Scout 2011 - Sudden Fail to Start! - Any ideas?

[Buteo]

Gentlepersons,

 

After about eight months of blissful, fault-free ownership (I'm more used to Land Rovers...) today I was let down big time.

The car has provided sterling service over the last week or so in the Grampian snow & ice, with no hint of a problem. This morning the key is turned to produce the normal array of lights, only as they go off in sequence, there is a warning 'bong' and the TCS light comes back on. Attempted to crank it over twice, no joy - on 3rd attempt, nothing at all; still got the usual lights, but it's as if the battery is dead...

Subsequent attempts are the same : 'Bong', TCS light, no start.

Try a jump start.

Get it running after a couple of attempts, leave it at idle for about 30 mins with no problems apart from a brief splutter during which glow plug & DPF lights illuminated briefly then went out as engine picked up again.

Leave it off for about half an hour (other stuff needing attention), then go back to it intending to give it a bit of 'Italian tuning' to boost the battery and perhaps negate any pending DPF issues.

Starts fine. For about a minute, then dies...

On restart, it quickly stutters, aforementioned glowplug/DPF combination displays again and dies.

Back to square one: cranks unsuccessfully twice, 'Bong', TCS light, no start.

 

Checked the obvious - fuel, electrical connections, fuses, seem ok.

Now, I can understand DPF issues may result in a non-start, but TCS/ESP?

 

I strongly suspect that it'll be recovered to a garage in the morning and get plugged in, but has anyone had experience of this before?

 

Thank you in anticipation. I wait with bated breath...

 

 

[wiilydog]

Have you measured the voltage on the battery to eliminate it's not a failing battery?

[Ootohere]

Going mild at least now thankfully.

Batteries going quite likely, my year old car was near not starting today after 3 days sitting at below freezing.

Years since i have ever though Oh **** not going to start in a winter. 

Not been low enough temps for the diesel waxing.

 

& 

Has the fuel filter been changed that you know of.

Edited 18 December, 2017 by AwaoffSki

[Buteo]

No, not yet - another obvious one , I know and had crossed my mind, but I don't have the appropriate meter. (Not much of a spannerman) so it''s on the 'to-do' list for tomorrow!

Thanks!

[Buteo]

Hi Awaoffski,

 

Thanks for the reply; The car was serviced a couple of months back, so I'll check - should have been done I imagine.

I'm hoping it's a battery issue - having read a few posts about the effect the VAG emissions 'fix'  is alleged to be having on cars (done before I bought it), the alternatives are quite worrying!

Regards.

[Guest]

Sounds very similar to my experience when my Scout reached 5, 2 and a bit years ago. 

 

Went to turn the car over, nothing. Cannot remember anything about the state of dash lights, but vehicle running fine the previous day, no issues with not starting, or difficult to start previous to this either. Got recovery out, they diagnosed a flat battery, charged it up via a portable power pack. Recommended/advised I get a new battery, which I did, and so far no issues since. 

 

Recovery guy stated he is now dealing with more call outs to 3-5 year old cars  with dead or dying batteries than anything else now. 

[Buteo]

Gentlepersons,

 

Thank you all for your prompt replies and assistance;

 

I spent a sizeable chunk of the last couple of days fiddling/kicking tyres/occasionally getting it to start, only for it to cut out minutes later...

The car is now on the back of a recovery truck en route to a garage. The man with the diagnostic box had issues communicating with the ECU and was unhappy with the readings he was getting, so I've sent it off to my nominated garage for thorough checking. (I hope!)

 

To answer the questions raised:

Fuel & Air filters were changed in September at a service, so should be no issues there;

Multimeter readings (Every day's a schoolday!) - Rest 12.1v (low, time to invest in a new battery anyway); running (On the rare occasion it actually was!) - 14.1v (normal) 

Even changed key fobs in case it was an immobiliser issue, too simple.

 

So thanks again to you all for your assistance - I imagine I'll find out the answer in the next day or so!

 

Regards.

[skomaz]

that sounds like a dead battery (or dead cell within the battery) to me for definite - they do strange things when the voltage is low.  I had similar some time ago - drove to Homebase fine, locked the car up walked to the door and found it was closed, walked back and unlocked but car wouldn't start - the battery failed due to the load trying to start the engine.  New battery and no issues since.

 

[silver1011]

100% a dead or dying battery.

 

The Octavia is well documented as displaying very strange (and often misleading) symptoms when the battery begins to fail.

 

Not being able to correctly read the ECU, various and spurious dash warning and not wanting to start one minute and then firing up fine the next are all classic symptoms.

 

Get yourself a Varta E44 (a Bosch S5 without the expensive stickers) and you'll be fine for years to come.

[m0bov]

Again for me, duff battery. I changed mine to a bigger Bosch 096 for my petrol. I did this when it reached 5 years as thats when they mostly start going. i would have checked a new battery in anyway.

[Buteo]

Gentlepersons,

 

Again, thank you all for your help & advice - it's only polite to let you know how I got on, so to summarise events of the last couple of weeks;

Car was recovered as above - unfortunately the recovery agent had cleared any codes when trying to start it, so the dealer wasn't able to identify or replicate the fault after recharging the battery as they noted it was very low - recommended I change the battery, but it would take them a couple of days(!) to obtain a replacement.

Halfords fitted a new one with a 5 year warranty 20 minutes later.

Started & drove fine on a good run home (scenic route).

Couple of days later... back to square 1.

This time recovered without any attempts at diagnostics back to dealer. This time they ascertained that the engine ECU was not communicating with their equipment, and the fault codes they were getting were the result of it not speaking to the other ECU/sensors - ABS/TCS etc.

They apparently took advice from Skoda who advised them that the car needed to go to Skoda for further investigation if they couldn't get any further with it.

Having had it recovered (Expensively!) to Inverness Skoda (another branch of the same dealership company), they quite swiftly identified the fault to be a broken electrical cable under the battery base, caused by chafing - nothing to do with the ECU at all...

Repaired, collected on Saturday and so far, so good!

Understandably, less than impressed with my local dealer, as I'd have thought that this was basic stuff - check fuses, relays, switches & wiring. Time to have a loud word with customer services I think!

 

However, again, I thank you all for your time & suggestions - one for future reference - Dead ECU? check the cables!

 

Regards,