Car won't start!

woody71

Afternoon folks,
Last wee k i drove car down to get Petrol, after filling up i went to start it and it started and then just stopped, when i tried again it trying to start but would not just start, i tried to jump start it but nothing, i left it over night and the next morning when i went to tow it to garage i tried it before towing it and it started! it had been grand all week but when i got home today i got out of it for about an hour and went to start it again and nothing just clicking over.
It's a 03 Opel Vectra

Cheensbo

What type of car is it woody?

Give as much information as possible in order to get a somewhat accurate response.

Ded_Zebra

What engine? Petrol or diesel?

If memory serve some of these have ECU issues and won;t run when hot. Perhaps someone else can confirm.

nd

Is the engine light on? Even if not there might be an intermittent code stored.

Vic_08

woody71 wrote: »

Afternoon folks,
Last wee k i drove car down to get Petrol, after filling up i went to start it and it started and then just stopped, when i tried again it trying to start but would not just start, i tried to jump start it but nothing, i left it over night and the next morning when i went to tow it to garage i tried it before towing it and it started! it had been grand all week but when i got home today i got out of it for about an hour and went to start it again and nothing just clicking over.
It's a 03 Opel Vectra

Does that mean when you turn the key there is just a loud click or is the engine turning but not starting?

visual

Battery or starter would be logical guess

Fast Clicking would indicate that battery is discharged and only enough power to trigger starter solenoid but not enough to turn starter motor.

woody71

just clicking

Stephenc66

Also check that the connections at the battery terminals are tight and if possible the connections on the starter. A lose or part broken connection will also result in just a click when you try to start the car and can be intermittent.

woody71

somebody said Crankshaft!!

imnorobot

woody71 wrote: »

somebody said Crankshaft!!

I would guess they said crankshaft sensor as some opels suffer from crank sensor issues when the engine is hot
and one of the symptoms of this was while cranking the rev counter did not move

But I would also guess they could be wrong as your just getting a clicking from the solenoid sounds to me like just a duff battery not enough juice

Has it still got the original battery by any chance

When the engine is running is the battery light on ?


Do you have breakdown cover
Let them come out and check for you

woody71

No engine light showing, head lights are still full, but it won't start on a jump!

imnorobot

Does it turn over when jumping ?

woody71

it does, but won't start

imnorobot

Did you leave it for a few mins after connecting the jump leads as the battery could be drained

Not questioning your mechanical skills :-)

did you leave the engine running in the other car

Are you sure you have a good connection on the jump leads you sometimes need to scratch the battery terminals a little with the leads to get a good connection


what engine is in it do you know

woody71

the engine is 1.6
When it happened last week, it would not start on a jump, but when i went to start it the next day it started straight away, and when i got home from work yesterday i went to start it a half an hour later and nothing

imnorobot

woody71 wrote: »

the engine is 1.6
When it happened last week, it would not start on a jump, but when i went to start it the next day it started straight away, and when i got home from work yesterday i went to start it a half an hour later and nothing

When you crank it does the rev counter move at all

woody71

Did'nt notice