hijet 993cc wont start at petrol stations

hi
this has been annoying me for ages and i seem to notice it only really happens at petrol stations

even if i have been driving down the motor way at 60mph for an hour the hijet still struggles to start at petrol stations, i have had to abandon it a few times but when i return an hour or so later it happily starts first time

i don't think its the battery

if i have trouble now i leave it in gear and move forward on the starter motor a little bit first then it starts fine

my petrol tank does have a small leak and starts to weep if i put more that about £10 in the tank, could this hole be affecting it maybe.

any ideas would be much appreciated

many thanks

The rocking it forward thing makes it sound like it may be the starter motor. You haven't said if it is tuning over or just clicking?

Oh sorry thanks for your reply , it does turn over but it feels like its really struggling, it will turn over a few times but won't quite kick in.
maybe my tank is full of rubbish and filling up is disturbing the petrol and dragging rust through or something , sorry I'm not too mechanically minded haha cheers

If you turn the key to position 2 can you hear the fuel pump prime up? If you did have muck in the fuel lines it would run lumpy.

Don't worry about not being mechanically minded. I am positively inept and anything I say should be taken with that in mind! Others on here will have forgotten more than I'll ever know.

If it is turning over then that doesn't immediately suggest a stuck starter (can't explain the in-gear rocking success though) but it might just be past its best.

As swarfing says above, dirty fuel ought to give lumpy running along with possible other probs.

If the turning over is weak and gets worse as you keep trying I'd still be wondering about battery issues. Batteries can sometimes be a pain for reading like they are full but not having enough cranking power. Can you try someone else's?

Also, don't trust your fuel gauge. Mine runs dry when showing 1/4:tank!

If its not battery , starter or fuel, there is a world of potential sensor pain out there. And that's before even touching overheating issues!!

had this on my 1.3 mpv tried new battery put new tank on still did it as you say leave to cool a few more mins then it was full of life,after trying all sorts took starter to bits it was full off carbon cleaned it all put it back and all was fine, seems to me the carbon when warm was causing a short of some sort so starter never got full voltage from battery

Thanks for the replies I don't have access to a spare battery but I will try if I can. As far as I know it is running sweet, never have any trouble revving it and it ticks over nicely,

I have just been out and I think I can hear the fuel pump it humms for a few seconds then clicks off.

I think I will try to test the battery although it seems good ( I have to make sure all lights and heaters are off first but that's normal hijet behaviour isn't it? (everything is 'just enough'))

So I will look for a new tank so at least I can put maybe thirty quid in and not have to worry about it so often,

Thanks for your replies I will let you know if I ever solve it, cheers

Edit, just noticed singledads comments! Thanks very much I will tell this to my mechanic friend and hope we can fx it cheers! I will report back thanks again :-)

If it turns out to be your battery it is probably worth replacing the old one with a slightly bigger one to get beyond that 'just enough' thing.

Also, it is reasonably easy to test your starter by taking it out and seeing what it does when you connect it to a battery - lots of Youtube videos will show you what to do if you are not sure.

Of course, being an intermittent problem you can be sure that whatever the problem is it won't malfunction when you want it to!

Thanks again I will try everything mentioned starting with cleaning the starter motor cause it does randomly feel like the starter is under powered thinking about it

Didn't know you could get bigger batteries I will keep it in mind

Your right about the intermittent problem, I used to have a super dream that was ace in the dry but when you rode it in the rain one cylinder stopped working, we tried hoes pipes and watering cans to try and replicate the problem but never managed it haha

chinfuk wrote:......I think I will try to test the battery although it seems good ( I have to make sure all lights and heaters are off first but that's normal hijet behaviour isn't it? (everything is 'just enough')).......................

No it is not normal Hijet behaviour, any more than for any other car/van.

If it is struggling to turn the starter motor that does sound like a duff battery. Certainly on mine it will start with heater blowers and headlamps on.

Thinking this through more, the problem has to be the starter motor. Back in cave man days the symptoms you are having (assuming the battery is ok) would be the solenoid. Having a pr-engaged starter means the problem lies there. The lacquer breaks down on the windings and when hot will cause those problems. Obviously the problem could still be the battery also.

Hello Ki. Long time no hear mate. If the van starts fine from cold then your battery sounds as though it is reasonable.

Try starting it from cold with the lights, flashers, heater etc on and note if the starter sounds sluggish but engine starts.
If it only does it when the engine is hot then it definitely sounds to me like the starter is on its way out.
As Swarming says, the Shelac or whatever they use on the windings these days breaks down and it looses power.
Take some jump leads and a decent battery with you and see if it makes any difference after you have got the engine really hot.
My money is on the starter.
If you need to replace it, bear in mind that there are two starter pinions. One with 8 teeth and one with 9 teeth. You must get the right one or you will chew up the ring gear or the pinion or both.

I had the same problem last year with a 1.3 pick up. Changed the starter motor and it's been fine since.

on mine when it wouldnt start with all these same symptons i tried a few times with a power pack but ut still wouldnt start untill it had cooled to a certain range then it went first go, battery was new as i had changed this as first port of call with a higher rating one, the starter brushes on mine were worn on just one brush so maybe a bearing issue causing all the carbon biuldup,,just a thought but a clean out sorted mine

This site is amazing! Hello woody my friend, hope all is well. Thanks for the tip on the teeth that saved me a potential head ache

I'm now almost certain from reading this thread that my starter needs a good clean maybe replacing, also I have probably worn my battery down and could do with a higher rated one, although I'm sure with the starter fixed it will be OK for a bit longer.

The just enough comment was really a cheeky jab about these vans in general Hehe the sliding hoor handles only just open the doors, window winders only work in certain temperatures, it all feels a bit flimsy etc but this is the charm of these little tubs I think, they are fine if you look keep on top of things and treat them well especially with a top notch helpful community like this, thanks again. I will get the starter off and report back as soon as I can :-)