Sold Zafira A. *fuk this car*

[SiC]

I'd check earths first tbh.

[SiC]

I assume the fuses are all good?

[Jim Bell]

I would too man, but their current status is REQUIRING INSPECTION.

 

If its been to two garages and nobody checked the fuses and relays, I'd be very disappointed in the service mind.

[SiC]

Could be that they've replaced it and it pops again after the fan attempts to kick in. Especially if the resistor is shorting to the casing.

 

Not sure how accurate this is and its for the Astra G (so probably the same), but looks reasonable:

http://fusesdiagram.com/opel-vauxhall/fuse-box-diagram-astra-g.html

[Jim Bell]

Could be that they've replaced it and it pops again after the fan attempts to kick in. Especially if the resistor is shorting to the casing.

 

Not sure how accurate this is and its for the Astra G (so probably the same), but looks reasonable:

http://fusesdiagram.com/opel-vauxhall/fuse-box-diagram-astra-g.html

 

Cheers man, thats a class resource. 

[MikeR]

take the pollen filter out and put ones fingers in to spin the fan and check it spins freely , the one on mine despite being ok did have a rusty shaft suggesting it did get damp , the resistor pack is the bit that can catch fire and with the help of the nearby pollen filter !!!  , its  a plastic bit mounted in a plastic air duct surrounded by plastic

 

has been suggestions the wiring  to the resistor pack is not up to the task , but my car seemed ok

 

the middle seats are the best bit on the car , legroom or luggage room in a moment ..

 

the gearstick wobble can be fixed using the end of the u bend pipe from under the sink , the notched end will fit and lock under the releasable  black  ring around the base of the gearstick and the pipe bit  cut and and chamfered to push down on the ball .. work a treat on mine , may need to adjust cables to suit !

 

this bit ....

 

the rear parking brake release can be improved with a spring

 

[SiC]

take the pollen filter out and put ones fingers in to spin the fan and check it spins freely , the one on mine despite being ok did have a rusty shaft suggesting it did get damp , the resistor pack is the bit that can catch fire and with the help of the nearby pollen filter !!!  , its  a plastic bit mounted in a plastic air duct surrounded by plastic

The engine coolant fan is the problem, not the cabin fan.

[Jim Bell]

Yeah man, The cabin fine works AOK fine. On all speeds. Handy for dumping lots of underbonnet heat. 

[Angrydicky]

My mum's got a Zafira 1.8 dualfuel on a 54 reg. She's had it for years and it's been pretty dependable, apart from the cambelt stripping some teeth when the change interval was ignored. She's also run it out of petrol before (she only runs it on LPG) so it wouldn't start!

 

Horrible, but bulletproof and cheap to run with the LPG. I think the tax is a tenner cheaper over a petrol one or something. The cooling problem is most likely a knackered rad, we had to have mum's one done a couple of years ago, along with a new exhaust and discs/pads all round.

[lisbon_road]

Generally not good to run out of petrol as the petrol pump runs continuously and if no petrol, will die as running dry. 

[Jim Bell]

The cooling problem is most likely a knackered rad, we had to have mum's one done a couple of years ago, along with a new exhaust and discs/pads all round.

The rads fine man. Car only overheats in traffic. Specifically because the cooling fan doesnt come on. Potters in geat other than that.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

You can get a Chineseium fan from Ebay for 25 quid now, wire it into an ignition feed. Fine bodging all round.

[Jim Bell]

You can get a Chineseium fan from Ebay for 25 quid now, wire it into an ignition feed. Fine bodging all round.

yeah Ive already bought one fella. That is certainly plan B.

[andrew e]

Ours had a perpetually lying temp gauge in the 7/8 years we owned it. Its still local 2 years later, I'm sure it still lies. Sorry that's no help at all.

 

Will this help?

 

 

Or this? (If the current owner is reading, the fairies moved those 1500 used block paving blocks in 3 trips).

 

 

 

 

 

[Jim Bell]

Well, second things second. Avoiding the fan issues completely while the outside temps are below zero, I adressed another recently unknown issue.

When the car was on the ramp for the exhaust, it was clear that the rear tyres were bald as the Jean Luc Picard.

With the mot looming on tues I thought it best to switch on some legal tyres/wheels.

 

Bald

 

 

Balds.

 

 

 

All the balds.

[Jim Bell]

Out with the danger, in with the new (er)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I preffer steels as the norm, but these Vectra C alloys look ok on there. Cheers Hendry for identifying them earlier in the thread. I thought they were off a Corsa!

[SiC]

Ok. So I've had a look at Autodata. Not always accurate mind, but usually pretty good.

 

Appears F8 on the under bonnet fuse is the single fuse for the coolant fan if you have one fan. If you have 2 fans, then it will be F4 and F8.

 

There are "apparently" 3 relays that control the fan speed for a manual car with manual control A/C. If you have an auto transmission, then there is 4. Not exactly clear which one goes where. However I should suspect that if the resistor pack has failed, it could cause F8 to blow everytime.

 

So I'd check F8, see if you have F4 fitted and report back.

[MikeR]

I do miss my Zaffy A  in a way for its space  , but not the bits that could go wrong , if it had been a 1.6 or 1.8 I would of kept it , but with the DMF , subframe rot  , diesel pump , random turbo power loss ...... it got sold on , and I bought a right pile of shite ( Meriva )  to replace it ......

