Starting problems

Jim100

I have a '94 Astra which has been serviced about 3000 miles ago (new fan belt, timing belt, oil change & filter change). In the last couple of weeks out of about 40 times I've started it, it has failed about 4 times - the motor is turning alright but it just doesn't start. Each time, after between 2-10 minutes, it's eventually started. Like a lot of folks I rely on my car every day & can't risk being let down some morning. I talked to the guy in the Opel dealers & he says that unless it won't start for him when he tries it, it could be a few different things & I may end up wasting my money on labour, parts that I don't need etc - fair enough of him to be straight with me I think. I'd appreciate any advice/thoughts.

ando

well i've moved from driving a diesel to petrol and i've had trouble sometimes starting my car engine. Usually the thing that gets it going is steping on the accelerator twice before turning the key in the ignition, then slightly when turning the ignition

Clintons Cat

when you say the motor is turning do you mean it sounds like it is about to fire up but then splutters out or do you mean the starter motor is turning over but nothing is happening?

Jim100

Yeah - the starter motor is turning alright no probs but then nothing happens. Eventually if I keep at it though it has started eventually. I'm just not sure what the best thing to do is i.e. should I wait for it to get bad (maybe not starting most of the time) & then take it to the dealer or something else?

ozpass

Here's a couple of suggestions that made a difference with my POS '87 Vauxhall Nova (a good few years back!). They assume that your car has (a) 'Mechanical' ignition i.e. uses a distributor to direct the spark and (b) a carburettor as opposed to fuel injection.

(a) Get a plastic bag (large sandwich bag is perfect), cut a hole in the bottom and stick it over the distributor. Close it tight either end with elaccy bands. This (obviously) keeps water out of the distributor (condensation can gather underneath the bonnet and dribble in) and is a better long term solution than repeated blasting with WD40. N.B. This is more a solution to your car cutting out when the weather is extremely wet.....

(b) Don't press the accelerator when you first turn the key in the ignition. Most carbs (Dellorto and Weber) have a feature called an 'accelerator pump' which delivers a large squirt of fuel when the throttle is pressed sharply. It's designed to improve pick-up when accelerating from low revs in a high gear. Starting from cold this feature can flood the engine quite easily and effectively. If you have flooded the engine ('flooding' occurs when the plugs are wet with fuel and can't spark) press the accelerator to the floor v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y and spin the starter for a good few seconds to help dry the plugs.

Might help.......:)

Jim100

Cheers for the advice folks though I had forgotten to mention that the 3 or 4 times that it did happen in the last few weeks, the car wasn't cold - each time it had been used about an hour (or less) before.

ozpass

OK (racks brain for previous experiences of hot start problems....)

Again, assuming it's running a carb....

Try tapping the side of the carb (carefully!!!!) with a small hammer or large-ish ring spanner. I once had a problem where dirt in the float chamber (little reservoir of fuel on the bottom of the carb) was sticking open the float valve. The result of this was that the fuel pump was pumping straight into the float chamber, straight through and into the venturi where it duly p1ssed down the inlet manifold and flooded the engine. Tapping the side freed the valve and it closed properly. Rebuilding the carb is the long term solution to this little chestnut.

Basically it boils down to 2 things: Problems with the fuel, or problems with the electrics.

If it's a problem with yer sparks it can be a bugger to track down but will (usually) be cheap or easy to fix. Fuel problems are the inverse of this!

You can buy little lights that connect to each of the HT leads (sit between lead and plug) to check if you're getting sparks (*****DO NOT TOUCH HT LEADS WHEN ENGINE IS TURNING OVER- YOU'LL GET A NASTY SHOCK****) If you aren't, even on the lead going into the centre of the dizzy, the coil might be breaking down (get a new one) or there might be a loose connection on an earth somewhere.

The simplest way to diagnose a possible fuel problem is to smell/look at the colour of the exhaust. Should be dark grey (light grey-lean running i.e. not enough fuel.....black- rich running i.e. too much). A strong stink of petrol also indicates no sparks, but tells you petrol is at least getting into the combustion chambers.

I could witter about possible causes all day but I'm unlikely to solve your problem! If you live in Cork you can bring it round my gaff and I'll have a look at it for you.

Jim100

Cheers for that,
I also forgot to say that (so far anyway) it runs grand when it does start. The guy from the garage was talking on the phone about possibly needing a new 'trigger box' or even a new distributor (Yikes!!). But obviously they don't know until it happens when they are looking at it. I'll try those things you were saying though - i don't know much about cars so I probably won't have a clue how to do some of the stuff but cheers anyway. Should I wait until it gets worse to bring it in do you think? As long as I can get it going if it doesn't start the 1st few times I'll be ok. Any tips besides what was mentioned earlier about 2 pumps of the accelerator before turning the key?

Chimaera

Check that the fuel pump is getting fuel to the engine - if it's a 94 car, odds on it's using electronic fuel injection of some sort. When you're starting the engine, turn the ignition switch to position 2 and listen for a quiet hum which lasts for about 2 seconds - this is the fuel pump priming the injection system before the engine starts.

Check your electrics carefully - I drive a '93 Escort that was having random starting trouble - sometimes it started, sometimes it didn't - generally, it'd keep running once it got started. It turned out to be a terminal failure of the fuseboard, and the fuseboard had to be replaced.

Another possible culprit is gremlins in the engine management system.

If you are near Limerick, I can give you the names of a few specialists who should be able to help you out - pm me if you want the details.

Jim100

Thanks all for your comments & suggestions & offers of help. I'm in Dublin though..It hasn't happened in 2 days now but I definitely need to get it sorted so cheers for all the good advice.

Jim100

Can anyone recommend a good mechanic in Dublin - preferably around Swords or as close as - to sort this problem out?

Hellrazer

Jim pm me and Ill give you the number of the Opel garage we deal with here.
It sounds like a fuel or ignition problem to me(More likely ignition though).Its not the starter since you can hear it turning over.Id say its probably an ignition coil-they give problems on that model and if you buy a genuine one it will set you back about €300 although a spurious one is about €180.
One question though--Is it only since the service was done.If so then the person who serviced it could have fu<ked up the job.
Hope this helps
Richie

Jim100

The guy that serviced it is reliable & I use him all the time. Trouble is, he's in Cork, where i'm from so I need to get someone reliable up here. Lot of cowboys out there. Will pm.

Runfree

Might be the Ecu Had that problem with my car it just wouldn't start/ Mechanics couldn't figure what was wrong