Hi guys,

Was looking for some ideas on how to fix my yummy Sporting 1.6.

I ran low on petrol for the first time since owning it the other day. I thought everything was ok until I left it sitting for 48 hours before trying to start it. Nothing! I don't know what I would be listening for but it seems like the fuel pump isn't priming.

My mind says that possibly the crap from the bottom of the tank might have made it's way into the fuel line/fuel pump but then I wouldn't know how to resolve this.

The immobiliser light goes out, the injector light stays on (which is correct on a 90-Sporting) but having checked the injector pipe (the one that feeds fuel to the injector bar), when you turn the engine over, no fuel is pumped through the pipe!

HELP!!

Thanks guys

Yes, most likely a clogged pump, try whacking the petrol tank with your hand while someone cranks the car?
Otherwise it's removing it to clean it

So it's a case of banging the tank not the pump? I heard it may also be a fuel pump relay issue.....any other ideas?

Pump is built into the tank, unless the 1.6 is different.

Ummmmm.....there is something under the rear seats that has the fuel sensor plugged into it. but the tank is at the back of the car. Is the thing under the seat not the pump?

That's it so pretty rubbish if the tank is brimmed. There's one on ebay if you need a "new" pump.

Well I'm not to be trusted around things like that lol. It doesn't seem to prime the pump at ignition which seems to push me towards the relay but I'm not sure...

It ran of of petrol now refuses to prime. Coincidence is unusual but we like to delude ourselves. Check the fuses and relays and then clean or if necessary change the fuel pump/filter unit.

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_...nkw=punto+fuel+pump&_sacat=See-All-Categories

my god, i forgot how useful forums are. Thanks for all the help so far. My wife doesn't trust me around the car so I'll have to wait til my dad is back around then try all the things. I'll keep you posted! by the way, does anyone know how to remove the fuel pump/filter unit if req'd?

Remove it from under the seat. Just my mum owns a renault scenic and it refused to start the other day. I went round to see and I'm not sure how that engine works but there was no spark when I pulled the plug. Although she decided to ring AA anyways. So he came round before I got it going, spent just over an hour tapping at things and shining a torch at it attempting again and again.
Then he read a memo on his computery mebob. GHot me to crank the engine has he whacked the petrol tank and VOILA! It started!

ok, so we have an update. My dad and i toiled over the car for a while today and found that when turning the key to MAR the pump doesn't prime. We took the pump out and firing 12v across it made the pump work straight away. I am off to swap the relays in the morningso i hope that this may resolve the issue but when i swapped the injector and pump relays over nothing primed either. Checked all the fuses and they are all whole. Any other ideas?

I did the same sort of stuff when my old horn packed up.

I had a used spare, tried it across the battery, beep beep, good to go. Fitted it, tried the horn button - nothing. But the horn is ok (oh yes) so spent ages checking relays, wiring, etc and it turned out the "new" horn was the problem.

Brand new horn and everything worked fine.

Might be a contrary pump all along

Might be. But I sspect something a little deeper. The immobiliser light goes out when the key is in so I assume it is not that that i stopping the signal to the fuel pump. I guess I can only hope that it is the relays. Otherwise I'm stuck paying garage prices to get it fixed and I only paid £400 for the car! *cries*

I had mobile auto sparkie look at a Merc Vito van. It turned out to be the immobiliser and he knew all the tricks to get around it. Cost me £25 and he must have been there an hour.

For all the shout about German engineering that Vito really wasn't up to much.

Priming the pump with no fuel in it can overheat it so be careful with it out

Hey could that be the cause? Dry fuel tank - trying to start the car - overheated pump?

Hi mate,

Have you checked the emergency fuel interupter switch has not popped up?

Alan

a1ant said:

Hi mate,

Have you checked the emergency fuel interupter switch has not popped up?

Alan

Click to expand...

Ahh I forgot about that aswell. I know the mk1 has it but does the mk2 have one? I don't ever remember seeing it.

I know you have the mk1 though

yeah, we've always been careful just to jet it quickly. Just as a theory, if the immobiliser light goes out on the dash, does that definately mean that the immobiliser is off? A major problem would be if it was the immobiliser as I don't have the red key (perks of getting a 4th hand motor)

the switch next to the passenger seat seems clicked in but then again I've never seen it popped up to know if it's down. I've tried pressing it and noting happens.