Can't start...

[Dennis]

Hey,

Need some help. I've got a 1.6 Brava '96, which just suddenly won't start. It's been running perfectly until today.
When i turn the key I can hear the fuelpump running for a few seconds and the starter is turning fine, but the engine won't start.

I tried with a different battery and that didn't do anything (just to rule that out). The car just had a major service job done a few months ago - so sparkplugs, cambelt and everything is new.

Any ideas for what i should try out?

I think it might be the fuelfilter or pump (i don't think they changed the filter, but i just can't image that a filter would do that unless it's totally clocked).

 

[Tom]

You checked the fuel cutoff switch?

 

[Dennis]

Yep - tried that too. Should the button be pressed when the car is turned on or? Tried both though.

Also - the injection system light does switch off after a few seconds, so the ecu isn't registering anything wrong.

The starter turns and it almost sounds like the engine is going to fire.

Crap.. ;-/

I just searched through the forum and i found a post about a guy who couldn't start his car either. The day before he had moved it a few meters and turned it off right after - which left the engine flooded. I did the same thing yesterday - move the car a little and turned it off. Could it be that the engine is flooded? And how do i fix that in an easy way?

Thanks,

Dennis

 

[Tom]

Foot all the way down on the throttle and crank it over.

 

[Dennis]

Ok, going to try that tomorrow - it's too late now ;-(

I've more or less got i down to the following posibilities:

1. Flooding of the engine.

2. Fuelfilter bad. (why did they put it under the car - makes it hell to change).

3. Fuelpump bad (don't think so - can hear it building pressure for a few seconds when i turn the key).

4. ECU/imm. problem (will try giving it 30 mins off the battery before starting it tomorrow - i read someone had a problem with the immobiliser doing strange things - will also try with the red key). I just fitted new dials, so i had the battery on and off several times - might have confused the ecu a bit.. ;-/ (btw, the new dials looks really nice - will post a pic soon )

5. According to the Haynes it could be cylinder compressions - i hope this isn't the case, as i probably can't fix this myself.


Any other ideas?

 

[Tom]

Unlikely to be the filter, it would run and die if it was.

The code light would stay on if it was the immobiliser.

 

[Anonymous]

Was it warm when you tried to restart it?

Daz

 

[Dennis]

Cold... hadn't been used for a day.

 

[Tom]

The 1.6 ECU does this occasionally, it doesn't realise its been a long time since it last started and floods. The 2004 1.4 polo suffers the same thing.

 

[Dennis]

Just to finish this...

I seems that it was the engine being flooded. Took about 1 minute and an extra battery and it finally fired up.

Runs great again...

Thanks for the help everybody!