Anyone advise on a 1.7 diesel Astra issue?

[andymc]

hi all,
its an astra 1.7 diesel on a 2004 I'm having issues with, car has been fine but now refusing to start, it turns over but just won't catch and fire up, no engine codes or issues prior, fuel gauge showing a quarter of a tank, anything obvious before I start cracking injectors to see whats going on?

thanks
Andy

[Willy Nilly]

Glow plugs

[daemon]

Willy Nilly said:

Glow plugs

At this time of the year it should start eventually even if there is a glowplug fault.

[andymc]

Do these have the glow plug light come up?

[Willy Nilly]

daemon said:

Willy Nilly said:

Glow plugs

At this time of the year it should start eventually even if there is a glowplug fault.

Maybe, but it's 10 years old, they don't get any easier to start with age and they are a quick and cheap thing to check.

[Liquid Knight]

Try the heating plug cycle (turning the key until the light goes out on the dash) a couple or few times. After a couple of heats the engine should (in theory) fire up if the plugs are on their way out, if they're completely unresponsive then it could be another electrical issue. Also second and/or third heat shouldn't take as long if they are on their way out, just as long every time they're Vauxhall'd.

My mate had his car off the road for a month waiting for a new set of glow plugs to arrive but when he went to fit them he noticed the top engine mount had shaken loose and pulled the live terminal off the glow plug rail.

[andymc]

Got it to start after a bit but then it cut out, could it be fuelling?

[Liquid Knight]

Air lock in the fuel line maybe. Is the engine the old Isuzu common rail with a valve at the end or the direct injection jobbie?

Turn the key and hold the valve open if it the older type until there is only fuel coming out, then try to start.

If it's direct injection the only way I can think of (understand I hate Diesel as much as GM Europe so am no expert) is to keep turning the car over until all the air is out.

Have you recently ran out or been close to empty?

[Liquid Knight]

Oh another thing. If you have a build up of crap in your filter it could be acting as a valve shutting fuel off once the engine is running. I found bits of plastic in my X1/9 petrol filter where a plastic Jerry can had been cross threaded.

[andymc]

Could it be the fuel pump? unsure what engine it is if im honest? its in the facelift model

[andymc]

Liquid Knight said:

Air lock in the fuel line maybe. Is the engine the old Isuzu common rail with a valve at the end or the direct injection jobbie?

Turn the key and hold the valve open if it the older type until there is only fuel coming out, then try to start.

If it's direct injection the only way I can think of (understand I hate Diesel as much as GM Europe so am no expert) is to keep turning the car over until all the air is out.

Have you recently ran out or been close to empty?

no always had fuel in

[imagineifyeswill]

What diagnostics are you using to check for codes, may need Vauxhall Tech2, very common problem on these engine is the EDC unit.

[andymc]

Just a very basic OBD2 reader

[catman]

Hi, a work colleague recently had the same problem. the garage said that it was the cam position sensor.

Tim

[andymc]

Had the same fault on a picasso diesel, onwards and upwards etc! thought it would have flagged an EML on

[Muntu]

Could be the fuel return pipes from the injectors cracking and letting air into the system? is it fine once started?

[andymc]

Muntu said:

Could be the fuel return pipes from the injectors cracking and letting air into the system? is it fine once started?

no cuts out shortly after starting

[t400ble]

EDU on back of pump used to be an issue

[kiethton]

Had this with my 2007 sporthatch, but only for hot starts...suspected the cam position sensor but traded it in as it had half a million things wrong!

[andymc]

I'll let you all know tomorrow and thanks