[crib]

Hi guys, recently bought a 1999 1.0 12v as a non-runner, the car is in really good nick for it's age and has very low miles. The dealer we bought it off said it was running perfectly until they steam cleaned the engine bay in preparation to sell it, since then it has refused to start. I put a new battery on it and it turned over great however there was no spark at plugs or fuel at the fuel rail, I changed the crank shaft sensor thinking it may be that but still nothing. I've checked for 12 volts at fuel pump; coil pack & ecu plugs - nothing!! Thought it might be immobiliser issue but by what I gather off this forum the eml light usually flashes when cranking engine if it is immobiliser related????. I found a purple relay by the glovebox which I presume is for the fuel pump, this has power on both red cables regardless of the ignition being on or off, tried linking cables with relay removed, fuel pump didn't run but sounded like something clicking at throttle body. Any ideas gratefully accepted otherwise I may attack it with a gallon of petrol and a match!!!!

 

[taurus]

It won't be a simple immobiliser issue as that doesn't cut the sparks - also, the protocol for the fuel pump is that it will run a priming squirt when the ignition is first turned on, then go off until the crankshaft sensor tells the ECU the engine is turning. So you'd still get pressure at the fuel rail before cranking the engine.

If you buy yourself Opcom and connect your laptop to the car you can remotely trigger the fuel pump relay which is always handy in this kind of situation.

Since the ECU is mounted to the right (as you look into the engine bay) of the inlet manifold & throttle body assembly I'd suspect that when they steamed cleaned it they got moisture into the ECU. It would be worth removing it, open it up and leave it somewhere warm and dry for a while - it may be salvagable. If not it's a new ECU, and remember to get the key chips and transponder to match.

 

[crib]

Thanks for the reply Taurus, I've removed the ecu and taken the back off, there didnt seem to be any sign of water ingress at all. I did leave it overnight in the airing cupboard just in case, cleaned ecu plugs with contact cleaner spray, refitted it but still nothing. Just one more question - surely there should be 12 volts on one of the pins on the ecu plugs, (I think I read somewhere pin 28) but no power on any of them, just want to make sure as I dont fancy shelling out for ecu, imobilisor, key etc if it could be something more basic - ie. wiring problem etc.

 

[ibysmalls]

Behind the glove box there is a relay, if you bridge it with certain pins ( I will pull out info tonight) you can manually turn the fuel pump on with a switch connected to it. If that doesn't work then Check the wiring.

 

[crib]

Thanks Chocolate, already removed fuel pump relay from behind glovebox - there is power on both red wires, I linked live cables to both others in turn and all that happened was a clicking at the throttle body, but no fuel pump running. This thing's driving me daft & I just get the feeling I'm missing something obvious alm:

 

[taurus]

Sounds like you need to be checking the supply with a multimeter - track down where it's being lost. (To be honest this is precisely why I never steam clean engine bays.)

 

[crib]

Anybody know if there is a wiring diagram posted anywhere here on the forum, if not I suppose it's off to buy a Haynes manual!!

 

[Lukescorsab]

Hi,
My son has the similar problem, The car was working one day but not the next, we have changed the coil pack, the crank sensor, I have fuel at the fuel bar but no spark, we plugged in ECU reader, there were a few faults recorded ( exhaust fault, indicator fault, speedo fault & crank shaft sensor/position), the exhaust, indicator & speedo faults were all fixed, not sure how to check the crank shaft position. We reset all the faults, then checked again, there are no faults, but we still have no spark, can anyone help us or tell us what checks we can do next, we are thinking about getting a auto electrician with a ECU reader, but this is going to cost lots of £££££, So any help would be appreciated.