Renault Megane 1.6i 16v petrol 2004 non starter

 

 

Not often I ask for tech help here but this has me pulling the remaining hair I have out, if any Renault techs or Megane owners with similar issues here have any ideas please suggest away

 

 

Ok hope someone can help my daughter broke down last week and we towed the car home, today we spent 5 hours freezing our backsides off on her drive trying to get some where with the non starter and despite "proving" what is not the problem we still have a non starter.

 

So to start with it is a 2004 megane 1.6i 16 valve.

The daughter was was driving home quite normally at 30mph or so when it lost power and she coasted to a stop, she said the display in front of here said "injection check"

(generic fault code I believe) or something similar, she tried a restart but no go.

 

Several attempts and still towed it back to base.

 

So what we have tried so far:

 

1)Checked spark on all 4 plugs = very good and strong

 

2) Checked injector pulse with noid light= very good signal

 

3) Checked fuel pump= running fine good flow

 

4) Checked fuel delivery to fuel rail = fine good flow

 

5) Checked imobilser light= working correctly

 

6) Checked for fuel in tank= added 2 cans

 

Used a universal code checker that worked fine could see the chassis code and plenty of other parameters and interacted no issue.

 

We did pull one code: cam sensor, however do not know how old the code is appears to have a new one fitted so we cleared the code and tried a restart again and came back code free.

 

Removed and replaced battery, removed fuse box ( lower unit) and inspected with a magnifying glass to check circuit board and looked all good, all fuses also checked.

 

I ran out of time to do any more, when it cranks over it sound like no attempt to fire, the exhaust note at the tailpipe sounds like a good compression pulse.

 

When removing the plugs there seems little evidence of fuel well maybe a little, of all the amount of times we have cranked the engine over there is no sign of attempt to fire or any noise down the exhaust to suggest a cambelt slip and firing with the valves open, will try a compression test tomorrow to confirm the belt timing, if the belt is ok which I think it will be I am just out of ideas next so HELP as my daughter has this theory that Dad can fix anything and I don`t want to let her down..(its a dad thing)

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Jeff TT

Edited February 15, 201411 yr by JeffTT

We did pull one code: cam sensor, however do not know how old the code is appears to have a new one fitted so we cleared the code and tried a restart again and came back code free.

 

it might not throw another cam sensor code until you have a complete fresh start Jeff...bad cam sensor might give the ecu the illusion of a slipped belt even when mechanicly its still in timed postion.

these have a common fault with

 

VVT pulley failing .. falls apart letting the timing slip .. before failing u normaly get Bad Starts Chugging or cutting out

followed by CAM sensor ... some times a nice loud rattle sound

 

Throttle body control unitl fails or acts up .. Bad start , poor tick over , Loads of fuel or None start at all

Edited February 15, 201411 yr by MarkDerby

Checking cambelt / compression tomorrow hopefully will prove that ok, no running issue or noise before problem, dephaser pulley ( vvt pulley) quiet as a mouse, was checked when car was purchased lat year,

 

 

Jeff TT

That's a good sign .. done 2 earlier last month . One was just rattling with bad starts

Other had slipped ..

There is a dephasa lockout kit u can buy for the fraction of the cost

Oh dear all bad, no compression on two cylinders and less the 50 psi on the other two, anyone know if this is an interference engine? will start stripping anyhow.

 

Jeff TT

Just a thought fro a technical dwarf...... has the cam belt moved ?

Just a thought fro a technical dwarf...... has the cam belt moved ?

 

Yes Tony that is most likely, however the question is if the valves and pistons have had a fall out with each other.

jeff tt

Its an interference engine so damage will most likely occur if dephaser has given up or timing slip

Its an interference engine so damage will most likely occur if dephaser has given up or timing slip

 

 

Defo interface engine ...and quit common for the dephaser to brake allowing for timing to slip

Its an interference engine so damage will most likely occur if dephaser has given up or timing slip

 

Are you talking star trekian?

did you find the outcome from the low comp ?

My mates megane has been making that grinding/tapping noise on start up?

I keep telling him to get it looked at but he doesn't think its serious. He just revs the guts out of it until it stops.