Non Starting Car

[toby1966]

I have not been on the forum for a couple of months as my car will still not start and the story is a real saga-so here goes.

I have galaxy 1999 2.3 petrol and the clutch went i was advised not to go to Mr Clutch but ended up going there, they did the work,charged me

[dlt1617]

A bit of clarification required on the fault if possible, the car runs erratically and stalls... does it stall or does it cut out when being driven, if it occurs at idle or when changing gear then it could be stalling/not idling but if it cuts out when driving then it is more likely to be loosing a signal.

 

If possible could you give a bit more information

 

Ta

 

Dave

[seatkid]

Dear o dear, you posted about this back in October and still no joy?

 

 

No disconnecting the battery does not not cause the engine to go into limp home mode. I'm confused, why are you talking about limp home mode if the engine wont start? Limp home mode is a reduced power mode that is triggered when there is a fault that affects fuelling e.g. a faulty MAF sensor - but limp home mode does NOt affect starting which should be normal.

 

Apart from non starting, are there any other symptoms such as no dash lights etc.

 

FIRST, check there is really some fuel in the tank - dont rely on the dash gauge - I know of many people who struggled for days only to find their fuel tank was really empty.

 

 

Then check your fuses - the fuses associated with the ignition and engine management.

 

If the engine doesnt start, I presume you have also gone through the ususal checks of checking for sparks at the spark plugs etc. 90% of non start issues with petrol engines are down to the ignition system. Spark plugs, leads,coil paks.

 

Have you checked the fuel is reaching the injectors, i.e. the fuel pump is working. Relay 30 is the usual suspect, this controls the fuel pump and is a common failure, often working sporadically before giving up completely. To locate relay 30, check out the Technical FAQs section.

 

The PATS (Passive Anti Theft System) consists of a transponder chip housed in your key, a reader built into the steering column near the ignition barrel and the ECU. Every time you turn your key the ECU interogates the reader to see if the transponder chip in your key has the correct code. The usual fault with PATS is when you lose the PATS chip , when you change the batteries in a remote fob it is all too easy to open the key and not notice the PATS chip (a small back/grey rectangular cube) drop out! Without this chip it is impossible to start the car. In this case you either find the chip or use another key. If your key is a standard non remote type, you should be alright as the key cant open. There have been one or two reports of a faulty reader coil, but this is rare and usually associated with someone taking the column apart for some reason.

 

 

Mr Clutch have a very bad reputation both here and in the states. When they changed your clutch, it is quite possible they damaged or pull apart a wiring loom or connector. Only a tedious visual inspection will be able to find this.

 

 

In summary - 1st check you have fuel, then the fuses, check for sparks (coil pak failures are common), checkout relay 30, then check the fuel system is delivering.

 

I believe youve already changed relay 30 (was it new and are you sure it was really relay 30 you changed?)

[toby1966]

its the same as before i have changed fuses with new,put fuel in-done all these and according to the led codes on this site it is the PATS system,???

thanks for the advice anyway. :unsure:

 

 

 

Dear o dear, you posted about this back in October and still no joy?

 

 

No disconnecting the battery does not not cause the engine to go into limp home mode. I'm confused, why are you talking about limp home mode if the engine wont start? Limp home mode is a reduced power mode that is triggered when there is a fault that affects fuelling e.g. a faulty MAF sensor - but limp home mode does NOt affect starting which should be normal.

 

Apart from non starting, are there any other symptoms such as no dash lights etc.

 

FIRST, check there is really some fuel in the tank - dont rely on the dash gauge - I know of many people who struggled for days only to find their fuel tank was really empty.

 

 

Then check your fuses - the fuses associated with the ignition and engine management.

 

If the engine doesnt start, I presume you have also gone through the ususal checks of checking for sparks at the spark plugs etc. 90% of non start issues with petrol engines are down to the ignition system. Spark plugs, leads,coil paks.

 

Have you checked the fuel is reaching the injectors, i.e. the fuel pump is working. Relay 30 is the usual suspect, this controls the fuel pump and is a common failure, often working sporadically before giving up completely. To locate relay 30, check out the Technical FAQs section.

 

The PATS (Passive Anti Theft System) consists of a transponder chip housed in your key, a reader built into the steering column near the ignition barrel and the ECU. Every time you turn your key the ECU interogates the reader to see if the transponder chip in your key has the correct code. The usual fault with PATS is when you lose the PATS chip , when you change the batteries in a remote fob it is all too easy to open the key and not notice the PATS chip (a small back/grey rectangular cube) drop out! Without this chip it is impossible to start the car. In this case you either find the chip or use another key. If your key is a standard non remote type, you should be alright as the key cant open. There have been one or two reports of a faulty reader coil, but this is rare and usually associated with someone taking the column apart for some reason.

 

 

Mr Clutch have a very bad reputation both here and in the states. When they changed your clutch, it is quite possible they damaged or pull apart a wiring loom or connector. Only a tedious visual inspection will be able to find this.

 

 

In summary - 1st check you have fuel, then the fuses, check for sparks (coil pak failures are common), checkout relay 30, then check the fuel system is delivering.

 

I believe youve already changed relay 30 (was it new and are you sure it was really relay 30 you changed?)

[toby1966]

When i picked the car up from Mr Clutch it was running erratically and when i pulled up to a junction it would stall and in the 3 days i had it it would stall at lights mainly.

when it did finally give up the ghost i was trying to diagnose it and it just died in my driveway.!! :unsure:

 

 

 

A bit of clarification required on the fault if possible, the car runs erratically and stalls... does it stall or does it cut out when being driven, if it occurs at idle or when changing gear then it could be stalling/not idling but if it cuts out when driving then it is more likely to be loosing a signal.

 

If possible could you give a bit more information

 

Ta

 

Dave

[NikpV]

When i picked the car up from Mr Clutch it was running erratically and when i pulled up to a junction it would stall and in the 3 days i had it it would stall at lights mainly.

when it did finally give up the ghost i was trying to diagnose it and it just died in my driveway.!! :unsure:

 

 

 

A bit of clarification required on the fault if possible, the car runs erratically and stalls... does it stall or does it cut out when being driven, if it occurs at idle or when changing gear then it could be stalling/not idling but if it cuts out when driving then it is more likely to be loosing a signal.

 

If possible could you give a bit more information

 

Ta

 

Dave

 

have you had a look at

 

http://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/index.php?/topic/7886-faqs-common-questions-and-solutions/

 

item 22

 

and IIRC relay 27 may be implicated item 36