Astra diesel follow-up

All the ones I've seen are live with the engine running.

If you decide to try applying some voltage from elsewhere, *some* stop solenoids use 5 volts from the ECU logic, apparently is part of the anti- theft system, and applying 12 volts will burn them out. I don't know if this applies to the Astra however.

Chris

Fail safe. Power needed to open it.

Tim

Thanks, a useful warning. I wasn't planning to frig it like that, but I suppose it is always an option if all else fails!

Please tell us the engine code. We are presuming it is a 1.7 DTI and thus a Y17DT.

If so , you do not grasp the fact that the pump is electronically controlled and does not, as such, have a cut-off solonoid.

Tim.

It's not at the moment quite obvious to me how much electronics the pump has. It's the Isuzu twin cam engine, not the GM single cam. My mechanic's advice (without having looked at the pump) does not quite tie up with Haynes. I was asking about solenoids *in case* it does have one. I've had the central heating in bits so havn't had time to go grovelling behind the engine.

But all comments very welcome, thanks!

I would try a crank sensor before anything else.

What actual code did it throw up? Was it P1335?

I don't think I saw the numeric code; but I have just got a "cheapie" reader so will give that a go before anything else. It's definitely an intermittent fault, though, because it started for the mechanic. Then I drove it a couple of miles and died while I was driving. Which seems consistent with bad solder joints on a board to me (especially as this seems to be a problem with these).

But I would much prefer it to be a sensor!

Thanks

Crank sensor failure mode is usually dieing when it gets hot and recovering once it cools off.

Thanks, that is helpful. The first "death" came after driving half a mile from the supermarket where it was stopped for half an hour, but it would have reached normal temperate on the ten mile drive to the supermarket. Also, the "death" was a failure to restart after parking for ten minutes (so the temperature could have risen slightly in that period). The second death was while running, but only after driving two miles. But days before first failure it had done two 120 mile trips with no problem. I havn't checked whether it has recovered now.

It is not a hard and fast rule, but it is the common failure mode. If you can easily see the crank sensor then one way to diagnose it is to drive till it stops, spray the sensor with cold spray (maplins or plumbers merchants or engineering shops) If it starts straight after the cold spray then it is a pretty good indicator.

Good idea, thanks. I bet it's not that accessible, though!

if it is the same as the vectra 2litre then it is on the front near the flywheel end, and easy to get at.

No, it's next to the starter and the undertray has to come off (according to Haynes). But I will have a peer down from the top later.