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Yes, you guys respond with answers, and very helpful ones. Now I am also in Ford transit forum - it gives valuable answers too, but I would not know nearly as much without you!!
Today, i got a towing rope and did The Test. First, we tried to push the car while it was in the 3rd gear. We only managed to rock it, but it did not move.
Then, I got a thick strap, it said on it that it was intended for towing cars. I found someone to pull me. When we were going fast enough, I slowly put in the 3rd gear. That almost stopped the front car, and the strap broke with a loud sound. It looked like there was a huge resistance. And I think that the engine did not move at all. I was seeing the future in black colours.
Then the road was down steep hill, so we used the gravity to pull us. I let the van go quite fast and then I tried again to put in the 3rd gear. The engine spinned, but when I stepped on the clutch, it died.
Then, I tried again and the engine actually kept running for about ten secs!! And, then died. I tried the starter, and it worked! So, the starter is not gone. The battery was weak after all the attempts to start it in the morning, so the engine was not spinning fast and it did not start the car, but – it did spin.
I made about five more attempts to start the car. Every time, it was the same. It started, it was running for 1 to 10 seconds, and it died.
Every time, the engine was running smoothly, without any shaking or weird sounds. If it did not die, i would think that there is nothing wrong with it. The oil and battery lights were on, but it could have been because the engine was just idling, and it died so soon.
Then, I stopped trying – I wanted to get some input from you guys so that I would not damage the engine.
SO:
- the starter is not dead... and the reason it did not spin before was that the engine was quite stuck? I am still not sure whether the engine really was stuck, or whether I just suggested it onto myself... perhaps the strap was not a good quality one.
- the reason the engine stopped every time could have been that either there was still air pocket in the fuel system, or the engine is not lubricated, or it is partly stuck. Right? Which one is likely?
What i need to know:
- is it safe to keep trying to start the engine (just in case it is the air bubble that causes the engine to stop)? For how long? Under which conditions? Would it help if I waited between the tries? I will clean the fuel filter again, empty tank could let some water in... but I definitely do not want to ruin the engine!
- could the injector cleaner release some dirt INTO the engine, so the engine would get stuck? With the diesel, I put quite a bit of injector cleaner into it – perhaps even too much... actually, now that I think about it, I could have exceeded the recommended dilution four times! Could that do some damage? It was the ordinary cleaner, probably detergents. I did order diesel, but I am also thinking whether the lady at the pump did not put gasoline into it accidentaly. Would that produce such symptoms? If I open the fuel filter, how can I tell gasoline from diesel? I dont trust my nose much.
- if it IS the oil pump not working: is the engine severely damaged already, or would it just help to change the pump? As I said, when I push started it, it was running smoothly, but died in seconds.
- if the engine is partly stuck due to some dirt in it: what to do?
I am surely hoping that it is just the air bubble, or oil pump. The outlook of stuck engine sounds like a horrid nightmare to me. If that is what it is though: what exactly will needed to be done on the engine? Or, would I need a new/refurbished/junkyard engine? How much would it all cost roughly? I have no idea...
thanks... Petr
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