Vectra help

[purplebargeken]

You can never have too many Mondeo's. You know this.

 

Well at least you have eliminated one potential issue. I hope it is a straightforward fix for you mate. 

[twosmoke300]

Was the filter black ?

[wuvvum]

Was the filter black ?

It wasn't too bad.  More grey than black.

[wuvvum]

I know you're the shite master but I dunno how you can be bothered with something like this even if it was cheap. I'd be living it up in my nice reliable Carina E, while stashing some cash away for some more interesting purchases.

The problem with the Carina E is that it was my Grandad's old car, and it's in pretty good nick for its age with relatively low mileage, so I want to avoid using it to commute in all weathers and eventually running it into the ground.

[Louise2cv]

I don't want to hijack Wuvvums thread, but I have some Vectra c questions too, if any Vectra/Vauxhall experts wouldn't mind popping over to news 24 I'll stick them there?

 

Sorry Wuvvvum.

[wuvvum]

No problem - I can answer them here.

 

Vectra Cs are shit.

 

HTH.

[wuvvum]

Well, after fixing* this this afternoon and having a play around with it, I've discovered the following.

 

Start it up from cold and it'll run fine for about 10 minutes or so, then go into limp mode.  If I leave it to idle it'll run for a further several minutes, then randomly cut out without warning.  Restart it and it fires up straight away, runs in limp mode for a further 10 minutes or so, then clears itself and runs fine.  As far as I can tell, it will then continue to run fine until it's switched off again (I did the 150 miles back from Oxford in one hit with no problems).

 

Start it from hot and it'll go straight into limp mode.  Again, it'll run in limp mode for a while (sometimes with a random cut-out), then sort itself out and be fine thereafter.  Any attempt to drive it whilst in limp mode seems to make it more prone to cutting out.

 

No, I haven't a fucking clue either.  All I know is that the above is going to make it a royal pain in the arse to use as a daily, and I'm not sure where to look next.  I might just bung it on Gumtree for 200 quid and brave the mongs.

[andrew e]

Worth investigating? Does it have one?

 

http://www.vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk/index.php?threads/anyone-know-if-the-in-tank-fuel-pump-has-a-fuse.394312/

[wuvvum]

From what I've read, the DTIs don't have an in-tank pump - it's all done by the injector pump. 

[twosmoke300]

Correct all drawn from the tank by suction . That's any these engines are so prone to leaks on the pipe work causing issues .

[the judge]

I'm sure my mate put a one way valve in the delivery side of fuel to the pump on his dti zafira. Bodge,but may work and keep pressure up on feed side. Failing that,look for snotty fuel in tank if easy enough to access

[406V6]

I work in IT and my golden rule is when you have a problem with a computer or anything IT related look at the error messages and understand what they are telling you. The Vectra may be a car* but what you've got is an IT problem. If the computer is putting the engine into limp mode it must* have a reason to do this and I would have expected a code to be stored somewhere. The key to fixing it ought to be to get at that code and interpret the accompanying error message rather than changing bits of metal. I read at the beginning of the thread that your code reader isn't compatible so I presume you haven't done this yet. Put out a call for a compatible code reader. Apologies if you have or I'm telling you things you already know as you are a shiter of much higher rank than me.

[purplebargeken]

^^ Easily missed when going through a thread

 

 

 

Called the AA, who sent a contractor out.  He had a play under the bonnet and ascertained that there was no diesel getting to the injectors, so either a blocked fuel filter or a fecked fuel pump.  He plugged his code reader in (a rather more sophisticated bit of kit than mine) and although it appeared to communicate with the car fine, it showed no faults, which I thought was odd - although my first Movano (also a 2.2 DTI) also showed no faults when code read, despite the EML being on.

[purplebargeken]

Is it worth taking the hit and getting a dealer to read it or a local VH 'specialist perhaps?

 

That would at least give you a reasonable place to work from. Hopefully.

[wuvvum]

I'm not sure it's worth spending any more money on tbh.  It needs a fair few other bits as well (brake discs are shagged, it's bumpy on the back so probably a broken spring, the stereo is locked, and probably other stuff I haven't spotted yet).  If I was 100% certain that getting it read by a dealer / specialist would find the fault, then I might be tempted, but there's a good chance I'd be throwing money at a wild goose chase.

 

The recovery chap seemed to think that it was quite normal (for a Vauxhall) for the car to go into limp mode without storing any fault codes.

[purplebargeken]

That is really odd. Wish I had some words of wisdom for you apart from 'burn it with fire'. I suppose the bits like brakes and so on will at least be quite cheap. 

 

Any VOC members with a reader local to you?

[wuvvum]

Well it's dead again.  Doing exactly the same thing it was doing the other night when I had to call the AA out.  Cranking over for ages, chugging into life for a couple of seconds, then dying again.  I give up.  I honestly can't see what it could be.  It's obviously a fuel supply problem, but there's only one pump - how can it be delivering enough fuel to spin the front tyres one minute and not enough to even fire the engine up the next?  Makes absolutely no sense to me.

[purplebargeken]

Check wiring, breaks, dodgy earths? 

 

ECU problem?

 

Chuck some injector cleaner in?

 

Run round a local church anti-clockwise whilst wearing nothing but a fan belt?

[DaveAspley]

The spanner light light represents "associate systems" and won't always show on a generic obd , it needs a full system scan. Get hold of a Delphi or Wurth ripoff system on eBay, coupled with a cheap laptop it will do everything up to and including key coding. The other hot fault on these was the maf going up it, less than 150 mg per stroke after 30 seconds on idle from start means it's knackered. Will produce a critical system malfunction code. Unplug it , try and fire up again.

[DaveAspley]

Wurth WOW! Is the one you need. Also , check the oil level, it will produce critical system malfunction 2 code , although it usually affects turbo operation only , ie if the oils low Bollocks to you having the turbo on

[Louise2cv]

I read about a pedal test(?) Its either some kind of witchcraft crossed with Morse code that can give you fault codes without a reader, or its basic bullsh*t.

 

However if the obd isn't showing any stored faults I'm not sure this would work (if its a real thing at all).

 

Might be worth a quick google/play anyway? Maybe?

[3VOM]

Wurth WOW! Is the one you need. Also , check the oil level, it will produce critical system malfunction 2 code , although it usually affects turbo operation only , ie if the oils low Bollocks to you having the turbo on

If it is like mine there is a specific "oil low" warning light picture. I'd have thought it would start and run in limp mode i.e. <2500 rpm.

Where about are you wuvvum in case someone can run round with a code reader?

[DaveAspley]

Ah I may have been thinking vectra b, c will have ecoflex (fleet) oil monitoring

[rainagain]

Don't know if its any help buy when I had trouble with the egr on my Alfa diesel it did cause the engine temperature to go up. This is one of the first things I noticed. It didn't bring a fault code on all the time either. Does unplugging the egr just give a fault code or does it put it into limp home? If just a fault code it would be worth unplugging it and seeing if it drives any better.

[406V6]

Have you read this thread where the symptom is broadly the same and the cause was the vacuum circuit

 

http://oldsite.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1177080258/0

[twosmoke300]

Not common rail those

[purplebargeken]

So what Rover have you bought?

[Richard]

I think a knock off copy of official diagnostic software is pretty much vital for a 21st century car, especially if it's only £20. You'll recoup your money on the first wrong part you don't buy.

[twosmoke300]

Come to cornwall and I'll pop it on tech 2 foc .

Not helpful when it won't run I know but thought I'd offer 😄

[sloth]

seriously sounds like a dead or dying cts.