Can anyone give me any sugestions on my recent problem. I have a 2002 1.8 tdci with 124k on the clock. On Friday evening I was driving into birmingham, along the duel carriageway and I came to an island. I slowed down for the island and all of a sudden the car just cut out, with no warning signs at all and I know I didn't stall it. So, I tried to re-start it and it just would not turn over. When I was trying to turn it over the glow plug light started flashing.

In the end I pulled it to the side of the road, (with NO assistance by any other fecker on the road I might add (though it is birmingham I suppose) just snears and gormless looks) and had to get my wife to toe me back home.

Today I have just changed the glow plugs and it still won't turn over. This is soo frustrating, at christmas I had to falk out £700 for a new clutch and DMF. This bloody car is just cripling me at the moment!!!

Just about to call the AA, but if anything like this has happened to anyone else, then some advice would be gratefully received.

so the engine just stopped? dead? nothing whatsoever?

What sort of mileage have you done?

glow plugs are the best place to start, but does the car tick over at all, or try to start? if it does, it could be a clogged fuel filter (something so simple, yet easy to overlook)

the glow plug light can mean many things apart from the glow plugs it doubles as the engine management light it could be brake light switch faulty fuel pump throttle pedal fault the throttle sensor the o ring on the wires to the glow plugs last time i fixed one like youre issue i had to put a new throttle pedal on you need the codes scanned as it can be so many things throttle pedal is common though

Thanx for the advice guys!

@jeebow - yeah mate it did try to tick over but it just wouldn't fire up. I had all electrics working, the dash lights came on and went off as usual when turning the key. Also it has 124k on the clock (its going through a mid life crisis I suspect )

On saturday I bought a brand new set of glow plugs as the old ones didn't look too bad, but also didn't look like they had been changed since the car went into production. Went to fire the car up, expecting everything to work, but... still the same... tried to start it and again the engine just wouldn't fire up.

Last result (and I wish I did this sooner) was call out the AA. The chap came over, had a look at the engine and from first inspection said it could possibly be the Fuel pump (Major ££££££ ). He hooked his computer up to the ECU and did a bit of fault finding.

After all that it turns out it was the Camshaft Sensor (the one mounted on top of the rocker cover). So I bought myself a new one for £30 and now it starts first time, every time and now I'm a very happy bunny

So if this does happen to anyone else, make checking the Camshaft Sensor one of your first points of call, as its a relatively cheap fix. I would also highly recommend the AA, the mechanic that I saw was highly professional and knew exactly what to do

[color=#0000ff][size=5][font=comic sans ms,cursive]Getting the AA to diagnose the fault was a good plan and as a bonus it's free! providing you have AA cover. [/font][/size][/color]

Just dont do what I did, my fuel filter went on me and I sat on a motorway waiting for the AA, hoping not only would they diagnose and tell me what was wrong, but they would take me home... Only to find the agent they sent on their behalf arrived after 2hrs 15 and stuck me on the back of the truck and would have dropped me off only at the next junction with the services there... The only reason I got a lift all the way back home, is because it wasnt his usual motor, it didnt have the right tools, it didnt really work properly, and in the freezing cold and dark, I helped him have a nosey, and get the car hooked up to the motor and on there. Because of all that, and the fact that (unlike his other customers that evening who whinged, moaned and did FA to help him) he decided to ignore his orders of "drop him off at the next corner" and decided to drive me and my poor Foci the remaining 20 miles of my journey.

Needless to say I appreciated his efforts, but I was hoping Mr AA would have come along and said "its the fuel filter, now lets get you home", instead it cost me the ford diagnostics fee as I needed to get it fixed ASAP and I had a very busy day at work the next day...

[quote name='jeebowhite' timestamp='1341408902' post='190977']
Just dont do what I did, my fuel filter went on me and I sat on a motorway waiting for the AA, hoping not only would they diagnose and tell me what was wrong, but they would take me home... Only to find the agent they sent on their behalf arrived after 2hrs 15 and stuck me on the back of the truck and would have dropped me off only at the next junction with the services there... The only reason I got a lift all the way back home, is because it wasnt his usual motor, it didnt have the right tools, it didnt really work properly, and in the freezing cold and dark, I helped him have a nosey, and get the car hooked up to the motor and on there. Because of all that, and the fact that (unlike his other customers that evening who whinged, moaned and did FA to help him) he decided to ignore his orders of "drop him off at the next corner" and decided to drive me and my poor Foci the remaining 20 miles of my journey.

Needless to say I appreciated his efforts, but I was hoping Mr AA would have come along and said "its the fuel filter, now lets get you home", instead it cost me the ford diagnostics fee as I needed to get it fixed ASAP and I had a very busy day at work the next day...
[/quote]

[color=#0000ff][size=5][font=comic sans ms,cursive]I hope that the AA refunded your expenses, and grovelled, I have never heard of the AA using an outside contractor. [/font][/size][/color]

[quote name='NorthSussex' timestamp='1341410258' post='190981']


[color=#0000ff][size=5][font=comic sans ms,cursive]I hope that the AA refunded your expenses, and grovelled, I have never heard of the AA using an outside contractor. [/font][/size][/color]
[/quote]
They do it all the time down here.
RAC is just the same too.
I use Green Flag and they're top notch.

[quote name='Stoney871' timestamp='1341417723' post='191014']
They do it all the time down here.
RAC is just the same too.
I use Green Flag and they're top notch.
[/quote]

[color=#0000ff][size=5][font=comic sans ms,cursive]that's bad, they take your money and then don't give you the service, something for one of the consumer programmes. [/font][/size][/color]

It's funny when the AA adverts state they have more dedicated patrol vehicles than any other recovery services.
They send any local recovery vehicle they can contract.

Well I can't fault the AA mechanic that came to my aid. I think it was better and felt more comfortable the fact that my car was at home and not on the roadside (thanks to my wife towing me back home). Luckily we have a Lloyds TSB Platinum account which provides free AA cover as one of its perks. It basically covers me and my wife for everything the AA has to offer with the exception of a courtesy car.

I never thought I would need it TBH, and it was just another con from the banks to get me to pay for my account, but now I have discovered it is a very handy thing to have, especially with a 10 year old car like mine