Avensis not starting after long drive

[Loupoux]

Hello, I am so close to giving up on my 2005 avensis estate. I bought the car recently and noticed a problem straight away. After driving the for about 40 minutes I turned the engine off and it would not start again. The engine sounds like it’s about to start and the car jumps around a lot but it doesn't quite get there. After leaving the car too cool down for a few hours it starts up again and drives no problem, but after driving it and turning off the engine the same problem occurs. It’s got to the point where I’m terrified of stooling because the car will not start again for hours. I originally changed the Battery and it seemed to be fixed for a month or two but then after an mot it started with the problem again. After taking the car to a garage I was told they could not help as no problem could be found. I then took the car to a so called specialist and he told me the fule injectors needed changing so after a lot of faf and money spent they were fixed and put back into the car. The problem has not fixed at all and now someone has suggested putting a new starter motor in. I can’t afford to keep doing things to the car that won’t fix it so am asking if anyone has had a similar problem before? Or has any idea how it could be fixed?

Thanks,

Lou 

[Leevy]

Hi Loupoux,

I had the same problem last year in August with a 320i BMW (petrol) and was also told it would be a good idea to use RedEx to clean the injectors after it had failed the MOT. It started having the same symptoms you are reporting and I took the car to a specialist garage in Norwich who told me the injectors are clogged and would be too expensive to clean and suggested to sell to WeBuyAnyCar.com which I did (they are horrible with the price), we feared cleaning/changing them will be too expensive and other issues might show up after this issue. 
There might also be other issues like the oil pump which was affected by the fuels seeping into the oil pan and cleaning the whole engine in such a way that it might not perform just as well going forward. 

How  much did you pay for the car and how much did you pay for the repairs so far?

[Loupoux]

Hi leevy,

To be honest I wish I had just sold to we be any car before I did any work. I got the car for £1700 and have probably spent an additional £700 trying to fix the problem. The injectors had their nozzles changed as the pressure wasn’t strong enough apparently. Now I am just back to getting stranded all over the place for hours before the car starts again! I think it’s a lost cause but will maybe try and get one more opinion before I get rid of it.

[Leevy]

Where are you based Lou?

 

[Exvec]

On 4/7/2021 at 10:19 AM, Loupoux said:

Hello, I am so close to giving up on my 2005 avensis estate. I bought the car recently and noticed a problem straight away. After driving the for about 40 minutes I turned the engine off and it would not start again. The engine sounds like it’s about to start and the car jumps around a lot but it doesn't quite get there. After leaving the car too cool down for a few hours it starts up again and drives no problem, but after driving it and turning off the engine the same problem occurs. It’s got to the point where I’m terrified of stooling because the car will not start again for hours. I originally changed the battery and it seemed to be fixed for a month or two but then after an mot it started with the problem again. After taking the car to a garage I was told they could not help as no problem could be found. I then took the car to a so called specialist and he told me the fule injectors needed changing so after a lot of faf and money spent they were fixed and put back into the car. The problem has not fixed at all and now someone has suggested putting a new starter motor in. I can’t afford to keep doing things to the car that won’t fix it so am asking if anyone has had a similar problem before? Or has any idea how it could be fixed?

Thanks,

Lou 

So Louie, effectively you are having problems with warm starts after a long run,there happens to be a well known fault with the starter motors on the cars around your year (2005) is that correct.The fault is caused by the starter motor being exceptionally close to the engine block which causes heat build inside the starter motor which in turn leads to the starter motor failing until it cools down again.The starter motor needs to be removed ,and it needs to then be cleaned with brake cleaner inside the motor and around the brush box to remove all the old carbon dust which builds up over time. ans laso the commutator will need cleaning with sandpaper. The brushes themselves will need to be inspected and if worn extensively they will need to be changed.So its either get your old one reconditioned by an Auto Electrician or replace it with an already reconditioned one.

I had the same thing happen with mine just a couple of weeks ago and i removed it and cleaned everything up and then  put it back and now it as good as new.  

[MartinVensis]

Loupoux, is your Avensis a petrol or diesel-fueled model? I am having a similar issue with my petrol 2006 avensis, having changed expensive fuel rail by garage without any sign of improvement. Making sure the Battery is fully charged seems to help slightly, but issue is still there.