HELP!! I have an issue with my 2005 Clio, I know something about carsnbut this overpasses my knowledge, my Clio has a problem, when the car is warm if I turn off the car and try to turn it back on while is still warm it won’t start, it cranks but won’t start, but if the car is cold it starts right up, my thinking is that the fuel pump is failing, but the weird thing is that only starts when its cold, a mechanic told me that the car has a burnt valve but I don’t know if that’s the cause, I hope someone can help me, I need the car to go to my University and I don’t have a lot of money to go to a shop, I like doing stuff DIY so if you can help me I’ll truly appreciate.
The problem might be vapor lock.
Vapor lock occurs on a fuel injected engine when the residual fuel pressure bleeds off too quickly when the engine is shut off hot. This then causes the gas in the fuel rail to boil, which then makes it very difficult restart the engine when it’s hot.
To find out if this is what’s happening, carry a bottle of water in the vehicle. The next time the engine won’t start when hot, open the hood and pour the bottle of water over the fuel rail.
If the engine starts right up, that’s vapor lock.
Tester
Check to see if the ignition is working okay. If that is okay then maybe the fuel delivery is weak. Perhaps a bad connection to power maybe. The connection would heat up after being on for some time. When you try to start it again not enough power gets to the motor to let it run properly. Just a guess.
I’d start by figuring out if it is a spark problem or fuel problem. There’s two methods
- connect up a spare spark plug to check for a healthy visible blue-white spark during cranking. If you see no spark, or a weak spark, it’s a spark problem.
- or spray starter fluid into the air intake path during cranking. If it starts ok then, it’s a fuel problem.
It’s possible you’ll determine it is neither. If so post back what you observed, as there’s some other possibilities.