Car does not start

2003 Vauxhall Astra SRI 2.2L
Car: Vauxhall Astra
Year: 2003
Variant: SRI 2.2L
Categories: Running Rough, Starting & Power Loss
Lets start with the main problem that happened which is that the car out of nothing just fully turned off (engine off, dash lights off, everything was off). When this occurred there was this burning wire smell outside the car. I instantly though of a burning wire or something and left it. After a couple of min the car lights came back to live, but when i tried to start it, it didn't start. I could hear some crank and eventually it stopped fully.

After diagnosing the car i could not find any burning wire which was very strange.
- Firstly tried jump starting the car with jumping cables which was no success and i could hear a crank, but no start. After this the smell came again.
- I checked the voltage of the battery and this was above 12. When i tried to crank it, it then drained to a lower voltage. After this some friends of mine pushed the car and jump started it which eventually did work and i checked the battery again to see whether the alternator was working. It gave me a voltage of 13.6 which indicates that it is working.
- My next thought was that it might be a starter issue, so i took the whole top out in order to get to the starter. After this i checked the starter and this seemed to be working fine, which confused me even more.
- The only way the car can start is by push starting it. Also when i sometimes try to start it, the fan kicks in while the engine is cold and never been on which makes it very strange.
- All fuses are good and checked all the relays. Tried to check for error codes on the computer and could not find any.
- All terminals are cleaned and corrosion free.

I am so confused at this stage and do not know what to check next. I thought about buying a new battery, but wouldn't a jump start cable make my car turn on?
Problem added: Feb 16, 2015 (9 years ago)
Sounds like a dud cell/s in battery , suggest you get it load tested
Answered Feb 16, 2015 (9 years ago)
Thank you for your reply. I just purchased a new battery and tried starting it again, still no effect. I also did an alternator test when push starting it and this seem to be working fine. Check all fuses and relays etc, but still no idea what else could be wrong :( No error code nothing.
Answered Feb 18, 2015 (9 years ago)

This problem is archived

If you're having a similar problem please click below to re-post this problem, you can then customise it to suit your situation.

Helpful & Related Pages on AutoInsider

More problems with the 2003 model year Vauxhall Astra

We have 125 problems and solutions in our database for this model year of the car.

View all Vauxhall Astra Problems