 

as a result I will never buy another Vauxhall ........

[Jim Bell]

Ok. So I've had a look at Autodata. Not always accurate mind, but usually pretty good.

 

 

 

So I'd check F8, see if you have F4 fitted and report back.

 

 

Class!

I'll have a look at it in the morning man.  There is just the one fan and its a manual box with AC.

 

Thanks very much for taking the time to research and for passing on the results.

[SiC]

No problem. Shame you're not closer/down south. These types of faults on cars are my favourite!

 

There isn't too much to the fan system on these. A lot of it can be diagnosed by some simple probing using a multimeter.

[Jim Bell]

MOT was due so I popped the Zaffira in for its annual.

 

5 minute drive to a local tester, then a 30 minute walk home to await the news.

 

 

 

Well thats not great, but its not perticularly bad.

 

Tow bar came off for retest and some jobs were jobbed.

 

All done and grand.

 

 

 

Except when I returned to collect the car, I was warned of a strong smell of gas in the engine bay and cabin. There's always been a whiff on startup but seemingly this ungrateful fucker has decided to reward my efforts to improve it by getting worse.

 

So next up is an LPG service. And repair.

 

 

Me dad loved this car and Im trying to, but its putting up a bit of a struggle.

[vaughant]

Yeah. Wait. What?

The middle row remove??!

Sorry should have been clearer, removed via means of a socket set and T40/45 socket, four bolts from memory, then it pretty much slides out, maybe a bit more to it but it's no more than 20 mins to remove it. You leave the brackets booked to the car and just remove the seat part instead.

 

Transforms the load carrying capacity then, is just like a huge square box!!!

 

Be warned though, it's VERY HEAVY, really is, and a bit awkward to move round the house etc as well.

[vaughant]

Also looking at your fail sheet mine was almost exactly the same, handbrake (brakes in my case) and a track rod end !!!

 

Ask easy stuff, took me a few days in and off as the handbrake fault was a cable and it required dropping an exhaust to access.

 

The spring idea in the handbrake is a good one!!!!

[MikeR]

watch the back door wires ,when you come to fix them  this mod is useful to reduce the strain on the wires ,

 

push the connector into the door and slip a bike inner  tube over the wires

 

it lets the wire run in and out of the door as opposed to being bent ....

 

[Jim Bell]

FFS

 

Just got a call from the missus.

 

Shes 100 odd miles away in the Zafira in North Yorks at the moment. Shes currently sat still on a bend on a 60 limit road.

 

Report is that the LPG lights for the control switch went off, EML came on but car kept going as normal.  3 mins later car loses all power and rolls up to a halt.  Wont restart.

 

Plenty of Pez in, plenty of gas in.

 

AA en route to vulnerable female in dangerous position.

 

 

PRACE YOR BETS NAOW

 

 

 

 

 

[DodgeRover]

Check for blown fuses otherwise I'm guessing crank sensor or coil pack failure?

DO NOT let the recovery people start to fuck about with the LPG side of things. I take it she has tried to restart on petrol?

[Jim Bell]

Crank sensor or coil pack failure?

DO NOT let the recovery people start to fuck about with the LPG side of things. I take it she has tried to restart on petrol?

 

Yeah, the change over switch seems to have had intermitent power and now has lost power.  (she said they went off, came on then went off and on, then stayed off. No lights on the LPG switch and the (one) switch over button does nothing.

 

Ive spoken to the lad that maintains the LPG system and he says any fault that side should revert the system to petrol anyway so he is confident that its not LPG related. He reccons it sounds like (wet?) ECU issue/failure. It has been tanking it down all day?

 

 

 

NEWS JUST IN:

 

 

AA say it will start briefly on EasyStart but wont run.  Diagnosis is helpfully vague: probable issue with engine management.  Theyre organising recovery now.

 

 

 

 

I'm gutted.

 

 

I've spent £500 quid on it, quite aside from the sentimental value, and its got the best kind of fault. A "shrugs shoulders" could be a few things m8 one.

 

Grand.

 

Feel free to move to the grump thread.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Good luck mate. Sounds full-on shitty.

[Jim Bell]

.

 

MrsSavvvvytribute.

 

 

News is in and it is not good. Had a nice chat with the AA lad.

 

 

 

 

The ECU is dead. The car is not communicating at all via OBD. Just doesnt connect. Theres power getting to the ECU but no voltage to any of the three sensors he checked after the ECU. Think he said he checked the MAF and a couple of others. There were no volts present.

 

Which I guess means the ECU is toast. Or theres a wiring issue somewhere. The ECU is bone dry so its not related to rain or water. Probably.

 

 

 

Shame car returns home in shame.

 

 

Wonderful toys.

 

 

 

 

And there it sits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options are, get an ebay ECU kit and chance spending £150 on something which may or may not work, and may fail in the same way this one did, or give up and bin it. I cant afford a new dealer ECU.

 

 

Sad times.

[mrbenn]

Ah that is shit news WW, sorry to see that.

 

If you bought the £150 ECU stuff, could you sell it on again if it didn't solve the problem? Looks a bit too nice to just bin off :/