Please play nicely. No one wants to listen/read a keyboard warriors rants....
Doing most of it isn't the same thing.I bow to your wisdom, Doc, so I'll give it a go. I reckon I'll get to no.8, and the engine will not crank.
Read and follow the steps and report back.
Thanks for all your help, Doc. I did most of that on day one, in that I put in a freshly charged battery, and when nothing happened, I jumped to it another larger, freshly charged battery. I put on the headlights. I turned the key, the engine did not crank, and the headlights did not dim.This is exactly what I suggested you do. Don't piss about trying to 'dip' the tank though. The gauge should work with reliable voltage applied to the car. Instructions to follow...No. I have connected a second fully charged battery with jump leads to battery in car, but that was before I worked out how to crank the starter. With the fuel gauge suddenly reading empty and the display saying F gal/h I thought we had agreed the fuel pump and gauge were lacking power.Didn't answer the question.As said in reply66, starter works fine connecting solenoid terminals 12v live to solenoid activate, it cranks the engine, but ngine does not start.Have you tried jump starting it yet?
bump
Have you physically connected the battery on the car to the battery of a working car with jump leads for the express purpose of starting it?
Do you reckon it is worth my dipping the fuel tank to confirm there is fuel in it, and if there is: I should connect the battery of a second car, with engine running, to the battery of sick car, with SWMBO in sick car, in neutral, handbrake on, crank the engine for a minute or so, and see if it starts?
Do you deliberately go out of your way to make your life as complicated as possible?No, that's just the way it evolved.
As told before, I run cars for my children. His car policies were all had him as policyholder, at his address, I buy it online. He has been the policyholder for many years. Correspondence by e-mail comes to me. We meet most weeks, and are in frequent e-mail contact.Jonny is the policyholder, using his Chippenham address, I am a named driver.I bought my first Astra in October 2018, transferring the insurance cover to it from an Omega. I renewed in March 2019, and again in March 2020.
so which is it ?
Hastings Direct would email who ever took the policy out ,not named drivers
I expect, as I hinted too earlier, that you have a policy and Jonny has a policy on the same car
speak to your son and ask him who insured it ,check your policy ,compare notes
saves waiting to find out off the insurance company
Check all three vin plates against the V5...Good thinking. The car is in Chippenham. I will e-mail son Jonny. One is at LH windscreen base, second is at driver's door rear pillar, I read the third is stamped on the floor between driver' door and driver's seat.
How would a lack of fuel stop the motor from turning over? Gah........going round in circles.It wouldn't, but it would stop it starting.
No. I have connected a second fully charged battery with jump leads to battery in car, but that was before I worked out how to crank the starter. With the fuel gauge suddenly reading empty and the display saying F gal/h I thought we had agreed the fuel pump and gauge were lacking power.Didn't answer the question.As said in reply66, starter works fine connecting solenoid terminals 12v live to solenoid activate, it cranks the engine, but ngine does not start.Have you tried jump starting it yet?
bump
Have you physically connected the battery on the car to the battery of a working car with jump leads for the express purpose of starting it?
As said in reply66, starter works fine connecting solenoid terminals 12v live to solenoid activate, it cranks the engine, but ngine does not start.Have you tried jump starting it yet?
bump
Pedal trick it...Pedal trick did not work. Nor did paper clip trick.
A lot of random bits of fault finding on here, its clear there is a start inhibit somewhere, do you have any fault codes in any of the systems?Not yet, keep failing to connect my code readers. I have tried both cheapo code reader and laptop device in both this Vectra and the 07 car that is OK, but both say poor connection or ignition is not switched on. Will try again after lunch.
Sounds like your car number may have been cloned so you really need to speak to someone,it could be an honest mistake in that a wrong digit has been tapped into a computer but you do need to check just in case your car is the dodgy one !Thanks. I have owned this car about 18 months. I bought it from a garage in Southwick, who sold it to a guy as a new car and had serviced it throughout its first 8 years and 160K miles. I have the log book, I suspect the other car is the clone. But why did Hastings not reject the other car proposal, rather than try to cancel mine?
Did that, again nothing happened. In fact, I tapped all eight relays in turn, but nothing happened.Repeat with K3 as that feeds K1Tap the top of K1 with the key held at crank.Did that, nothing happened.
K1 is the sodding great red relay.
And report back
Quickie diagnosis:Thanks, Nick. Now I understand your advice. On the Vectra, shorting the live and solenoid terminals needed more than a screwdriver, and the hefty whack is to free a sticky solenoid. I was impressed when son Jonny called out the AA when his car wouldn't start, the man 'just hit it with a hammer', and it started.
Bridge the terminals on the starter with a screwdriver.
If it turns, you need to check the wiring with a mutimeter.
If it doesn't turn, the starter is poor. Give it a hefty whack and try again. If that works, you can now drive the car to your nearest supplier of replacement parts - don't buy one off Ebay as you'll probably endup with a Chinese Yak52 one. Which won't match the fittings on your car
