C30 2.0 diesel cut out on motorway

[lee van queef]

Hi everyone

Well it's my 1st year wedding anniversary today so me and the missus decided to take a little trip to Sefton park as all the hotels and restaurants are still closed and it was a nice trip down memory lane as we were married just across the road. Anyway the car got us there fine no problem(as usual) then a few hours later on the way home we were crossing the mersey gateway(toll bridge) which is a 60mph speed limit I was doing a nice steady 75mph(naughty) when suddenly I just lost all power! I had to get across 3 lanes to get as close to the barrier as possible before I came to a stop as there is no hard shoulder on this 3 lane 60mph deathtrap!
Tried starting the car up again and the ignition sounded fine but it was as if the car was preventing me from succeeding, which I can only deduce is to prevent me from further damaging the engine or whatever.

After climbing out the car and jumping the barrier to safety I had to use one hand for my phone and the other to signal oncoming traffic away from my car, after a few near misses and 10 car pileups I was told by the RAC and the police neither of them have jurisdiction as it is classed as a private road and we just had to wait for the private tow company which had picked us up on camera. 20 minutes later the tow company picked us and the car up and slapped us with £150 bill for the privilege. Once they were gone I attempted to start the car up again and hey presto ticked over as if nothing was wrong no dash lights on or service messages on the display, I'm now tempted to take it for a test drive but worried I might not make it back home.

The car has done quite a bit of short distance driving lately which I know can be bad for a diesel engine but surely the run to Liverpool today would of helped unclog any pipes.

So what's the verdict? Anyone had the same problem? I did have something similar happen to a crappy old Astra I had as a run around a while back and that turned out to be the death of the engine management system or something which would of cost me £500 plus if I had tried to get it fixed, so now alarm bells are ringing!.......Help!

[Clan]

Originally Posted by lee van queef

Hi everyone

Well it's my 1st year wedding anniversary today so me and the missus decided to take a little trip to Sefton park as all the hotels and restaurants are still closed and it was a nice trip down memory lane as we were married just across the road. Anyway the car got us there fine no problem(as usual) then a few hours later on the way home we were crossing the mersey gateway(toll bridge) which is a 60mph speed limit I was doing a nice steady 75mph(naughty) when suddenly I just lost all power! I had to get across 3 lanes to get as close to the barrier as possible before I came to a stop as there is no hard shoulder on this 3 lane 60mph deathtrap!
Tried starting the car up again and the ignition sounded fine but it was as if the car was preventing me from succeeding, which I can only deduce is to prevent me from further damaging the engine or whatever.

After climbing out the car and jumping the barrier to safety I had to use one hand for my phone and the other to signal oncoming traffic away from my car, after a few near misses and 10 car pileups I was told by the RAC and the police neither of them have jurisdiction as it is classed as a private road and we just had to wait for the private tow company which had picked us up on camera. 20 minutes later the tow company picked us and the car up and slapped us with £150 bill for the privilege. Once they were gone I attempted to start the car up again and hey presto ticked over as if nothing was wrong no dash lights on or service messages on the display, I'm now tempted to take it for a test drive but worried I might not make it back home.

The car has done quite a bit of short distance driving lately which I know can be bad for a diesel engine but surely the run to Liverpool today would of helped unclog any pipes.

So what's the verdict? Anyone had the same problem? I did have something similar happen to a crappy old Astra I had as a run around a while back and that turned out to be the death of the engine management system or something which would of cost me £500 plus if I had tried to get it fixed, so now alarm bells are ringing!.......Help!

when was the fuel filter last changed?

[lee van queef]

Good question, bought the car around 8 months ago and not been changed while I've owned it probably put less than 10,000 miles on the clock myself but will be getting a pressure test now you mention it.

[Baal]

Originally Posted by lee van queef

Good question, bought the car around 8 months ago and not been changed while I've owned it probably put less than 10,000 miles on the clock myself but will be getting a pressure test now you mention it.

Come on man... You know that when you buy a car, the first thing you have to do is the damn maintenance, never leave it the way it is.

[daniel84uk]

This happened to me once, and it would start right back up after been switched off for a while. It turned of there was a short on the 5V power rail, which powers the fuel pressure sensor. The culprit? The EGR value! It uses same 5v power supply. Without VIDA / dice telling me about the 5v short it would have took me forever to find the issue.

Yours probably isnt this, but you might be searching for ages if its something similar if you dont have dice / vida

On the off chance it is the EGR just disconnect it. But if the problem is intermittent this might not be of any help, and disconnecting it will likely flag a fault and or put it in limp mode, id rather that than it dying randomly though.

Smart motorways are deathtraps, i actually try not to use them.

[lee van queef]

Originally Posted by Baal

Come on man... You know that when you buy a car, the first thing you have to do is the damn maintenance, never leave it the way it is.

Bought from a dealer had all the receipts for new clutch, service and MOT's I always do a little check myself on the essentials but my knowledge on cars is limited to say the least..... Well at least I'll know in future.

[lee van queef]

Originally Posted by daniel84uk

This happened to me once, and it would start right back up after been switched off for a while. It turned of there was a short on the 5V power rail, which powers the fuel pressure sensor. The culprit? The EGR value! It uses same 5v power supply. Without VIDA / dice telling me about the 5v short it would have took me forever to find the issue.

Yours probably isnt this, but you might be searching for ages if its something similar if you dont have dice / vida

On the off chance it is the EGR just disconnect it. But if the problem is intermittent this might not be of any help, and disconnecting it will likely flag a fault and or put it in limp mode, id rather that than it dying randomly though.

Smart motorways are deathtraps, i actually try not to use them.

Well to be honest I tend to get the issues no one can figure out I just appreciate any and all suggestions so at least if I do have trouble finding the cause there are still a few options. Just to be safe gonna take it for a diagnostic tomorrow.