Astra Estate 1.9 CDTI, 55 plate, Jan 2006.
Went out in it today, and it drove no problem to my first stop.It was switched off for about ten minutes and re-started ok. Drove to next stop about 2 miles away no problem. Picked up a sandwich and restarted the engine. Left it running while I ate the sandwich - probably ten minutes. Drove to next stop about a mile away, and it was just fine. It was stopped for around 5 minutes while I loaded up some stuff in the back. When I went to leave, it started ok, and then immediately stopped. I switched off and back on again. All the dash lights came on as normal, but the car with the spanner in it was flashing rapidly. Turning the key to the start position did not make it crank. Dash lights all stayed on. I turned off and on again, and then retried the start position. Still nothing. So I left it for probably two minutes, tried again, and this time it cranked and started. All lights, including the car / spanner went out as normal.
I pulled away and it felt fine, so I went on to my next call around 5 miles away. It was a quick stop so I left it running. Then back home about ten miles and all was well.
When I got back and was parked up, I tried it several times, and every time it started OK. The only thing that I did notice was that every time I turned the key on, a motor at the back - fuel pump ? - ran for about 30 seconds before stopping. I don't recall hearing it do that before, but maybe I was just listening for stuff because of its problem, and normally, I'm not.
So, anyone got any thoughts on what happened ? Is it normal for the fuel pump to always run for a while every time the key is turned on ? I might mention that I had put some diesel in it a few hours earlier
Arfa