Help please - Clio will not start - championship round looming!!

[Tonyclio]

Hi,

Need help from the experts on here!!!


I took my gearbox out to fit a Gripper diff all connected back up but will not start.
Car cranks over for less than a second then stops, no noise from fuel pump.
Replaced crank shaft sensor
Initially thought it was the ECU as had suffered minor damage ( don't ask!) so just to be sure replaced ECU UCH, new key fob and steering wheel transponder from Renparts. with identically numbered unit.
Fitted all this same problem.

Took it to local garage they can read the ECU, not showing any faults and spent a couple of hours more giving connections once/twice over

Current situation:
Immobiliser flashes when key out - key in and turn on immobiliser light on constant.
Car cranks for half a second.
Power at coil
No power at fuel pump unless put power directly to it via the ECU pin on the ECU connector - primed pump still would not start
Checked all fuses and replaced a couple of corroded relays and cleaned connections
Tried squirting eaisi-start through inlet manifold...no difference.
Garage have now given up on it as do not have enough time and have suggest I look at loom in engine bay for broken wire which could have happened when gearbox removed/refitted.

Any thoughts pointers given if I cannot find the fault the only solution short of replacing loom which I just do not have the time with work at the moment seems to be to break the car which is a shame as a lot of time effort and money has gone into it.

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

Garage have now given up on it as do not have enough time and have suggest I look at loom in engine bay for broken wire which could have happened when gearbox removed/refitted.

Gearbox earth strap busted or not even attached..? 10mm wide copper strap.. get under and have a look ! Passenger side IIRC

Search on here will give you about 40,000 results.

To prove it out, jump lead from gearbox to battery negative and see if it starts.....

 

[robzracing]

Have you checked the white connector under the fuse and relay holders under the bonnet. Notoriously prone to corrosion especially if the car has been sitting.
Secondly and probably oviously have you checked the earth straps on the gearbox?
If it ran before you removed the gearbox it must be something related to that I would think. As you mentioned, the other option is a broken wire somewhere.

 

[Cub.]

Gearbox earth strap busted or not even attached..? 10mm wide copper strap.. get under and have a look ! Passenger side IIRC

Search on here will give you about 40,000 results.

To prove it out, jump lead from gearbox to battery negative and see if it starts.....

I’d start with the gearbox earth aswell. Clean the earth up properly.

 

[robzracing]

There are 2 earths on the gearbox. One large one under the wheel arch already mentioned and then also one on a bolt above the diff housing beside the speed sensor (if you have a JC5-129 gearbox) Which is attached to the engine loom.

 

[NorthloopCup]

Yeah it’s got to be an earth missing for the loom mate.

 

[Rystar]

Exact same symptoms as when I forgot to reconnect the earth for the ECU to the gearbox. It's a 10mm (maybe 13mm?) little short bolt, ring terminal bolts on just above where the passenger side drive shaft hooks up

 

[Tonyclio]

Hi

Thanks for the responses I put a new lower gearbox mounting on and cleaned up the earth strap but I'll try the extra earth via jump leads. The black wire to the gearbox has been reconnected but I'll take it off and clean it up again.

I'll look at the white wire and others underneath the fuse box as well.

I'm about to take all the tape off the loom where the flywheel sensor wires go to the loom and where it splits as this is probably the wires get pulled around when the box is removed/fitted.

Thanks again

 

[alistairolsen]

Check the relays in the box beside the battery, if one of the mini relays goes faulty it will give exactly those symptoms

 

[bloke]

give the battery a bloody good charge. then ignition on and leave it for a good few minutes and see if the light clears.

 

[Tonyclio]

It lives and it shall go to the ball (Harewood Hillclimb) !!!

Based upon the feedback ( thanks!) started systematically checking back cleaning up contacts checking fuses/relays and got to point where immobilizer light would now go out and car would just keep cranking, but not start. Had power to injectors but fuel pump still not working. Ran wire directly from a fuse to fuel pump and it started!! So now going to trace fuel pump wire back and see where it's broken or try and bypass part of the loom. if no luck then will run separate feed to pump.

Let's hope it is all OK now.


Thanks again everybody who commented, really appreciated.