td4 not starting & engine malfunction light

auto td4 circa 2005 70,000 miles

drove it 80 miles to and from work today as every day and was ok, took it out an hour later and had the engine malfunction light (the one on the right with the ! symbol) come on a couple of times when the car was revved or pulling.

Had a look under bonnet all seemed in order, but now it won't start at all and the engine malfunction light stays on.

The fuel pump sounds like it is running.

Any ideas ? don't have a fault code reader - unless anyone in hertfordshire area has one !

Does sound like low fuel pressure in the low pressure feed from the tank.

Fuel pump can be a usual culprit, but if you say you can hear it running it could be a clogged fuel filter, or pick up in the tank.
Have you recently just filled up with fuel? When was the filter last changed?

Maybe worth getting it read to make sure it is a fuel problem, and you don't go barking up the wrong tree....

other than the day i bought the car two years ago has the fuel tank been anywhere near empty, fill up every week usually when there is 1/4 to 1/2 left, added some redex about a week ago but other than that nothing unusual.

don't think fuel filter has ever been changed - certainly not since I've had it.

at 70,000 your fuel filter is ready to be changed check that first

Hi Tim,

I've recently been having trouble with my TD4 losing power when excelerating and the light coming on and off, and more recently trouble starting. I've had to leave it for 10 minutes and then gone back and it fires up. I had my fuel pump and filter changed yesterday and now she's back up and running perfectly.

got it started this morning, but due to illness and needing wheels asap had no option but to take it in to be looked at - the journey there bit of a nightmare as if revving over 1500 the dash lit up like christmas tree so av speed about 15mph.

they fitted new fuel pump and filter this afternoon and now running perfectly - 300 notes down though

Good stuff, main dealer pump price was about £120 when mine played up about 4 years ago, so £300 for the lot probably isnt far out, dealers probably run about £70 hour as well..

TimUK said:

they fitted new fuel pump and filter this afternoon and now running perfectly - 300 notes down though

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Probably an easy fix,just a disconnected wire or something . I hope they gave you back your old pump .

I think 300 quid is the going rate for a decent pump, thats what i paid.

Checked out the pump that played up on mine, the screws and the bores they run in looked perfect, but would occasionally lock and not turn by hand, a little jiggle and they would rotate again, bit how it was on the car really.. if it wouldn't run a quick clout usually got it going..

Got exactly the same problem as Tim, does anyone know the difference between the malfunction light on the left of the rev counter and the malfunction light with the ! on the right of the rev counter? TD4 2005 100K bye the way

From memory the ! one is a general engine management fault, ie low fuel pressure, or sensor problem etc, the one on the left that only goes out when the engine is running indicates an emissions fault.

Thanks for that Mark that does seem to make sense with missfire I had at the time it flicked on and off.