[D J Fryer]

So she's (Y plate V6 Cup, 101K miles) been covered up for a couple of months, battery disconnected (one of those thumbwheel 'switches') and since it was dry over the weekend I thought I would try to start her Friday eve. Amazingly she started (I had expected to need to charge the battery) so I moved her about on the drive and thought I would look forward to driving her over the weekend.

Went to start her Saturday afternoon (to pop to the local brewery to collect rugby beer!) and she wouldn't fire and, in my attempts to do so, I flattened the battery. She was low on fuel too. I thought that charging the battery overnight would do no harm so hooked up the c-tek charger I have with the battery in-situ. Connected the positive terminal and the negative to the negative terminal but then read the c-tek manual and it said to connect the negative to the chassis. So I did. Filled her with fuel from a jerry can and left her to charge over night.

Sunday morning. She turns over briskly (since the battery is now fully charged) but does not fire. Orange engine light on dash stays on. Any help diagnosing where to start? Have I blown something in charging the battery in situ? Did momentarily connecting the negative charge clamp to the negative terminal (rather than the chassis as the manual suggests) cause something to blow?

I checked the inertia fuel cut off in the passenger footwell already as I thought it was a fuel supply issue but it is not even firing and has fuel in it so I think it might be ignition rather than fuel? I disconnected the battery for half an hour in an attempt to 'reset' things too. No luck.

Any help narrowing down things to start checking? Ta in advance Monday morning'ers!

 

[spankdanny]

Do you mean immobiliser code light or engine management light?

 

[D J Fryer]

Do you mean immobiliser code light or engine management light?

engine management light

 

[spankdanny]

Shouldn't do any harm charging in situ as long as key was out of ignition switch. I've done it on mine many times. Best is to plug in to the diagnostic port to narrow down the problem.

 

[D J Fryer]

Cheers spankdanny.....Sounds like that is the case...I have the cable and software from resetting the airbag light but need to remember how to connect now as that was used quite some time ago.....!

 

[D J Fryer]

Got a stable connection in Multiecuscan but then it seems to want me to pay 50EUR to register it to get access to the ECU. I've tried to connect with DnEcuDiag (which I understand is free for ECU access) but it frequently disconnects before it can do much like read error codes......any help with the settings I need to use in Device Configuration in the application or might that not be the problem?

 

[alfabeat]

Are you sure there is enough petrol in her? I'd be tempted to put another 5 litres in to rule that out. I had a similar issue - ran low on fuel, put 5 litres in but still wouldn't start. Another 5 litres later and she started. Are you on a slope at all?

 

[spankdanny]

Got a stable connection in Multiecuscan but then it seems to want me to pay 50EUR to register it to get access to the ECU. I've tried to connect with DnEcuDiag (which I understand is free for ECU access) but it frequently disconnects before it can do much like read error codes......any help with the settings I need to use in Device Configuration in the application or might that not be the problem?

DnEcuDiag has not been updated for years. I found it works on my old Vista laptop but continually disconnects on a windows 7 one.

 

[Henrik_45]

You can also connect with a free version of MultiECUscan.
The limitations of the free version are described on the webpage.

Multiecuscan - Diagnostics software for Italian cars

 

[D J Fryer]

So connected the paid up version of MES at the weekend and no error codes at all; I created a MAF sensor error (when I disconnected it) and the error did not reappear when connected back up and cleared. I am truly stumped (doesn't take much). Any other ideas guys?

The unit I have circled on the photo (attached below - not my engine BTW!) whirs when I turn to MAR - don't know whether this is normal or not?

 

[Henrik_45]

The unit you have circled on the picture is the throttle stepper motor, it do whirs a bit when ignition is set to MAR

Just to sum up.
Do your immobilizer code light turn on and goes out after a short time?

If code turn on and but don't turn off after a short while you might have a problem with your immobilizer box.

If it turn off after a short while then try the following now you have a paid copy of MES (in the following I assume your ECU is ME3.1)
Connect to the ECU and try the to activate the different actuators step by step.
Especially the fuel pump to see if it runs
Else try the different parameters to see if you get a proper signal from the crankshaft and cam shaft sensor or anything else that is needed to start the engine.

 

[alfabeat]

Have you put more petrol in it yet? I'd bung 10 litres in to make sure it's not something so simple....

 

[D J Fryer]

Henrik - code light goes off; just the orange engine symbol stays on. Will hook her up and run through what you suggest.

alfabeat - I did put an extra jerry can in at the weekend but will put another in this evening to make the 10l and see if that helps.....would love for it to be that simple.

cheers both

 

[D J Fryer]

After a few weeks out of the country and Bella having a holiday on the drive undercover I put more fuel in - it didn't help. Any leftfield ideas before I have to bite the bullet and get it transported to someone who can diagnose?

 

[AnthonyJohn]

Have you thought about the possibility of transponder issues ??, do you have the 'master' key ??

 

[D J Fryer]

Just an update to this in case it helps fellow searchers. I ended up taking the battery out of the car and putting it through a Ctek rcondition charge. Put the battery back in and she started first time. Now I 'think' the issue relates somehow to transponder/immobiliser as she fired no problem whereas before she just wouldn't fire despite turning over well. The code light wasn't on before but who knows. Anyway been blasting about in her and she's making me smile again :biglaugh:

 

[spankdanny]

Good news. The battery needs to be tip top. Being where it is, there is probably 10 ft of cable between it and the starter, so a lot of current drop which affects what's left over for all the other electronics.

 

[CGTVs]

That's why I always have a jump pack(or 3), every 'home' should have one, saves a lot of messing about, waiting for battery to charge & scratching of head(s)!

Clive