help car broken down

Hi.
Currently sat waiting for the RAC to turn up, outside the kids nursery. The story:
Car has never had any problems, starts first time every time. Had it’s yearly mot and service yesterday only advisory was near bald front tyres. So drive home last night fine, drive to kids nursery this morning fine. Left the car there all day while I bused in. Get back to car and it won’t start, all electric are coming on put won’t start. On a steep residential street unfortunately facing the wrong way, I did try a reverse jump start but nothing and a bit scared with little brakes and almost no steering!
Have they done something or left something loose or have I just flattened the battery. No lights on when I approached and they come on note? Help only 1 hour to wait.

Have you switched off everything using power (heater, blower, lights etc) then turned the key? Any ‘clicking’ sound?

Yep, it’s trying to turn over, but not catching.

Whats the car ?

Does it crank or absolutely nothing when you turn the key. Could the garage have left an interior light on somewhere and drained the battery?

Do you carry jump leads?

Trying to turn over i.e. very slow or turning over like it normally would?

Is it a vauxhall diesel by any chance ?

My diesel did that – turned out to be main fuel pump. Could be all sorts of things but sounds a bit like fuel starvation. It does of course have fuel in – and you know that irrespective of what the gauge says?

Edit – actually, re-reading OP I’m not clear if it turning over or not.

Is it low on fuel ?
Steep street and low fuel could take all fuel away from fuel feed ?

My guess is – oring in wrong place/missin or doubled up/poor quality filter used on fuel filter creating an air leak in letting fuel drain back to tank.

Or the diesel spill lines are leaking again letting fuel bleed back.

The combination of it being parked nose up hill and turning over free is what makes me think this way.

Rac man will probably prime the system.

Failing that a sensor may have just gone duff- they do that.

Ford focus 1.6 diesel 56 plate.
Turns over quickly, like ever second..
1/3 full.
No jump leads- I know!

Jump leads wont help.

I stand by my leak back to the tank suggestion.

Do let us know what rac man says.

Do stop turning it over though , turning injection pump dry is horrendously bad for it as it has no lubricant when no diesel in it.

Has the filter got a prime pump on the top? A yellow rubber button. Could try pumping that a few times if so and trying again.

Spoke to the garage that did the service, only help they could offer was to get the car towed to them and they will have a look.

Wouldn’t even know were to look for the filter. I’ve stopped turning it over.

Open the bonnet. Somewhere over the back probably. Not much help if you wouldn’t recognise it though. Is there a pub in sight of the car????

Fords 1.6 doent have a manual primer. Yu have to put in a hand held bulb on the line to prime it

Yeah I wasn’t sure….. wasn’t too pushed for time to look though was he? 🙂

Pub and a wait then….

If the fuels run back priming it will get it started but it does mean the garage will have to have a look and see if theres something awry with the fuel piping.

The fact it doesnt have a fuel primer bulb built in means they must have disconected and reconnected the fuel lines at the filter and/or pump.

RAC here. Thinks fuel not getting through. Plugging his diagnostic thing in.

Cheap filters colapsed???

45 minutes good response time for rac

True….

shuhockey Is the RAC there yet?

Now you’ve made me look stupid…and I really don’t need help!

Just the 5 error codes. 3 something to do with fuel. So he is pumping. Didn’t start with a first pump. Trying again. They were Going. Says probably the fuel filter and parking on a hill.

I’m home. Likely fault is a faulty fuel filter combined with parking backwards on a steep slope. So trip back to the garage tomorrow!
Thanks all

Good job.

Incorrectly seated pipe or seal, letting air in would be my first look. Please keep us informed.