Car not starting...

[Ferret]

Well, I had the car towed to the mechanic Sunday as I couldn't really leave it there longer, and didn't want to pay for two tows if it wasn't something I could fix at home.

Got the car back tuesday. Was told he found a loose electrical connection, bled the fuel system, and that my fuel gauge was optimistic in its reading. Not sure how low my tank was, but I know it had gas in it.

All was fine until today when it failed to start at the store again. Thinking I'd check the electrical connection I took off the access panel in the trunk (I've since learned this is just for the fuel level sender) and basically jiggled the wire, and then the car started, ran fine, and has since started just fine 5 more times. So, I'm pretty much back at the start, although it's now apparent this is something intermittent.

Thinking it might be the fuel filter, not sure when it was last changed as I've only had the car since June, so I'm going to do that in the next couple days. Possible the tank got low and some water got into the system? My mechanic said he bled the fuel system, but I don't know if that would include draining the tank or not...

So I'm fairly lost again, but at least I now have a photo of my car getting towed -_-

The mechanic will have 'bled' the fuel system because when you kicked over the engine and it fired, it's sucked all the fuel out of the lines that was static.

Allegedly - these cars are supposed to self bleed

Take the connector off the fuel tank connection, give it a scrape and a spray of contact cleaner and she'll probably be fine till the day she goes to the great scrapyard in the sky :P

[Travis_WA]

I did clean the connection in the trunk, which didn't look bad. The bentley seemed to indicate the connection is just for the fuel level. Does it power the pump as well? Even though the car started after I jiggled it, I'm not convinced it was the problem. Just got a new fuel filter and going to put that in after work tomorrow.

[Dave M]

I did clean the connection in the trunk, which didn't look bad. The bentley seemed to indicate the connection is just for the fuel level. Does it power the pump as well? Even though the car started after I jiggled it, I'm not convinced it was the problem. Just got a new fuel filter and going to put that in after work tomorrow.

I haven't read the whole thread (shame on me), but can tell you that the power supply travels through the wiring harness you access in the trunk (really, where else would it get power ).

I had a lengthy thread on this, but can't find it. Anyhow, here are some pics.





The power supply is the BR/OR (brown/orange) in the beautifull diagram and the bottom right (corroded) terminal in the second pic.

Dave

[Travis_WA]

Thanks! Seems I overlooked the next page of the bentley. Makes me a feel a bit better about it actually being the wire I jigged causing the issue, although the connection really did look pretty good. Still going to change out the fuel filter this weekend, and test the power usage of the fuel pump as per the bentley's instructions, just to be sure the fuel pump is good.

For the fuel filter: I got new hose clamps in case I need to replace the old ones, and plan on starting the car with the fuel pump fuse pulled to de-pressurize the fuel lines. Anything else I should be aware of?

Bit irked that in my mechanic's thorough testing of the electrical connections it appears he didn't check the one in the trunk....

[Ferret]

For the fuel filter: I got new hose clamps in case I need to replace the old ones, and plan on starting the car with the fuel pump fuse pulled to de-pressurize the fuel lines. Anything else I should be aware of?

If I were you, I'd disconnect the fuel hose at the tank access panel before removing the filter - the filter is at one of the lowest points in the whole fuel system, there's always the slight risk that you'll start syphoning fuel out of the tank

Expect quite a lot of fuel to run out of the lines - I'd get a coke bottle or the like to stuff the end of the hose in when you first disconnect it at the fuel filter!

[Travis_WA]

If I were you, I'd disconnect the fuel hose at the tank access panel before removing the filter - the filter is at one of the lowest points in the whole fuel system, there's always the slight risk that you'll start syphoning fuel out of the tank

Expect quite a lot of fuel to run out of the lines - I'd get a coke bottle or the like to stuff the end of the hose in when you first disconnect it at the fuel filter!

I take it just clamping the hose would be a bad idea?

[Dave M]

I take it just clamping the hose would be a bad idea?

No, thats fine. You'll always get a few drops, but nothing too messy.
'De-pressurize' the fuel system by removing the fuel pump relay and running the engine till it dies.

Dave

[Travis_WA]

Okay, so I changed the filter out last night. Went well except the super-soaker spray of fuel for a few seconds.

Didn't think to blow through the new filter for comparison but the old one did take some (not a lot) of effort to blow through, and the throttle response seems improved now.

No idea if this could have been the issue... Think i'll probably wait and see if the car continues to start as I'm running out of things to test.

Thanks for the help everyone!

[Travis_WA]

Alright. So I got out the DMM tonight and started testing more stuff, still not satisfied. The connection for the positive in the connector in the trunk seems to go to ground (has .1 resistance to ground). Relay is pulled from the e-box. Bit new to using the DMM. Anyway. I have no idea where to start looking for a short in the wiring harness, it disappears into the chassis there and I assume is one of the cables under the rear seat.

Any ideas?