renault megane mk2 1.6 2005 cuts out on idle

[harrison440]

hi guys i was wondering if any1 could help me diagnose whats wrong with my car, it sometimes starts up fine but will cut out after a few mins when changing gear the revs drop down and it cuts out, or sometimes it wont start up first time it will take a few trys but will cut out on idle again we have just had a mate come out that works as a mechanic he changed 2 dry ignition coils and said the other 2 are fine, he then said it could be the knock sensor or camshaft sensor so we changed them but still the same, i should also mention that oil has got into the water which could mean the head gasket is broke, but the mechanic said its getting into the water through the thermostat and the head gasket was fine if any1 has any info on this problem i would appreciate the help please
thanks Stephen

 

[Grimeire]

My mate 4 or 5 years ago had an issue with a Megane that sounds very similar it was a 2001 coupe not sure what MK as I'm not all that familiar with them. Just like you the car wouldn't start sometimes and would also cut out while driving and not start.

One day the car wouldnt start when we were leaving work and we must of spent an hour trying to get it to start but no luck. The next day he went to get it with a trailer and it started first time.

Afterwards he told me it was an emmobliser problem and that he found out it was a common fault with the model of car he had.

 

[harrison440]

thanks for your reply, mk 2 just means its a mark 2 car (2nd model) and we havent got an immobiliser on the car (that i kno of anyway) but it sounds the same sometime it wont start untill its left alone for around 20 mins normally then it will start and drive till it starts getting warm again

 

[Grimeire]

well his was a 2001 model and his had an immobilizer, i would assume yours has one since it is 4 years newer.

have a look here sounds like the same problem as you and they say it has to do with the ECU.

I probably wrong when i say the immobilizer as it was 5 years ago. It was definitly something electrical in the car and the first thing that came to mind was the immobilizer as i remember he did mention something about the immobilizer so thats maybe why im thinking of it.

 

[harrison440]

mine has the key card with the start and stop button maybe its built into that im not sure, yea ive also read forums saying it could be the tdc (top dead center) sensor and some say it could be the fuel compressor, i really dont know what else it could be as no lights or messages are displaying on the dashboard

 

[Grimeire]

Did you connect it to diagnostic equipment? if not that should be your next step. i wouldn't waste my time fixing anything until you have it hooked up to diagnostic equipment.

Regardless of what any mechanic says you should first connect it to diagnostic equipment. I had a problem with my van that it had no power about 3 years ago and spent over €600 on parts that mechanics told me were the cause of the problem when the problem was only a jammed turbo that cost €50 to fix that was found after my own mechanic came back from holidays and hooked it up to his diagnostic equipment.

I dont know why none of them were willing to connect it to diagnostic equipment as they all thought they knew what was wrong. I went away an bought myself the diagnostic equipment for my car for €12 after that.

 

[harrison440]

yea i prob should of said, he plugged it in and it a while ago and it told us the dry ignition coilpack was broke so we changed that then few weeks later he plugged it in again and it came up with the knock sensor and camshaft sensor so we paid £100 for that and its still not fixed and now nothing is coming up on his machine

 

[Grimeire]

maybe try a renault dealer ship they may have better diagnostic equipment. I think it was €25 when i had to get mine tested at a dealership before.

 

[turner brown]

check the main terminals from battery to fusebox as these are a common problem you may need to clean these all up

 

[miggy]

Clean the throttle body out they get clogged with carbon. You may also need a software update done on it. Good luck.

 

[harrison440]

i will sort the throttle body out once its dry as its pissing down here atm, also i just had to go pick kids up from school and was forced to take the car out, on the way bk i parked up and there was a burning smell coming from the car and it was smoking from the engine (dosent sound good) it was also blowing cold air into the car when i tried to clear the windscreen. i was wondering if it has burnt the thermostat out and thats why its not cooling the engine, i have also been told by a mechainc that oil is getting into the water tank through the thermostat so could this be the issue?

 

[miggy]

Could be your engine breather m8 have you checked it?. the thermostat would cause it to overheat if it fails to open and close/pressurise. but not cut your engine out. I am sure there was an idle/cutting out recall on that model I will try and find it.

 

[harrison440]

i havent checked the engine breather im not skilled enough to know where that would be so id need to get some1 to look at that for me, is there anything i could do that costs next to nothing to fix then if its not that i kno id need to spend more money that way, ive changed 2 / 4 dry ignition coil packs as they were causing a misfire a while ago, cam shaft and knock sensors have just been replaced aswell, im thinking maybe change spark plugs clean out the throttle body but im stumped what else i can do

 

[miggy]

i havent checked the engine breather im not skilled enough to know where that would be so id need to get some1 to look at that for me, is there anything i could do that costs next to nothing to fix then if its not that i kno id need to spend more money that way, ive changed 2 / 4 dry ignition coil packs as they were causing a misfire a while ago, cam shaft and knock sensors have just been replaced aswell, im thinking maybe change spark plugs clean out the throttle body but im stumped what else i can do

When was it Last serviced?. The breather is under your air box its a black hose follow the hose along to the other end and clean it all out. Change plugs as suggested too and clean that throttle body also under the filter. These are cheap options for you to try before you have to dig deep in your pocket for diagnostics and repairs. Good luck.

 

[harrison440]

hi mate
tbh i dont think its been serviced while we have had it and thats been about 3 years, im not 100% sure tho id need to ask the missus, i will try to see if i can find these and try fix it thanks for your help

 

[smirnoff_rules]

sounds like crankshaft sensor to me , they dont show up on diagnostic scan as ecu just thinks engine isnt turning over , normally wait ten minutes go back and they start

 

[miggy]

sounds like crankshaft sensor to me , they dont show up on diagnostic scan as ecu just thinks engine isnt turning over , normally wait ten minutes go back and they start

Hi Smirnoff, he said he has changed that sensor and it's still the same??. Perhaps a compression test?. Renault as you know have shocking electrical faults too?.

 

[wiz569]

Hi Smirnoff, he said he has changed that sensor and it's still the same??. Perhaps a compression test?. Renault as you know have shocking electrical faults too?.

No he replaced the camshaft sensor @miggy not the crankshaft sensor,

I had the same problem on a megane estate and I just cleaned the crankshaft sensor and away it went

 

[miggy]

No he replaced the camshaft sensor @miggy not the crankshaft sensor,

I had the same problem on a megane estate and I just cleaned the crankshaft sensor and away it went

Oops naughty miggy.