then.

just want to help people in future, as if I would have known this, I could have bought a ignition coil and replaced it. That kind of investigation was obviously above me, especially on the side of the road, with a bit more time and a nice cozy garage, maybe I could have found it out. But in the end opted for the easy and more expensive professional route.

on side issue, I was told by another mechanic that this is similar to a Renault system:

Assuming it’s a petrol engine, Check that the plug is on the idle speed control and that it’s operating. The simple way to do this is to open the bonnet with the engine switched off, ask a friend to turn the ignition on, and listen. You should hear a buzzing or whirring sound for a couple of seconds, coming from close by the throttle housing. If there’s no noise, check the plug or the unit itself.