CotswoldPhoto
New member
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2017
- Messages
- 4
- Points
- 2
Happy New Year folks, or at least it would be if my daughter's low mileage petrol 500 Lounge was not on its way on a flat bed back to me. Two months out of warranty and 6000 on the clock. Her poor little blue 'Bella'. She only passed her test a few weeks ago (the day after they started doing the new tests, first time).
It started as stuttering a lot on pull away, then cutting out and died a few miles later. There was no oil smoke from the exhaust.
It was the longest journey she had ever been on (50 miles to Milton Keynes), so I had checked the oil, lights, tyres, washer water and coolant before she set off. The engine oil was (at cold) just below the top mark and the coolant just under the full mark. It has been running for just over week since the last petrol fill up and was just over half full.
My next door neighbour (he works for Ford installing new engines under warranty all around the country) lent me his diagnostics reader, and we drove down to meet up with her. Plugged the reader in, but no error codes.
We left it for a couple of hours in the car park in front of Nandos and McDonalds to cool down.
Next checked the engine oil. Massively above the full mark and smells strongly of petrol. Coolant at the same mark as before. So, we suspected that the fuel system is leaking fuel into the sump. If it is left a while it will start and immediately cut out.
Is there a fuel pump/injection system likely to cause this (my neighbour seems to think it most likely, but he has no experience of this car, having worked for Ford for the last 20+ years)?
If it is most likely that, can it be repaired or does it need to be replaced? I have another friend who is a good mechanic (works in a local garage, but it is closed for the holidays, plus he is away for this coming week in sunny Spain), so I am trying to figure what needs to be done and what parts I might need (scrap yard crawling for a nearly new unit). Is anyone able to point me in the right direction?
Trevor
It started as stuttering a lot on pull away, then cutting out and died a few miles later. There was no oil smoke from the exhaust.
It was the longest journey she had ever been on (50 miles to Milton Keynes), so I had checked the oil, lights, tyres, washer water and coolant before she set off. The engine oil was (at cold) just below the top mark and the coolant just under the full mark. It has been running for just over week since the last petrol fill up and was just over half full.
My next door neighbour (he works for Ford installing new engines under warranty all around the country) lent me his diagnostics reader, and we drove down to meet up with her. Plugged the reader in, but no error codes.
We left it for a couple of hours in the car park in front of Nandos and McDonalds to cool down.
Next checked the engine oil. Massively above the full mark and smells strongly of petrol. Coolant at the same mark as before. So, we suspected that the fuel system is leaking fuel into the sump. If it is left a while it will start and immediately cut out.
Is there a fuel pump/injection system likely to cause this (my neighbour seems to think it most likely, but he has no experience of this car, having worked for Ford for the last 20+ years)?
If it is most likely that, can it be repaired or does it need to be replaced? I have another friend who is a good mechanic (works in a local garage, but it is closed for the holidays, plus he is away for this coming week in sunny Spain), so I am trying to figure what needs to be done and what parts I might need (scrap yard crawling for a nearly new unit). Is anyone able to point me in the right direction?
Trevor