Just tried to start my car, but it's not starting.
It's turning over fine, and with lots of force, but not starting, it's like there isn't a spark or something. Any suggestions?

I really could do with it running for getting to a wedding tomorrow, and the MOT's due on Monday! Typical!

(It's '98 1.6)

Have you tried using the red key or another key if you have one? (it might have lost the code from the key)

I would check to see if you have spark...

also...do you know where your fuel cut off switch is? That may have popped.

Daz

Sounds like mine the same day I picked it up from the garage after a cambelt change.
Mechanic had damaged the crank sensor, don't know the correct name of the part, the sensor determines which cylinder to fire up first when starting the engine.

Nope, still doesn't start.
Tried the fuel cut-off button-(am I missing some trick with it- it didn't really feel like it pushed in much- does it pop up further if it is cut off, or am I just not pushing it hard enough?) And I tried the red key.Same reulsts (Surely there would have been an error message if it didn't like the code?)

Put your foot flat to the floor and crank the engine for 15-20 secs.

Otherwise try disconnecting the battery for 30mins or so.

Happened to me, turned out i had fuel

infact i lie, turned out i had no fuel

Is it turning over slowly,or gets slower the more you try?
Might it need a new battery..?

Just a thought

Peter

• I've got fuel,
• The Battery seems OK, as it turns the engine over with plenty of force, and doesn't seem to get slower (tho the interior light does dim)
• I've tried my foot flat to the floor,
• I've tried the fuel cut-off switch.
• I've left the battery off overnight,
• It worked when I last drove it!!!
• It hasn't had any tinkering under the bonnet recently.

Don't know what else to try.

I can't seem to find any jump leads, I guess that would be the best test of whether the battery was up to it.

I've just stuck a charger on the battery. I put it on for a few hours yesterday, and I have to say the charger still didn't say charging was complete. I'll try leaving it on all day today while I'm out and see if it works this evening. I guess the battery could have had it (tho it's only about 18 months old, and it's a high-power jobbie), but it does seem to turn the engine over OK. How long are batteries supposed to last?

If the engine is turning OK then a jump start or charging the batt won't help.

Sounds like a more fundemental fault.

Next time you try and start it, take a spark plug out AFTER you've tried and see if its wet with petrol.

OK, now that's just odd! Yesterday it wouldn't start for anything. Today it started!?!

It's not like it's ever been a tempremental car, it's never been bad at starting and has never broken down before at all.

But something I noticed the other day, was a really loud ticking noise that sounds like a tappet or something on an old car. Excuse my lack of technical knowledge, but is this what this noise could be? I take it this is a big job to get it to stop? It's sounding like a deisel!

This ticking wouldn't have had anything to do with why it wasn't starting would it??

where was the ticking noise coming from? Does it go away when the car is warm?

I've just given my car an oil change, as it's due a service, and to save some cash, thought I'd go through the checks myself.
After changing the filter, and putting back in just over 3.5l of oil (not quite the recommended 3.8 in case I over filled it) and letting it get up to temperature, the ticking faded away and it sounds like it's running really well now. I'll see if it ticks again when it's cold in the morning.

Thing is though, only 2.5 litres came out. (Oops)It's been ages since I checked the oil level, so I guess I let it run too low. Seems like that must have been the culprit for the noisey tappet.
Would that have also caused the car to refuse to start too? Some sort of engine protection system?

There is a ltr in the oil filter.

The noisy tappets would have been caused by your engine running on air as the filter re-primed.

A litre? The manual I have said (about oil capacities) 3.5 litres, 3.8 if replacing the filter too, hence the filter holfd 0.3l
The filter I was supplied was about an inch shorter than the one Fiat fitted last year with their service, so I recon it must hold less than half a litre, as my (ropey) manual says

OK, maybe 0.5ltr but its still a significant amount and it takes a finite time to refill the filter once you restart the car.

So why are you not using a Fiat filter? A smaller filter = less filter area = either less oil flow or less filtration = potentially bad things.

I just went to a motor factors and they looked up my car on their list and gave me the filter it specified.

Didn't think it'd make too much of a difference, just thought it'd need changin sooner than a larger one.