Opel Insignia hot engine start problems

Tiny
ANDREIDUTZ
  • MEMBER
  • 2009 OPEL
  • 51,000 MILES
Hello,

I have a problem when starting my Opel Insignia when the engine is hot. The engine will not start unless you wait for at least 30 min. After that when it starts it works fine. It feels like the fuel doesn't get pushed forward.

The problem occurs only when the engine is hot (ex: city drive). At service they couldn;t find any errors and of course, the problem could not be reproduced at the service station.

Any ideas?
Tuesday, August 21st, 2012 AT 9:10 AM

12 Replies

Tiny
WRENCHTECH
  • MECHANIC
  • 20,757 POSTS
All "crank, no start" conditions are approached in the same way. Every engine requires certain functions to be able to run. Some of these functions rely on specific components to work and some components are part of more than one function so it is important to see the whole picture to be able to conclude anything about what may have failed. Also, these functions can ONLY be tested during the failure. Any other time and they will simply test good because the problem isn't present at the moment.
If you approach this in any other way, you are merely guessing and that only serves to replace unnecessary parts and wastes money.

Every engine requires spark, fuel and compression to run. That's what we have to look for.

These are the basics that need to be tested and will give us the info required to isolate a cause.

1) Test for spark at the plug end of the wire using a spark tester. If none found, check for power supply on the + terminal of the coil with the key on.

2) Test for injector pulse using a small bulb called a noid light. If none found, check for power supply at one side of the injector with the key on.

3) Use a fuel pressure gauge to test for correct fuel pressure, also noticing if the pressure holds when key is shut off.

Once you have determined which of these functions has dropped out,
you will know which system is having the problem.
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Tuesday, August 21st, 2012 AT 10:05 AM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
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One of the most common causes of non-starting when hot would be the Engine Coolant Temperature sensor. Though it may not produce any codes, it can cause flooding or insufficient fuel being injected into the engine. Have it tested.
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Tuesday, August 21st, 2012 AT 10:07 AM
Tiny
ANDREIDUTZ
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Hello,

Thanks for the advices. Today it just happened again and so i filmed it. here you can see the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQifuC1ikkc&feature=youtu.be
I hope this will help you.

Today was a very hot day and i had to do a lot of short runs to do( 1-5 km). After a few stops the car would not start. After a few trials i let her cool down for about 1 H and it started without any problems.

I'm going to have it tested again this week, but the problem is it never happens when i'm at the service.
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Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012 AT 12:30 PM
Tiny
WRENCHTECH
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  • 20,757 POSTS
So, you have a "no crank" problem, not a "crank, no start".

You will have to test for power arriving at the small trigger wire of the starter when the key is held in "start" position. You can't test it unless the problem is present.
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Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012 AT 12:48 PM
Tiny
ANDREIDUTZ
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  • 3 POSTS
Actually I think I forgot to mention something: At the first key the engine starts for 1 2 3 secound then the turation of the motor slowly goes down to 0 RPM.

The video has taken at the second attempt to start engine and it doesn;t start at all.
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Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012 AT 12:55 PM
Tiny
ABO
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
I have a Vauxhall Insignia 160diesel which has exactly the same problem. Nobody seems to be able to tell me why. I drive along, stall the engine and try to restart but it will not start and leaves me stranded in the middle of a junction. Another time I pulled into a carpark and turned off the engine for just ten minutes, it refused to re-start. Eventually it starts but it is embarrassing. If you find the problem/solution I would be grateful to know
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Monday, May 6th, 2013 AT 3:54 PM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
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  • 41,815 POSTS
Diesel and petrol driven engines are different and same symptoms could be due to different causes.
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Tuesday, May 7th, 2013 AT 6:00 AM
Tiny
ABO
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
That's very true in many cases but the cause just might be the same so on the off chance im willing to hear if the cause has been found.(Plus the guy doesn't actually say if his is petrol or diesel) luckily I have enough knowledge to know that a petrol and a diesel engine are different. But as no 'expert' has yet been able to provide an answer to my nor apparently the original problem in this thread, we are forced to find solutions where we can. As this guy is experiencing exactly the same problem as me and no-one has a solution I have no other choice but to hope that one of us finds the solution ourself
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Tuesday, May 7th, 2013 AT 2:57 PM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
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Waiting is not going to get you any answers and if any, it might not apply.

When engine fails to start, you need to check if the injectors are firing. A faulty fuel cut solenoid fault can result in no fuel getting past the fuel punmp to the injectors.

Did you check for trouble codes?
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Wednesday, May 8th, 2013 AT 10:17 AM
Tiny
ABO
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Thanks.I connected an OBD reader to socket under dash. There are no error codes and no faults found.
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Wednesday, May 15th, 2013 AT 7:56 AM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
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You would have to perform testings to find out what is causing it.

We do not have any information for your vehicle so I am not able to search for more information.
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Wednesday, May 15th, 2013 AT 10:59 AM
Tiny
VASOSBG
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
Hi,
I have the same problem with my insignia 2010 1.8 petrol. Same as the video which you post, did you find the solution?Thanks in advance for your responce
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Thursday, February 19th, 2015 AT 9:39 PM

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