I ran out of petrol and now my car wont start HELP!!

Hi I have a Fiat Stilo 2003 and the other day i went out to the shop in it (It started fine)and noticed that my brother that had lent it the day before had not put any fuel in it. I keep about 3 litres in a can in the boot but i was only going about half a mile so i decided to wait until i got home to put it in. I pulled up at home, turned the engine off and put the fuel in... but then it wouldn?t start back up. So from stopping the car to putting the petrol in and trying to start it again something happened. None of the warning lights are on and i have reset the fuel cut off switch. Could it be possible that the car was really low on fuel and sucked up some air and now there is air in the fuel pipes? I have been trying to start it now for about 2 hours on and off...could it be flooded? Do new car even get flooded anymore? As you can tell im not really up on cars i know enough about old engines but not about these new engines that just look like lumps of plastic.

This is my check list

Is there fuel in=Yes (well enough to start it atleast) Any Warning lights on=No Fuel cut off swicth=Reset Checked for leaking fuel=None All HT leads on=Yes Fuses=All ok (this is a last ditch attempt)

Im gonna go to bed now and hope that it is flooded and that in the morning it will start If you have ANY ideas about what it could be can you please make some suggestions.? Thanks in advance

Edit Sorry i forgot to add the engine Its a 1.6(not JTD) Also the car will try to start ..its turning over but it just wont kick in

Reply to
res1492
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How old was the petrol ?

Sometimes it 'can go off' - Although I'd be surprised !

Try getting a few more litres of new petrol and try again, diluting the old stuff ?

Graham

Reply to
Graham

Some times impurities can settle in the tank and running it low draws them into the fuel system. I used to have a citroen that ran rough when it got down to the last gallon but perked up after the tank was filled. The engine would tick over fine but had no pewer and would struggle and kangaroo when I tried to drive. A couple of times it stopped altogether and I'd have to spray carb cleaner directly into the venturi (I think thats what they were called) to clear the crap fuel. I never saw any impurities in the carb but there was definitely somthing wrong with the fuel at the bottom of the tank. I played a game of chicken for a few weeks running it lower and lower to get it out of the tank.

I've no idea what to do on a fuel injected engine, I'd start by putting a gallon or two of petrol in, preferably using another can. Chemicals from the old can could have leeched into the fuelif it was in there a long time (petrol is a solvent) or even condensation could have formed in it.

Mike

Reply to
Mike

Mike stelde dit idee voor :

Perhaps a new fuel filter will help, it is possible that it causes the fuel flow to be obstructed.

Reply to
Draak

Have you locked and unlocked the car at all in between attempts at starting it? Could be the imoboliser but I am not sure how they work on the Stilo but some imboliser work by preveting the engine from sparking whilst still allowing it to be cram]nked over; i.e. it wil lturn but will not fire.

Andy.

Reply to
AndrewP

res1492 wrote: now for about 2 hours on and

Yes, my 1999 Punto got flooded last month cos my dad started the engine, move the cars a total of less then 2 feet and stopped.

in the end had to disconnect the relay to the fuel pump (was big and black coloured on mine) - not help at all from the info printed onthe lid of the fuse box.

Been fine every since

Reply to
Dee

Yes, modern cars can get flooded. My punto sporting had the same problem. I moved the car 5 feet and than stopped. Later that same day it wouldn't start. My dealer advised me: throttel on the floor and keep it there, then start till it is running. This worked perfectly. After this you have to drive for about 5 kilometers before shutting the engine off.

greatings EnTee

Reply to
EnTee

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