Engine lost power and won't start

[Handy Andy 11]

Avensis 2.2 d4d 2006 driving up steep hill car lost power and stopped engine started for a few second and stopped now will not start at all

[Handy Andy 11]

The engine made a loud clicking noise similar to a very bad cv joint

 

[Cyker]

How steep and how much fuel did you have left? If super steep and low fuel, maybe air got sucked into the fuel line - There should be a priming pump in the engine bay that you can just push in a few times to re-prime the fuel system.

Also, when you say it doesn't start, do you mean it doesn't even crank, or it does crank but doesn't ignite?

 

[Handy Andy 11]

Thank you for taking the time to respond Cyker. The hill I was on was not overly steep and my fuel tank was ¾ full and I had filled it to the brim 2 days prior. Today I changed the diesel fuel filter and I cleared the two fuel pipes into the diesel tank with an air line and bled the system. The car still won't start, the engine cranks ok and the rpm needle on the dash moves up when cranking the engine. Does this indicate that the crankshaft sensor is not the cause of problem. I have the car from almost new and it has done 210k trouble-free miles. I have repaired and serviced the car from new. I could and have done any and all repairs to diesel car prior to the year 2000 but I have very limited knowledge of the more technologically advanced cars, sensors etc... as I am old school any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

[Cyker]

I'm no expert either I'm afraid!

We can try narrowing down where the problem is - Can you confirm somehow whether fuel is being injected into the engine? (You can take out an injector and stick it in a bottle and crank it to see if fuel is being squirted out.)

If it does, it may be a compression issue with e.g. the valves.

If it doesn't, have to start looking at the fuel system, could be the injectors or the high or low pressure pumps?

 

[2009joe]

23 hours ago, Handy Andy 11 said:

Avensis 2.2 d4d 2006 driving up steep hill car lost power and stopped engine started for a few second and stopped now will not start at all

that the hill dude going up to granny annies :)

[2009joe]

2 hours ago, Handy Andy 11 said:

Thank you for taking the time to respond Cyker. The hill I was on was not overly steep and my fuel tank was ¾ full and I had filled it to the brim 2 days prior. Today I changed the diesel fuel filter and I cleared the two fuel pipes into the diesel tank with an air line and bled the system. The car still won't start, the engine cranks ok and the rpm needle on the dash moves up when cranking the engine. Does this indicate that the crankshaft sensor is not the cause of problem. I have the car from almost new and it has done 210k trouble-free miles. I have repaired and serviced the car from new. I could and have done any and all repairs to diesel car prior to the year 2000 but I have very limited knowledge of the more technologically advanced cars, sensors etc... as I am old school any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

u got any check engine lights on boss by chance would a scanner show much if a bit closer would run my scanner threw it got a Autel Elite DiagLink OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner All System

[Handy Andy 11]

Hi guys thanks again for responding, I had a problem over a year ago with the [maf] sensor' I then cleaned it with brake cleaner and the car went again, but the car has ever since been making a slight knocking sound when been driven in low revs and low speed a bit like an old transit van diesel used to sound like, could it be possible that the (maf) air flow sensor could have totally failed this time I cleaned it again. I have been trying to get someone with a scanner to call with me but no one is available till long after the holidays is over in the new year, that why I am trying to eliminate things myself for now. Thanks.

[Cyker]

Yeah, that's unfortunate timing!

You can try unplugging the MAF (Assuming you're talking about the thing that goes into the intake and has 2 wires with a little rice-sized bulb thing between them at the bottom) and see what happens - The car should still run without a MAF, it'll just go into limp mode.

It is possible the MAF was damaged as they are quite delicate, and brake cleaner is a bit strong (I normally recommend people use switch cleaner as it's gentler and doesn't leave any residue), but usually it wouldn't stop the car starting even if damaged.

The fact that it cranks suggests it's something fuel related - At least as it's a diesel we don't have to worry about things like spark plugs and coil packs!

[Red_Corolla]

Movement on the tacho generally does confirm that the crank sensor is reading, although it's not possible to say that the injectors are actually trying to fire without the right test equipment. As long as the compression sounds normal then it's unlikely to be a timing issue. The manner in which it broke down and the fact that something was making a ticking noise would lead me to suspect a fuel delivery problem, possibly the high pressure pump, although I'm only speculating.

 

[Handy Andy 11]

Thank you all for responding to me. Today I loosened one injector at a time and got someone to crank the engine and each injector appeared to be pumping diesel ok so with a bit of easy start in the breather it started. But when I started the engine the diesel came out black and looked dirty. I drove the car today and she is going ok now but I think the diesel fuel tank could be very dirty so I am going to clean it out. If this can be of any help to anyone in the future I will be happy as I had a positive outcome and again thanks to all who helped and have a merry Christmas.

[Cyker]

Hmm that's a bit worrying!

If you're going to have a look in it I'd be interested to know what contamination is in there!

Maybe run a few full tanks of V-Power diesel through your car and a few good hard runs to try and clean out whatever is contaminating it through all the fuel lines etc...!