Sad Day For Us.....

[Woodie106]

My GV has been at the local garage for over a week now & yesterday i got the call i was dreading

Seems that despite their best efforts they can't get her running. They suspect the timing belt has slipped somehow, but without further extensive & reasonably expensive investigations they can't tell for sure. So we've reluctantly decided to offer it for sale as a spares or repairs job. Its far too good a car to just scrap. Its just had new discs & pads on the front & new pads on the back about a month ago. Until this it started first time every time.

The morning it broke i started it & it ran for a couple of seconds then stopped but never got above idle speed so i just don't know if there is any damage or not. I would suspect not but I don't have the time or skill to find out

Will go on ebay in the next day or so - my user name there is the same as here if anyone is interested. Would need transporting as its a non runner & auto.

Had gearbox ecu & solenoid changed last year so that another common fault no one would have to worry about. Got virtually new tyres on the front - less than 6 months old & decent ones on rear.

We'll have to see how it goes on eBay, but even the non running GV's on there seem to be selling so I'm hopeful. Everything worked as it should before & its a ltd xs stow & go so has all the bells & whistles -even an updated sat mav disc.

 

Woodie

[andyb2000]

Ohh m8, that's really bad news. I'm in a similar bad situation at the moment and this weekend will be make or break when I do some digging under the engine to see what I can find (Potential balance shaft problem, but need to eliminate it and determine if it's my fault or if it's the engine itself knackered).

 

Sounds like that timing belt slip has done it's worst then, from what I've read since these are Diesel engines the valves will hit the pistons under timing problems. At best rockers will need replacing, at worst a lot more so potentially high cost.

 

Good luck on the ebay front, yes I've been looking recently as may look at a replacement engine for mine and there are a lot out there for breaking in various states.

 

I feel your pain though m8 and sorry to hear it.

[gordy]

Its more like a sad day that A garage can't get it running and their answer even though they have not found one is they think Timing belt has moved.

How many times have I heard these garage answers from my mechanic near me. He gets cars offered to him cheap from garages that can't get the engines running even though they have the sophisticated equipment. One car that wouldn't start had the quick click fuel hose connected at filter not fully on, hence air getting in. Air getting in at filters seems to be a problem to garages. Then there's the blocked internal manifolds due to the black gunge from the EGR. Probably started off with rich running and smoke. His recent acquisition, lovely little Peugeot used by a garage for tottering about in. They cooked the engine, yes needs a replacement engine and yes this was a garage.

So what was Woodie's car problem, not starting. What could cause this. Think we have been through answers to this many a time on here, like injector leaks, fuel rail bypass valve, even sensor. Ah how about the Hammer House of Horror, "Air In The Fuel", due to filter, seals or prim pump. 

Sorry just getting it off my back, ah that's better. 

[bignev]

I'm with you @@gordy - hear it far too often nowadays. All the technology but no old school skills or brains. 

Open the bugger up and find out, or take out the injectors or glow plugs and do a compression test, or SOMETHING!!!!!!

 

My van had no fault codes but drove like a sack of poo from cold..... Nowt wrong with it then obviously!!

Go on then drive it I dared them - oh yes it's awful isn't it - bloody hell yes!!!

So an older chap, who used to work on cars in the good old days of points, distributors, condensers etc, said - "egr valve that Nev, gummed up and sticking" and it was. Ruddy new one needed "coding in" to a Renault Master.

 

My line of work is heating and gas engineer, and the number of times I come across the phrase "wouldn't you be better off with a new one" pee's me right off.

No they wouldn't - ruddy fix the damn thing, or don't claim you can repair them.

 

Worst one recently was a conventional boiler supposedly knackered, young couple recently moved in, but when I go round it's still ok for hot water.

So as I said to the young lady - well it's still working then isn't it, it's not dead. If it gets the water hot the boiler is fine.

Two people had happily quoted her a new one.

I had a look round at the system as to why the heating wasn't on, and eventually found the camouflaged thermostat, painted over, turned it up and hey what do you know hot rads 5 minutes later.

Rocket scientist I must be.

So much to the pleasure of my little girls I put a Bob the Builder sticker on my van, with the slogan "Can We Fix It? - Probably!"

 

Anyway sorry I went off topic too.

So commisserations woodie and Andy.

 

Mind you I still have my 2002 3.3 going green on the drive behind my van, my old post from last year has just been brought up by someone else, and slightly new test info, so it may breath life again, yeah right.

