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Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: bumbles5 on 16 February 2009, 22:24:05

Title: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: bumbles5 on 16 February 2009, 22:24:05
Hi all My hubby went out on wednesday and bought an x reg vectra was running fine, on the way home he filled up and accidentally put in petrol instead of diesel. Now he has drained all the petrol out , changed to glow plugs and changed 2 of the relays the car will not start until it is towed then it starts ok. There are no lights on on the dashboard today he had the daignostics put on it and it came up with nothing. He is going to chenge the main relay tomorrow does anyone have any suggestions as to what the problem may be?. Once the engine is turned off it wont restart without another pull.
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: Agemo on 17 February 2009, 00:00:20
I would have thought you either get away with it or you don't, if you have no engine management light then it should be fine. How far has he driven it since he tow started it?
I am sure someone on here will have experience of this.
Title: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: hotel21 on 17 February 2009, 00:25:23
[movedhere] Omega General Help [move by] hotel21.
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: Lazydocker on 17 February 2009, 00:43:47
Change the diesel filter and then give it a good run, assuming he's brimmed the tank with the correct fuel now? It may or may not survive without major work but unfortunately you wont know untill you try :y :y :y
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 17 February 2009, 08:19:03
Yep, messing with glow plugs and relays is a bit of a futile thing to do (why, it simply adds more unknowns to the situation!)

So, how many miles were driven with petrol in the tank and has he changed the fuel filter.

Plus, which engine (2.0 or 2.2)
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: bumbles5 on 17 February 2009, 08:22:42
yes he has changed the fuel filter and he put £20 worth of diesel in. The car started playing up literally straight after he put the petrol in he hasn't driven the car very far but has left it running on his garage forecourt for a good hour or so.
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: bumbles5 on 17 February 2009, 08:27:17
It is a 2.2 engine  the glow plug light comes on for a very short time then go's off. Once it is started it runs perfectly until you turn the engine off.
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: Lazydocker on 17 February 2009, 08:54:07
Still sounds to me like the diesel/petrol mix has too much petrol for compression ignition (instead of a spark plug) ... It may be worth emptying the filter again, filling it with good diesel and trying it again :y :y

Running a diesel for an hour or so wont use much more diesel than is in the fuel lines ::) ::) ::) Do as above and give it a good run :y :y :y
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 17 February 2009, 08:59:15
Was the tank totaly emptied as in emptied and then mopped out?

Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: Lazydocker on 17 February 2009, 09:04:00
Quote
Was the tank totaly emptied as in emptied and then mopped out?


Would have thought that if it was pumped "dry" and brimmed there wouldn't be enough petrol to cause this issue... It's how we always used to do it ::) ::) ::)

After all... In the old days people used to stick some petrol in with the diesel to prevent freezing :y :y :y

Still think the whole issue is down to petrol/diesel ratio being too high for compression ignition though
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: Welung666 on 17 February 2009, 09:06:30
Give it an Italian ;) :y
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: nick v6 on 17 February 2009, 09:09:24
my mom put petrol in a deisel mondeo before
we emptied the tank and filled with deisel changed the fuel filter
tow started it and when it was running gave it a good blast down the motorway and had someone follow just in case it broke down
it was fine after that
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: bumbles5 on 17 February 2009, 09:10:05
what the heck is an italian?
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: Welung666 on 17 February 2009, 09:13:56
Quote
what the heck is an italian?

Exactly what Nick has just said ;)
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: nick v6 on 17 February 2009, 09:15:33
trade secret's
work every time
saves paying a garage hundreds of pounds for an hours work
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: bumbles5 on 17 February 2009, 09:20:23
the guy we took it to yesterday for the diagnostics said this morning he thinks it could now be the diesel pump, our response was well if that's the case surely it wouldn't even start under a tow. Needless to say he is gonna get it back to his own garage and follow the advice from you guys as you have never told us wrong before when we had omegas. The fella he runs the garage with agrees with you also so will let ya know how it go's in the mean time if anyone else has any ideas please let us know.
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: nick v6 on 17 February 2009, 09:23:32
tow start it and blast it down the motorway
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 17 February 2009, 09:27:54
Thats one option.

One of the methods used in the past was to fill the tank with diesel and fill the fuel filter with diesel first
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: Lazydocker on 17 February 2009, 09:28:58
Quote
the guy we took it to yesterday for the diagnostics said this morning he thinks it could now be the diesel pump, our response was well if that's the case surely it wouldn't even start under a tow. Needless to say he is gonna get it back to his own garage and follow the advice from you guys as you have never told us wrong before when we had omegas. The fella he runs the garage with agrees with you also so will let ya know how it go's in the mean time if anyone else has any ideas please let us know.

Potentially, yes it could be BUT... Follow the advice we've all given you and you'll probably find it's fine :y :y :y :y

I reckon I did about 100 of these incorrect fuel draindowns when I worked in the garage and every single one of them was OK when done exactly as we've said :y :y :y
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: nick v6 on 17 February 2009, 09:29:56
be better trying the options that is posted on here before spending hundreds of pounds to someone else to do the same thing
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: Ian_D on 17 February 2009, 14:08:43
Does it still run? Or is it completely dead now?

Don’t know why the glow plugs were changed? If you have a good battery, they aren’t even needed on them engines anyway!

Try and bleed the diesel through by loosening the injector pipes (at the injector) and cranking it over on the starter until diesel sprays out of them all.  :y
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: bumbles5 on 17 February 2009, 17:48:21
The vectra has actually managed to start a few times today under her own steam getting better each time and is now running almost sweet apparently , he hasn't been able to do the motorway run yet as she needs taxing but we wanted to make sure she was fixable before doing that. Now he needs to get the windows working which shouldn't be a big job they think it's probably a fuse, they are just happy it is starting without a tow. the bloke at the other garage even tried to say it was the ecu box up the creek at which point hubby said break off , we then discovered he hadn't actually done the diagnostics check on it like we asked as the eml light wasn't on he didn't see a point. So basically he did nothing at all except hazard a guess then charged us £25 cheeky git lol. Thanks for all your help guys.
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: Lazydocker on 17 February 2009, 17:54:32
Sounds like it'll be OK then :y :y :y :y
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: bumbles5 on 19 February 2009, 16:51:42
Come last night the veccy was running fine and all problems were sorted, she was that good hubby sold her off the forecourt this morning so he is quite happy . Thanks for all your advice guys
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: Taxi_Driver on 19 February 2009, 18:31:33
Hope it doesnt come back to you.....as i would have said it was the diesel pump.....My Merc C220 had very similar probs after petrol was put in that (nope it wasnt me!) Always started from cold fine and would continue running once started.....turn it off and while it was still hot.....not a chance of it restarting......

£800 for new fuel pump
£700 labour  :o

Mind you, it was a merc dealer who repaired it.....and the AA were paying the bill  ;) due to idiots who failed to flush it properly at an AA approved garage.
Title: Re: Vectra question not sure if anyone can help
Post by: r1 on 19 February 2009, 23:52:42
Quote
Quote
what the heck is an italian?

Exactly what Nick has just said ;)

drive it like you stole it