went to fill petrol 1 min later car wouldn't start

alanhiggyno1

hi strange thing just happened went to fill the car for work in morning.filled it with PETROL not diesel payed for it and now won't start.it's not the battery cos tried jumping it and it's turns over everytime.it just wants to start and nearly does but won't.I think myself it's cos it's -8 in Clare and car can't take it.it's a 99 astra too.wonder what it is.any help would be just great.thanks in advance

x in the city

have you anti freeze in her?

PMC999

same thing happened to me a couple of years ago. I was convinced it was something wrong with the petrol but it turned out to be a fuel pump problem

chucken1

Did you let it run very low? Maybe dirty petrol?
Or maybe water in the petrol?
Can you get a push or a tow,it might start.
Id be getting a note from the garage just in case its fcecked.

alanhiggyno1

alanhiggyno1 wrote: »

hi strange thing just happened went to fill the car for work in morning.filled it with PETROL not diesel payed for it and now won't start.....................I think myself it's cos it's -8 in Clare and car can't take it.it's a 99 astra too.

It's not the cold anyway, I presume you drove it to the petrol station.

alanhiggyno1

wer should antifreeze go.happened this morning but started bout 2 hours later so it's not immobliser problem anyway thank god.maybe it's just the cold.

x in the city

fuel pump, if its turning but starting...

the fuel pump is the first port of call, if the pump cant pump petrol into the engine...it wont start.


after that, there is the alternator, battery, and a fuse to worry about in terms of the car not starting

and the immobiliser, but i dont think this is the cause considering the year

acer_2010

alanhiggyno1 wrote: »

wer should antifreeze go.happened this morning but started bout 2 hours later so it's not immobliser problem anyway thank god.maybe it's just the cold.

You have to the drain the water system and fill it back up with a mixture of anti-freeze and water. I think the mix ratio is 25:1, somebody please correct me asap if I'm wrong!

alanhiggyno1

maybe fuel pump is frozen??she so nearly starts but wont..where does antifreeze go in 99 astra anyway

neosiek

Put some white spirit in to your tank. It should mix petrol with water if is any in your tank. Also will clean whole fuel system

Tom Slick

PMC999 wrote: »

. . . it turned out to be a fuel pump problem

Quite possible on an Astra, get someone to hit the bottom of the fuel tank with a mallet or other blunt object while you turn the engine over, might shock it back into life (temporary fix only).

alanhiggyno1

but its so strange.the car was been driven for bout 15 mins b4 i got petrol and when i went to start the car it wouldnt.even my dad said that.at least i was close to home and not miles away anyway

the merchant

Try starting it with the filler cap open. Could be a blocked tank breather, fuel pump unable to take fuel from the tank if there's no air to replace it.

If this doesn't work I'd go along with the fuel pump itself. If you were driving it for 15mins prior to the fill up it's nothing to do with anti-freeze as the coolant would be warm by then.

alanhiggyno1

ya i know but maybe it will start 2moro..its totally wrong time for this to happen with the kids last day b4 xmas at school too and i just dont have the money

stevenmu

Was it literally straight after filling i.e. you came back out after paying and car wouldn't start? If so it shouldn't be the petrol as it would start from the fuel already in the lines, not what just went in the tank. With bad petrol from the pump you'd usually make some distance before it kicks in.

alanhiggyno1

yes it was straight away after filling...as i said it happened this morning and i got it goin by turning it over each time...

W.Shakes-Beer

The coolant reservoir on a Mk4 (98-04) Astra is the big clearish tank on the passenger side of engine bay, the coolant should be up to the line when the engine is cold, above the line it should say "KALT" on the reservoir.

alanhiggyno1

it is with up to level

alanhiggyno1

with water only tho i think cos i put it in myself

Tom Slick

Water at -10 degrees is usually ice.

alanhiggyno1

even under bonnet when car is already warm..i dunno??

Tom Slick

Well unless you keep the car running 24/7 or it lives in a heated garage, it will have frozen up at some stage unless it has the correct coolant mix.

If you only added water to what was already there (assuming it was correct), it may not have thinned it out to the point where it would freeze (yet).

alanhiggyno1

ok thanks a million for that tip

neosiek

It seems your fuel pomp may be broken. You should check this if you know how, it may happened against cold weather.

sogood

acer_2010 wrote: »

You have to the drain the water system and fill it back up with a mixture of anti-freeze and water. I think the mix ratio is 25:1, somebody please correct me asap if I'm wrong!

The coolant/antifreeze mix should be 50/50, so to fill your system, you buy half the amount of antifreeze that you systems capacity is.

Tom Slick

The coolant mix is whatever the manufacturer recomends to protect down to a given temperature, not some generic '50/50' figure.
Some coolant comes ready to use.

FREDNISMO

The little chip thats on your key may have being dislodged if this was the case than your engine woulnt start

Tails142

His engine is turning over and people are asking him about his coolant?

Also people mentioning battery and alternator even though he says its turning over no problem... what's the world coming to.

Most likely causes to me, are an immobiliser fault, either on keys or in car unit or as also said the fuel pump. Did you check the fuses?

Forget about the coolant for now

alanhiggyno1

immobliser seems fine on keys.does what its supposed to do and fuses seem ok and no light is on dash when it turns over it just normal when starts but wont.how much is fuel pumb anyway

snowman707

not familiar with the car but has exactly the same situation with a primera

crankshaft sensor failure , cutting off power to the fuel pump, don't know if it's relevant to the op's car though

michael999999

Same problem i had with my 99 astra last year. It turned out to be the fuel pump. Trust me it will break your heart if you dont get it done, its a cheap enough fix. My one packed in outside the A + E of Crumlin childrens hospital.

If it happens lift up the back seat and youll see the pump, hit it a few taps!! Worked for me.

Biglad

Great thread for "expert" advice as mentioned in previous post. With the level of knowledge of the OP I would ecommend to take it to somebody who knows what to look at and stop guessing. Fuel pump likely culprit.

Muckie

Best to get it checked out, its possible it could be crank sensor(there not

great in the cold), coils, O2 sensor or fuel pump. Find a local mechanic and

get it checked just incase it gets worse. Good luck.

Tom Slick

Biglad wrote: »

Great thread for "expert" advice . . .

I labeled my fuel pump fix as "temporary" & it's good enough for the guys in some of the emergency call-out vans.

Owen

Has no one suggested the basics yet? Like checking for a spark, checking for fuel coming into the engine ...

Biglad

Tom Slick wrote: »

I labeled my fuel pump fix as "temporary" & it's good enough for the guys in some of the emergency call-out vans.

Wasn't directed at you Slick, I had to laugh about the electrickery suggestions offered earlier on

Try turning the key 1 click until the dashboard lights come on etc but not enough to start the car and leave it like this for a minute to make sure the pump has got the fuel to the engine,then try starting her.

alanhiggyno1

anyway found out it was fuel pump as I thought and won't have part till Tuesday so can't even visit 2moro unless I'm collected and brought home again.anyway the boards does it again..thx and happy Xmas

Tom Slick

Good to hear it's something fairly straightforward, same happened an Astra I used to own.

MajorMax

It's the Christmas blues. Your car thinks you've forgotten about her. Get her something nice for Chrimbo and she'll be fine:P