[Woodie106]

I must say in fairness that the garage i use is the old fashioned grease & oil type. Not much fancy stuff on show, just bits of engines laying around. They will do the investigation etc if i want them to, but as said, it will get expensive. If it needs a new engine I'm looking at about £1000 by the time its fitted & the cars worth what maybe £2000 at most?

No guarantee the 'new' engine will go on for ever as its going to be a used unit & you just don't know how it was looked after.

We were thinking about chopping the voyager in soon anyway, its just a bit disappointing it had to end this way as now i have no part ex option.

[bignev]

Jolly good to hear you've got a proper garage, not a "workshop" who you can deal with!!

 

And yep blooming annoying it's happened.

[blackvelvet]

Its more like a sad day that A garage can't get it running and their answer even though they have not found one is they think Timing belt has moved.

How many times have I heard these garage answers from my mechanic near me. He gets cars offered to him cheap from garages that can't get the engines running even though they have the sophisticated equipment. One car that wouldn't start had the quick click fuel hose connected at filter not fully on, hence air getting in. Air getting in at filters seems to be a problem to garages. Then there's the blocked internal manifolds due to the black gunge from the EGR. Probably started off with rich running and smoke. His recent acquisition, lovely little Peugeot used by a garage for tottering about in. They cooked the engine, yes needs a replacement engine and yes this was a garage.

So what was Woodie's car problem, not starting. What could cause this. Think we have been through answers to this many a time on here, like injector leaks, fuel rail bypass valve, even sensor. Ah how about the Hammer House of Horror, "Air In The Fuel", due to filter, seals or prim pump. 

Sorry just getting it off my back, ah that's better. 

Gordy is right, look for the simple answers first.

Garage nearby couldn't find a no start fault on a Vauxhall. Sold the owner another car. I bet it was nothing.

[bignev]

@@Woodie106 Hey there !

 

Just had a super brilliant flash of inspiration, you didn't get a code relating to the SKIM security key did you?

 

Because the car will start and run for a couple of seconds if the wring key is used to do it - having had 2 GV's at the same time I know this to be true, I have done it and wondered what the chuff was going on - start up / stop, start again / stop, and repeat. So I went it to get the "spare" key to then see the right one for the car still in the house!!!!

 

So just a question - is it actually the immobiliser circuit causing it?

 

On the Vauxhall one, my mates Corsa years ago would refuse to start, turning over no problem. Root cause - eventually it was the transponder in the key having moved and the sensor ring not seeing it.

My Movano van did the same at one point, thankfully I remembered what had gone on with his.

[Woodie106]

Thanks - but I think my engine really is knackered.

I'll give it a go - I'll try anything to be honest, but I think it's time to move on.

 

I've never done this key thing to find faults. Could someone please explain?

 

Thanks

 

Woodie

[bignev]

I think it's :

insert key, turn to ignition on but not start then off (back to key out but don't take it out position) 3 times fairly quickly so :

 

insert - on - off - on - off - on

 

At this point the odometer should do a check and list codes so have a pen ready

 

Always remember that some codes could be ages old if they have not been cleared, I got an ABS code while trying to sort my 2002 3.3 out that was related to a sensor ring from a year before.

Edited February 26, 2017 by bignev

[Woodie106]

Decided today that I'm going to give the go ahead to fix the car. I know it's going to sting when i get the bill but i also know its too good a car just to scrap & the garage i use will do only what needs doing but will do it properly as well.

[soupstone]

If you need the injectors out, and they can't shift them, I've got a genuine miller tools puller here I could post at cost.
With any luck, if the belt's only jumped, it won't have caused the internal damage you get with a snapped belt, although I had a look after your initial thread and costs are down from when I had to do my last GV. 

[Woodie106]

Thanks - i might have to take you up on that offer!!

I have had injectors out before as chrysler diagnosed dodgey injectors & when i took it to an injector specialist- as chrysler didn't want to actually do the job - it turned out to be a dodgey fuel filter.

Be interesting to see what they find. Will have a few other jobs done like replacing the power steering fluid & if they're going to do an engine strip it'll need all new fluids & fluids & filters anyway.

 

Thanks for all your replies

 

Woodie

[mikebh8]

Hello, if I may, I had the same exact thing on my GV. It only bent few rockers.

All together £150(timing belt kit and rockers) plus labour, I did it myself but I guess around £400 including new timing belt to be fitted.

[Woodie106]

Its going on eBay tomorrow as ive just bought a shogun.

As Mike says it might not have much damage at all & be a reasonably easy fix for someone but we were thinking of a change anyway as we've owned it for 10 years now. Be a decent car for someone once the timing issue is sorted.