Dear John,
I own an 'N' reg Vauxhall Astra Diesel Estate 1.7 TD with an Isuzu engine (96,000 miles)
The car has been a great runner but over the last few months it has had 3 problems which I've listed with the hope someone might point me in the right direction (Point 1 is the most frustrating as it has left me stranded on occasions!).
1. Engine cut out
Starts but after driving for about 50 yds it stalls and then proves to be very difficult to start again (often running the battery flat!). For some reason this seems to only happen if I park on a slope or slight gradient however it has occasionally done this after parking overnight on level groundl (Doesn't happen if the car is warm or within say 3 hours of parking).
2. Lazy alternator
When I start the car the battery light remains on till I rev over 2500 revs then it goes out until the next restart of the engine. The belts have recently been changed.
3. Airbag light
The Airbag warning comes on when I'm cruising at around 3000 revs when warmed up.
Any ideas? Is point 1 related to the fuel filter or pump? Are points 2 and 3 related?
I plan to change my 'Glow Plugs' tomorrow
Many thanks,
Jim
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 14/12/2007 at 19:34
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Jim
Fault 1 is air getting in somewhere and letting the fuel drain back to the tank overnight. Once it starts, it pulls this air into the pump and.....
The air leak could be the leak-off hoses - they rot - or the injectors themselves; or the filter seals; or.....
Fault 2 is a wiring fault with the alternator - or the alt itself. That needs a good sparks to investigate - these systems are the most difficult and risky of any ever made. Don't try it yourself.
Fault 3 could be part of 2. Most likely a voltage code - possibly due to AC voltage from a blown alternator diode.
Forget the glow-plugs. Not them.
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Thanks Screwloose and others for the rapid responses :o)
Re point 1. Brilliant! The cracked hoses etc. seems to make toatal sense, I'll have a look in the morning for signs of fatigue.
Re point 2. I'll keep truckin' with the alternator as it's bearable compared to point 1
Re point 3. Make sure I don't crash whilst at 3000 revs as suggested by a guy at the pub.
Cheers,
Jim
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1: This could be that the fuel is draining back to the tank from the filter when the car's left for a while, and when you drive it the 50 yards you mention it's using the fuel that's in the filter/lines until it runs dry.
2: I had a similar problem with my old escort when started, it turned out to be a loose connection on the alternator
3: Could be a sensor or dodgy connection somewhere.
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Lightning fast Screwloose beats me to it:-)
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35 minutes? That's positively pedestrian by my normal standards - I was busy fixing a Renault DCi elsewhere....
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2. Used to be a characteristic of Bosch alternators.
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