Booooooo! She's failed on me AGAIN!

[Spike_UK]

It's been a long journey home tonight after my Pug 205 decided to give up on me once again.

She's been given a death pardon on afew occasions over the last few months but I think it's time I start looking for a new motor.

Basically it's been cutting out on me for unknown reasons. I took it for a full service and MOT and it's been fine for the last 2 months, but it's on the journey home this evening it just died on me. I was halfway home (20 minute drive) when I slowed to 30mph for some traffic...at that exact moment the battery light came on and I started losing speed. Luckily there was a quiet road just infront of me so I pulled into there. I tried turning her over afew times but it just wouldn't fire. It would turn fine, but there was no spark.

RAC came to take a look at it and after an hours worth of poking, prodding and a new Ignition Module, it was still dead (very pleased with the service from RAC though).....so I had to get towed.....which was fun (although quite scary at the same time).

After being signed off for two weeks by the doctor, this is going to go down well at work. I've not done a full week since before December

 

[Lopéz]

Suspect components:

Battery

Alternator

Battery earth (cable and terminal)

Battery live (cable and terminal)

For the battery light to come on, there has to be a fault with one of these components. The 205 GTi in particular is very sensitive to poor earth/live connections on the battery.

 

[Spike_UK]

The RAC guy checked my Battery and seemed to think it was fine.

The battery light comes on everytime you turn the ignition on. Everything lit up as you'd expect when your about to turn the car over. He seemed to think it's something to do with the Core or Distributor. There was no Spark going to the engine at all...

I'll find out tomorrow, it got towed to a nearby garage who I'll jump on first thing tomorrow. It's been having this problem for months but each time I take it to a garage they tweak something and it goes. This time I feel that the part that was dodgy in the past has now gone completely.

FYI - It's a G-Reg Pug 205 GR with only 67k on the clock...

 

[Lopéz]

I thought the battery light came on whilst you were driving - ie when the engine was still running?
It's supposed to come on with the ignition, then go out again. If it comes on whilst driving your problem is with the charging system itself rather than things like distributors and leads....

 

[chopchop]

so its good old coil and distributor ignition?

for no sparks it could be:
terminal connections to the coil corroded (the small LT wires)
points
condensor
rotor arm
dizzy cap
ht leads
faulty coil

my bet is probably on the corroded terminals(might also be the earth lopez suggested as a problem for 205's?), or the coil, because it stopped so suddenly. most of the others would likely give a missfire first.

 

[Spike_UK]

I thought the battery light came on whilst you were driving - ie when the engine was still running?
It's supposed to come on with the ignition, then go out again. If it comes on whilst driving your problem is with the charging system itself rather than things like distributors and leads....

The light came on then the engine died completely. It all happened in a matter of seconds with no noises from the engine. It just conked out and ground to a hault.

Coil, Distribution is exactly what the RAC guy thought it would be.

 

[chopchop]

I thought the battery light came on whilst you were driving - ie when the engine was still running?
It's supposed to come on with the ignition, then go out again. If it comes on whilst driving your problem is with the charging system itself rather than things like distributors and leads....

it came on because the engine stopped/died, maybe not at first while the momentum was driving the engine, but when slowed down or clutch in. bad explaining on his part really, but spose not everyone knows how it would work.

 

[Lopéz]

it came on because the engine stopped/died, maybe not at first while the momentum was driving the engine, but when slowed down or clutch in. bad explaining on his part really, but spose not everyone knows how it would work.

I guessed it may be the case - unfortunately it's a very important part of the problem solving process because the light coming on and then the engine cutting out is caused by very different problems to the engine just cutting out (which automatically brings the light on)

 

[Spike_UK]

it came on because the engine stopped/died, maybe not at first while the momentum was driving the engine, but when slowed down or clutch in. bad explaining on his part really, but spose not everyone knows how it would work.

Yeah, I didn't really explain it that well. I'm rubbish with cars...

 

[Enfield]

Sounds like the alternator to me!

 

[agw_01]

Sounds like the alternator to me!

Alternator wouldn't cause the engine to conk out.

The battery light simply came on because the engine stopped turning (alternator wasn't charging) while the ignition was turned on.

 

[Dogbreath]

My mk2 Fiesta suffered from the exact same syptoms, you would be trundling along quite happily, then the igntion warning light would come on and engine would die. Sometimes it would go for weeks with no problems, sometimes it would do it several times on one joureny. The fault in this case was the igntion module, moving the wiring harness that plugged into it would cause the engine to die, and obviouosly when the engine itself moved under load that would occaisionaly cause the problem.

Obviously a new module has been tried in this case, but it's worth having a good rummage with the wiring loom (wih engine running, watch for belts etc!) as it could be a dodgy connector or broken wire etc.

 

[Spike_UK]

I got the car back from the garage today. It was indeed the Coil that had gone.

Cost me £70 in total, which I didn't think was too bad.

It all seems to be running fine again now.