'06 407SW 2.0 HDi not starting help!

[C.A.R.]

Howdy folks!

Was over at the in-laws this afternoon and got asked to look at their parents car. As the title it's a 2006 2.0 HDi 407. Before Xmas it broke down and needed towing, after allegedly just stopping without any previous symptoms.

I looked at it, flat battery. We hooked it up to another car on jump leads but it still didn't want to know, battery however was showing 12.8V without being hooked up on jump leads - so seems healthy enough.

Fault codes pending showed one - P0461 which came back as "fuel level sensor circuit range / performance. Cleared the fault but problem persists.

Is this some form of anti-pollutant bullshit? There's a whole bunch going on under the bonnet which looks entirely different from my HDi (I assume this is a 16v?) there is a rubber 'bladder' by the fuel filter housing which feels empty. You can hear a wirr from the back when you flick the ignition on which sounds like the fuel pump priming. Once the car actually started turning over it wouldn't fire, like it had no fuel.
Sadly the old bloke who owns it has fiddled with it already following information from some mates of his. The large white cylinder under the rear bench seat (drivers side) is what I assume to be the primary fuel pump? This has been removed by him, cleaned and put back. Not before he tried reversing the polarity on the two main power cables going to it though!

Any help/tips would be much appreciated.

How can I tell on a diesel whether fuel is getting to the rail?

Sometimes when trying to start it you could hear several relays ticking from the area beneath the Ecu.

The symptoms are precisely like those when you trip the fuel cutoff circuit in our 306s - but I could see no circuit like this poking around the engine bay.

[Poodle]

Link in my sig, but i'd be surprised if you get anywhere, the siemens-based systems are a nightmare. Going on the fault code; i'd check it's got fuel in it.

[cully]

Moved to the HDi section

[Ruan]

Will be a Siemens SID803A if it's a 16v - doesn't have a lift pump - fuel is lifted by the internal gear pump in the commonrail pump.

That "bladder" is the priming pump, just like an XUD.

Sounds to me like it's run out of fuel or can't get fuel - it's probably because it can't build enough pressure in the rail to start. Give the bulb a prime and see if you can feel fuel in it....

Especially if he's had out the fuel pot under the boot floor - he's probably compounded the issue by doing that and assuming it'll now prime itself...

[darrenjlobb]

What Ruan said exactly.

Sounds like its aired right up, and without lift pump they can be a *** to prime with siemens. Keep pumping it, with the grnade till you feel the fuel coming thro.

[andywhy]

"fuel level sensor circuit range / performance"

Sounds like you could have run out of fuel but the gauge is still showing some. Put a gallon or 2 in and then do the above priming method.

[C.A.R.]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. So would flicking the ignition on / off not really make much of a difference?

I'm concerned that when he tried reversing the polarity on the thing under the back seat might have fooked things up.

I'll get him to chuck some more diesel in it and keep pumping the little bladder thing. Like I say, it was just full of air and I got bored of squeezing it in the end!

[andywhy]

Shouldn't make a difference, but keeping it on to let the pump run while you squeeze the bladder might help.

[Poodle]

As stated by ruan; it doesnt have a lift pump, so leaving the ignition on won't achieve anything.

[darrenjlobb]

Correct, ignition will do nothing, just make sure its got derv, and pump away...bosch management on the HDI is sooo much better.

[andywhy]

Ah, I wasn't aware there were 2 systems for the HDi's, and even if there was I'd have expected a lift pump in both. Oh well You learn every day.

[Poodle]

Yeah I was surprised too, when I found out, especially as todays engines seem to be all about making everything automatic.