Engine cutting out once started - Fuel pump?

Catlin

I began having problems with my 2.2 Astra Sri yesterday (unfortunately just as somebody was here to buy it!) I haven't used it for a few months now but had had it running regularly on the drive, during this time it did die a couple of times but I had this down to a lack of fuel and then a problem restarting it down to the battery which was flat as I hadn't disconnected whilst it was sat unused. I replaced the battery to be on the safe side and topped up the fuel at which point the car ran reliably on the drive.

The car is SORN so I haven't driven it on the road over the last few months but was confident it would still run well as it had previously. Unfortunately as soon as the buyer pulled off of my drive the car cut out.

It appears now that the engine isn't getting any fuel under load although I can sit in the car on my sloped drive revving it and it won't cut out. The guy who was going to buy it seemed to think its the fuel pump but after looking on eBay two different ones come up (one below the rear seats and one in the engine bay), is there a hard and fast way of identifying if this is the issue or does this situation sound familiar to anyone?

Pretty gutted to be honest as the guy was really happy with the car and I'd like to move it on now as I have no further use for it.

Catlin

Just had the Opcom plugged in, no fault codes stored although I did notice the Fuel Pump Relay said inactive. Car wasn't running at this point though as the fuel in the system appears to have run out (although there is still quarter of a tank in the car).

Any help is much appreciated, thanks for taking the time to read this.

evocarlos

the z22se only has the intank pump (under seat)
the z22yh direct injection has the intank pump and a high pressure pump bolted to the inlet cam

turn the ignition on can you hear the pump prime for 4-6 secs ?
on the fuel rail on the front of the engine remove the black cap and press the tire valve in to see if theres fuel in the rail under pressure (watch your eyes)

i would look at fuel pump fuse and fuel pump relay then maybe change the fuel filter

there is also something about a cracked pump case in the tank that makes them cut out if the fuel level is lower than 1/4

IDI_AMIN

Test the fuel pump under the rear seat lift up seat listen for it when you turn your key you should hear it buzzing or some noise that will let you know it is working

Catlin

Just had the rear seat up, cut through some dynamat and got to the fuel pump. Absolutely no noise when the key is turned, tried the same in my coupe and the noise is pretty obvious.

Is there a chance this could be the fuel pump fuse or relay (need to look up where these are located) or is it definitely the pump itself if I'm getting no noise at all?

Thanks for all the help so far!

evocarlos

relay is in the engine bay top right and i think the fuse is in the tray next to it a big one
you can hear the pump clearly form the drivers seat
quick vid

Catlin

Thanks Carl, I'll try and locate the exact fuse (and the one for the headlights which have died too) and the relay and swap them over from the coupe which I know works.

evocarlos

F1 60 amp Ignition switch
F2 60 amp Headlamps, Alarm, Immobiliser, Engine Management.
F3 60 amp It doesn't say. Maybe a spare.
F4 20 amp Engine coolantblower motor.
F5 60 amp ABS
F6 20 amp Engine Management
F7 80 amp Power Steering
F8 40 amp Engine Coolant Blower or Engine Management (diesels)

pretty sure the fuel pump relay is the purple one at the back

Catlin

Cheers again Carl. Swapped over the fuel pump relays this morning between the Sri and Coupe which made no difference. Just got back from picking up a fuel pump from the local breakers, fingers crossed that solves the issue!

Catlin

Fitted the fuel pump at the weekend and still nothing. No noise when I crank the engine at all, I checked it with a multimeter this evening and its reading 12v. Any further ideas are much appreciated!

MikeS

u switch ignition on you should hear priming of fuel pump, forget starting car

possible causes are;

fuel pump relay
fuel pump
aftermarket alarm / immobilizer
dodgy earth

Catlin

Cheers Mike. Yeah there is no noise from the fuel pump at all when you switch the ignition on. Made some progress this afternoon though, connected the pump directly to a battery and it worked fine, got the car running whilst it was connected but it cuts out as soon as you disconnect the battery.

Swapped the fuel pump relays over between the two cars again and nothing, the car was fine before and doesn't have an aftermarket alarm, looks like a dodgy earth maybe. Really confusing that there is 12v (measured with a multimeter at the plug)going to the pump but it doesn't work but then it does when you connect it directly to a battery.

IDI_AMIN

You must have a break in the wire that powers the fuel pump if it works straight on a battery