I ran out of petrol and now my car wont start HELP!!

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res1492 - 07 Mar 2005 04:50 GMT

Hi
I have a Fiat Stilo 2003 and the other day i went out to the shop in
it (It started fine)and noticed that my brother that had lent it the
day before had not put any fuel in it.
I keep about 3 litres in a can in the boot but i was only going about
half a mile so i decided to wait until i got home to put it in.
I pulled up at home, turned the engine off and put the fuel in... but
then it wouldn?t start back up.
So from stopping the car to putting the petrol in and trying to start
it again something happened.
None of the warning lights are on and i have reset the fuel cut off
switch.
Could it be possible that the car was really low on fuel and sucked up
some air and now there is air in the fuel pipes?
I have been trying to start it now for about 2 hours on and
off...could it be flooded?
Do new car even get flooded anymore?
As you can tell im not really up on cars i know enough about old
engines but not about these new engines that just look like lumps of
plastic.

This is my check list

Is there fuel in=Yes (well enough to start it atleast)
Any Warning lights on=No
Fuel cut off swicth=Reset
Checked for leaking fuel=None
All HT leads on=Yes
Fuses=All ok (this is a last ditch attempt)

Im gonna go to bed now and hope that it is flooded and that in the
morning it will start
If you have ANY ideas about what it could be can you please make some
suggestions.?
Thanks in advance

Edit
Sorry i forgot to add the engine
Its a 1.6(not JTD)
Also the car will try to start ..its turning over but it just wont
kick in

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Graham - 07 Mar 2005 21:18 GMT

> Hi
> I have a Fiat Stilo 2003 and the other day i went out to the shop in
> it (It started fine)and noticed that my brother that had lent it the
> day before had not put any fuel in it.
> I keep about 3 litres in a can in the boot but i was only going about

<snip>

How old was the petrol ?

Sometimes it 'can go off' - Although I'd be surprised !

Try getting a few more litres of new petrol and try again, diluting the old
stuff ?

Graham

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Mike - 07 Mar 2005 21:40 GMT

>>Hi
>>I have a Fiat Stilo 2003 and the other day i went out to the shop in
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> Graham

Some times impurities can settle in the tank and running it low draws
them into the fuel system. I used to have a citroen that ran rough when
it got down to the last gallon but perked up after the tank was filled.
The engine would tick over fine but had no pewer and would struggle
and kangaroo when I tried to drive. A couple of times it stopped
altogether and I'd have to spray carb cleaner directly into the venturi
(I think thats what they were called) to clear the crap fuel. I never
saw any impurities in the carb but there was definitely somthing wrong
with the fuel at the bottom of the tank.
I played a game of chicken for a few weeks running it lower and lower to
get it out of the tank.

I've no idea what to do on a fuel injected engine, I'd start by putting
a gallon or two of petrol in, preferably using another can. Chemicals
from the old can could have leeched into the fuelif it was in there a
long time (petrol is a solvent) or even condensation could have formed
in it.

Mike

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Draak - 07 Mar 2005 21:46 GMT

Mike stelde dit idee voor :

>>>I have a Fiat Stilo 2003 and the other day i went out to the shop in
>>>it (It started fine)and noticed that my brother that had lent it the
>>>day before had not put any fuel in it.
>>>I keep about 3 litres in a can in the boot but i was only going about

> Some times impurities can settle in the tank and running it low draws them
> into the fuel system. I used to have a citroen that ran rough when it got
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> old can could have leeched into the fuelif it was in there a long time
> (petrol is a solvent) or even condensation could have formed in it.

Perhaps a new fuel filter will help, it is possible that it causes the
fuel flow to be obstructed.

Signature

Grt. Frank
Email frank@usenet4all dot com

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AndrewP - 08 Mar 2005 21:17 GMT

> Hi
> I have a Fiat Stilo 2003 and the other day i went out to the shop in
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> Could it be possible that the car was really low on fuel and sucked up
> some air and now there is air in the fuel pipes?

Have you locked and unlocked the car at all in between attempts at starting
it? Could be the imoboliser but I am not sure how they work on the Stilo
but some imboliser work by preveting the engine from sparking whilst still
allowing it to be cram]nked over; i.e. it wil lturn but will not fire.

Andy.

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Dee - 14 Mar 2005 08:40 GMT

now for about 2 hours on and

> off...could it be flooded?
> Do new car even get flooded anymore?

Yes, my 1999 Punto got flooded last month cos my dad started the engine,
move the cars a total of less then 2 feet and stopped.

in the end had to disconnect the relay to the fuel pump (was big and
black coloured on mine) - not help at all from the info printed onthe
lid of the fuse box.

Been fine every since

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EnTee - 15 Mar 2005 20:49 GMT

> now for about 2 hours on and
>> off...could it be flooded?
>> Do new car even get flooded anymore?

Yes, modern cars can get flooded. My punto sporting had the same problem. I
moved the car 5 feet and than stopped.
Later that same day it wouldn't start. My dealer advised me: throttel on the
floor and keep it there, then start till it is running.
This worked perfectly. After this you have to drive for about 5 kilometers
before shutting the engine off.

greatings EnTee

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