A week ago I couldn't start my car because the battery was dead - Hubby took it out and charged it and it was fine.
This afternoon I couldn't start my car again (hadn't used it for 3 or 4 days) (Skoda Favorit, 1995) - sounded pretty much like a dead battery again. Clearly time for a new battery.
Called breakdown to start it - firstly, managed to connect their starting battery the wrong way (smoke came out of his leads before he noticed) and then failed to start it mumbling probably the ECU or injector need replacing(?).
Well, not trusting his competence, Hubby down to Halfords and a new battery. Tried to start again - was turning over much better but still didn't catch. Then, after a long period of trying the oil cap, I kid you not, flew a couple of feet away (plus puff of whitish smoke from oil cap hole). Nearly hit me!
Help - what's happening? What's the likely problem? Hubby's pulling his hair out (mainly at incompetence of breakdown man who he reckons probably fried everything).
Thanks guys
Rose
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"mainly at incompetence of breakdown man who he reckons probably fried everything"
He probably has.
"and then failed to start it mumbling probably the ECU or injector need replacing(?)."
well it probably does now.
You need to get the breakdown service back and they need to get the car fixed at thier expense.
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TourVanMan < yes its RF reborn >
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i agree you need to get them back,i would write down as much as i remembered about the first visit as armour for a claim.certainly does sound as if the breakdown man fried the brain
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To blow the cap off,you have had too much fuel in the crankcase and/or oil and you had an explosion or you have holed one or more pistons!!
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Rose
Don't worry too much. This happens sometimes when cars are simply a bit "flooded." My record is a Renault dipstick that managed 65yds! Another one's oil cap hit a seventh-floor window. Both eventually started and ran fine with no problems.
With a flooded engine, some petrol inevitably ends up in the sump and if one plug finally manages to fire, it ignites the vapour and you get one bang.
The good news is that you've still appear to have got fuel and sparks. Reversing the leads can cause no good at all!
Remove the fuel pump fuse; take out the plugs and spin the engine over with them out. Heat the plug tips up on a cooker to dry the petrol off; [use fire and fumes safety precautions] refit just the plugs and re-try. If it fires and stops; then refit the pump's fuse. Once it's running, the petrol fumes in the sump will eventually disperse.
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This could be very expensive.
Contact the breakdown company and insist that they arrange, at their expense to have the car taken away to a dealers and have repaired, and provide you with a curtosy car until the car is ready.
I assume the guy turned the ignition on whilst his battery pack was connected the wrong way round. This may have done hundres of pounds of damage, the ECU the Radio, Injectors, all sorts of things.
Good Luck.
Regards Peter
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I agree, connecting the battery charger the wrong way round is bad news! If it is now trying to fire at the wrong time, it will explode into the inlet manifold and this via PCV into the crankcase/valve chamber and blow the cap off.
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Is the oil level high ?
I came across the exploding oil cap once on a old Renault 12, the fuel pump diaphram had split, allowing petrol to be pumped into the sump. The R12 wouldn't start (not enough fuel getting to carb) and it had difficulty turning over (possibly due to excess oil/fuel in the cylinders).
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