My car won't start :(
 

Hi.

Very frustrated at the moment. My car won't start. Ran fine this morning. Went to mum's to help her out. Got back home, parked the car across the road because next door is having new driveway and fence put in.

Went to start car an hour and a half later and it won't start.

Can't vag com until I sort a laptop that has battery power, perhaps tomorrow afternoon.

Symptoms: Nearly started first couple of times, now just cranks with no sign of life. Strong crank. Can't smell fuel.

Yesterday the ASR and CAT light came on and the car ran roughly. So I shut it off straight away. ASR light went off, CAT light stayed on. Went a couple hundred metres. Turned car off, restarted and CAT light went out. Related to my problem?

Please suggest where to start looking / what to start looking at.

Thanks.

Sounds like possibly a fuel pump.

Thanks for your reply. Yes, that is what I have been reading in the internet. Do you know if Vag Com will indicate this in some way?


What would be the best way to check for this cause on the '98 D2 S8?

Thanks again.

And possibly just the old pump seating/sealing issue.

In which case, how much fuel is in the tank? If it's less than half full, might be worth adding a gallon or two to see if it runs.

I could be wrong but I think you should be able to hear the fuel pump run (briefly) when you turn the ignition on. Might need to stick your head in the boot to hear it, while someone turns the ignition on for you.

+++ Thanks for that tip! The blood has gone to my head and I am not thinking properly. I will have a listen in the boot. Is that the usual failure mode for the pump - does not run?

The petrol tank is full minus 60km.

Is there somewhere under the hood that I can unbolt to check for fuel? Can I spray something somewhere to simulate fuel delivery?

Thanks again for everyone's help.

Is that easy to check or inspect visually?

If you enjoy lying in the boot, contorted and getting high on petrol fumes, it's a wonderful job. Otherwise it's a bloody awful job to do. :D

It's easy to determine if that's the problem though ... just put a few more gallons of fuel in. And if that does turn out to be the problem, the workaround is to keep half a tank or more of fuel in the car at all times. I drove mine like that for a few years. It can be fixed but I think there's probably a knack to it. After a few failed attempts (by myself and 2 different mechanics) I just gave up and replaced the entire tank.

So extremely unlikely it's the seating problem. ;)
(Unless that 60km involved the most aggressive driving imaginable! :tuttut: )

I can see this being me in my not too distant future...

I never let the fuel get below half a tank on any of the Audis that I have owned. I have only driven 60km since filling the beast so that means I have only used 7.8 litres out of a full tank. I have read that you can put a bit more fuel in the tank to fill up a 'cup' that the pump sits in so I might try that.

I have also read that I can squirt starting fluid somewhere and possibly get the car to start, so that would be a bonus right now.

Another thing that I have just read is that I can reverse the electrical connection at the terminals on the fuel pump to make it run backwards for a second or two, and that *may* unjam the pump, should the failure be due to a certain commutator problem.


Ouch!

:ROFL: +++

Thanks for discounting the seating problem for me.

I promise that I was only driving aggressively just the once up a lovely twisty hill for no more than 30 seconds! Otherwise, sedate city driving in traffic I am afraid.

Ah, yes, I missed that bit.

I don't know, I'm sure I could use up half a tank in 60km if I tried :ROFL: