Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: fudgee on 06 October 2021, 16:08:28

Title: Failed Jump start
Post by: fudgee on 06 October 2021, 16:08:28
Hi everybody I hope your all well and good.
My 03 plate 2.2 cd auto has been sitting idle for about 3 months (don't ask......my life's a mess at the moment  :-\ ) so obviously the battery has gone flat.
Today I attempted to jump start it but no joy.

Once I attached the jump leads I left them on with the other cars engine running for a good ten minutes before attempting to start my omega.
As soon as I attached the leads my dashboard lights came on as expected, however once ten minutes had passed and I tried to start it I heard a click and the dashboard died and it didn't attempt to start at all just completely dead.

I left it charging for another 5 minutes but still no lights or life at all.

I then detached the jump leads from my battery and immediately put them back on again and that made all the lights and stereo come on again.
I left it charging for another 5 minutes including me revving the other cars engine and the exact same thing happened again when I tried to start it.

Removed the jump leads and put them back on the same as before and once again the lights and stereo came on and then died when I tried to start it.

This happened a couple of more time before not even removing the leads could get any life into it and now it's dead completely  :'(

I checked the fuses under the steering column and none have blown and also what is important to point out is the both the battery and alternator are brand new. They were both replaced a couple of months before I parked the car up for the last time with no issues whatsoever.

Help please!!!
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 06 October 2021, 16:12:54
Primary fuses live in the box above the battery.

However, if the battery isn't taking a charge, you probably need a new one. Find the receipt and take it back.
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: fudgee on 06 October 2021, 16:23:02
Thank you I will check them once I'm home from work and see if any have blown.
It's good to hear from you again by the way.
I hope your well and everything is going okay at the airport  :y
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 06 October 2021, 16:26:34
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: fudgee on 06 October 2021, 16:31:01
Glad to hear it :y....and I'll give that guide a look!!
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: YZ250 on 06 October 2021, 18:43:37
Hi everybody I hope your all well and good.
My 03 plate 2.2 cd auto has been sitting idle for about 3 months (don't ask......my life's a mess at the moment  :-\ ) so obviously the battery has gone flat.
Today I attempted to jump start it but no joy.

Once I attached the jump leads I left them on with the other cars engine running for a good ten minutes before attempting to start my omega.
..............

I'd try a decent set of jump leads as well. My really old jump leads are made from forklift charging cable, which is very similar to the cables we have at work  ::) , and I can honesty say that once hooked up it's as if the donor car battery is on the dead car. There is so little loss of voltage through the leads that the dead car will spin over the same as the donor car, with no build up charging time.
You may have other issues with it but trying decent jump leads is worth a punt.
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: iansoutham on 07 October 2021, 04:04:12
I would suspect that the battery has gone completely flat so is taking most of the power instead of the car. What I normally do is put the positive on the battery and the negative on the engine block somewhere )like a lifting eye). That can sometimes make enough of a difference. As other advice though, make sure the jump leads are good and turn EVERYTHING off on the car being started.
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: Sir Tigger KC on 08 October 2021, 09:43:08
Take the battery out and charge it overnight.  :)
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: Raeturbo on 08 October 2021, 09:50:38
Remove the battery and put the battery off the other car on it to see if it starts then. That will let you know if it’s the battery or not before trying anything else.
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: omegod on 08 October 2021, 13:17:55
Remove the battery and put the battery off the other car on it to see if it starts then. That will let you know if it’s the battery or not before trying anything else.

You'll go a long way with common sense like that  ;D
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: fudgee on 08 October 2021, 16:31:54
Hi guys.
I borrowed my friend's battery charger and left it charging overnight. Now there's power in the car and when I turn the key the engine is now attempting to turn over but it won't fire up  :-\
It was running without fault before I parked it up so its a strange one. Plenty of fuel in there.
Any suggestions?
I'm with the AA Thankfully so if no joy I can get it towed to my local mechanic who I've used for years and I trust him but would obviously prefer to try and sort it myself.

Thanks  :y
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 08 October 2021, 17:02:42
Does the fuel pump run briefly when yo turn the ignition on?
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: fudgee on 08 October 2021, 17:21:15
Doctor Gollum I'm not sure how to tell...I know that makes me sounds thick!
The engine was trying to turn over. I could feel a vibration through the drivers seat as it was trying to ignite. Just wouldn't fire up
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 08 October 2021, 18:34:21
First, how much fuel is in it and is the car level? Saloons aren't as bad in this respect but can still struggle with slopes and very low fuel ;)

Assuming that the car is level with at least a quarter tank try this:

With the aid of the lovely Debbie McGee, place a finger on each of the purple relays in the engine fuse box... Then have them turn the key one position at a time.

As the key goes from 1 - 2, you should feel one relay click on briefly and hear the faint buzz from the fuel pump, as the key goes to crank, that relay should then switch off and as the engine spins up, the second relay should click on. Once it fires the first relay should kick back on.

If that mostly happens, and it still doesn't start, the give the bottom of the tank a slap whilst the car is cranked.

And report back  :y
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: fudgee on 08 October 2021, 18:49:17
Thanks Doctor!
I live on my own and there's nobody around at the moment so I'll try and get somebody to help me over the weekend.
The car is level but there's not a quarter of a tank in there though. The fuel light is not on yet but probably not far off it coming on and the trip computer says there is 36 miles left?
Even though there should be enough fuel in there to start,  is the fact that it was not started up for a couple  of months affecting the lowish fuel in some way then possibly?
Thanks for your help by the way as always  :)
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 08 October 2021, 19:08:20
If you can buy some, throw a couple of gallons in and retry :y

There's a few things it could be, but start with the obvious :y
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: LC0112G on 08 October 2021, 19:36:22
First, how much fuel is in it and is the car level? Saloons aren't as bad in this respect but can still struggle with slopes and very low fuel ;)

Assuming that the car is level with at least a quarter tank try this:

With the aid of the lovely Debbie McGee, place a finger on each of the purple relays in the engine fuse box... Then have them turn the key one position at a time.

As the key goes from 1 - 2, you should feel one relay click on briefly and hear the faint buzz from the fuel pump, as the key goes to crank, that relay should then switch off and as the engine spins up, the second relay should click on. Once it fires the first relay should kick back on.

If that mostly happens, and it still doesn't start, the give the bottom of the tank a slap whilst the car is cranked.

And report back  :y

If you can work out which relay is the fuel pump relay, then pull the relay out and just bridge the contact terminals (not the coil terminals). With the ignition on the fuel pump should then run continuously. You should then be able to hear the fuel pump running, and the fuel kind of whooshing/squirting noise as it passes through the fuel rail, and the sploshing as the fuel returns to the fuel tank.
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 08 October 2021, 20:01:51
They're side by side and identical. The one that cycles with the ignition is the fuel pump.

Generally they're pretty reliable. The only ones I have replaced have been on lpg fuelled cars.
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: LC0112G on 08 October 2021, 23:54:52
They're side by side and identical. The one that cycles with the ignition is the fuel pump.

Generally they're pretty reliable. The only ones I have replaced have been on lpg fuelled cars.

I'm not saying the relays are unreliable. I'm saying that if you bridge the terminals you can get the fuel pump to run all the time, which makes it easier for a single person to listen for the fuel pump running, the sound of fuel running through the fuel rail and the sound of fuel returning to the fuel tank.

Doing it via the ignition switch is difficult unless you've got Debbie McGee handy, and even then you only get a few seconds to listen for these things.
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: fudgee on 09 October 2021, 00:57:26
I am both pleased and surprised to announce that my beloved omega is now running and alive and well.
Really strange though, as I said before I tried to start it after charging the battery and no joy.
I left it like that and went to work, and when I got home I thought sod it let me try again quickly before I go to bed and it started first time.
I haven't added any fuel yet or done anything else.
Very bizarre indeed but thank you to everyone who posted on the thread  :y
I'm always very grateful
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 09 October 2021, 01:04:39
I am both pleased and surprised to announce that my beloved omega is now running and alive and well.
Really strange though, as I said before I tried to start it after charging the battery and no joy.
I left it like that and went to work, and when I got home I thought sod it let me try again quickly before I go to bed and it started first time.
I haven't added any fuel yet or done anything else.
Very bizarre indeed but thank you to everyone who posted on the thread  :y
I'm always very grateful
Result :y

Now put some fuel in before it does run out :D
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: fudgee on 09 October 2021, 08:43:27
Doctor Gollum that's the first thing I did.
I wrote that last update as I was sitting in the car waiting for the engine to warm up a bit.
Once it had I drove to Asda and put £40 in  ;D

Thanks again  :y
Title: Re: Failed Jump start
Post by: Raeturbo on 09 October 2021, 14:08:16
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