Chery J3 Engine Problems

In the old days, you’d probably be on the right track, but as a more modern car, your Chery doesn’t have a carburettor, it has electronic fuel-injection. But the symptoms align pretty neatly with a very common problem for fuel-injected cars; an electric fuel pump that has given up the ghost.

When that happens, there’s no way for the fuel to get from the tank to the engine and, as a result, the car simply won’t start. Pumps can fail suddenly and for no apparent reason, leaving you stranded where ever you happen to be.

I’d say about ten years is a pretty good innings for a fuel pump, so that’s where I’d start looking. Try this: When you turn the ignition on, you should be able to hear a faint buzz or hum as the pump starts taking petrol to the engine. If there’s no such noise, that’s another clue that the pump has died.

Of course, it could be something else – electrical, perhaps a fuse – but the fuel pump is a great place to start searching for the cause.