Problems with the Zafira - HELP

[Supra-Brett]

Ok the wife has a 2001 1.6 ecotec engined Zafira.

 

For a while now its had a problem immeadiatley after coming off the motorway.

 

Basically, drive like miss daisy around town as much as you like and no problems.

 

However - Take it on the motorway for even a few miles at 60 to 70MPH, and then slow down on the slip road and it starts chugging, then at the traffic lights or before it will stall. Then its a nightmare to start, and seems like its flooded. If you pump the accelerator it starts better, then still chuggs until its been held at revs for a while. Then its all OK

 

Ive gotten around the stalling via a rather unorthodox method of dropping down the gears quickly to keep up the revs, then as it approaches 2nd/1st gear gently slowing with the handbrake !!! , keeping the clutch down and keeping the revs up. Its a nightmare. I can do it fine, but the wife is hopeless and it stalls all the time.

 

As above, once its been revved a bit its all fine again (until the next motorway journey), however today the chugging and stalling just wont go away.

 

HELP

[movistar]

any eml on?

Could be a faulty iac....or a vac hose off?

[nevins]

Sounds like the usual MAF sensor going down fella, on the eco wreck engines it very rarely brings on the eml.

[Supra-Brett]

any eml on?

Could be a faulty iac....or a vac hose off?

 

Sounds like the usual MAF sensor going down fella, on the eco wreck engines it very rarely brings on the eml.

 

Thats Movie & nevins. the eml came on briefly yesterday for the first time, but never before yesterday. Its gone off again.

 

I will check vac hoses and get my mechanic to check the MAF (are they expensive). whats an iac though ?

[nevins]

Iac Idle air control valve.

Avoid a mechanic and take it to an autolec, Thats what I am by trade. Just ask them to do a code read if it brings up a fault code, its all good. But it seems to be a intermittent fault. So my advice would be to request a live data , which is where they will watch the data supplied to the ecu on screen. This will show if there is a fault. Also ask them to do an on the road diagnostic, this is basically a live data while you are driving the vehicle.

[Graham S]

Sounds like the usual MAF sensor going down fella, on the eco wreck engines it very rarely brings on the eml.

 

I had this on my old vectra DTi, sometimes it put the light on but usually doesn't due to the sensor not actually not working, it gives a faulty reading.

I've found the most common problem is either this or O2/lambda sensors. There are 2 on these and through experience its best to change both as one thing leads to another. We use to do one but always ended up doing the other VERY shortly after.

Although, it does sound more like a air leak issue. Common things to get checked out ar the MAF, O2/lambdas, IAC (which sometimes can be fixed with cleaning out) and cam/crank sensors.

[Supra-Brett]

Iac Idle air control valve.

Avoid a mechanic and take it to an autolec, Thats what I am by trade. Just ask them to do a code read if it brings up a fault code, its all good. But it seems to be a intermittent fault. So my advice would be to request a live data , which is where they will watch the data supplied to the ecu on screen. This will show if there is a fault. Also ask them to do an on the road diagnostic, this is basically a live data while you are driving the vehicle.

 

I had this on my old vectra DTi, sometimes it put the light on but usually doesn't due to the sensor not actually not working, it gives a faulty reading.

I've found the most common problem is either this or O2/lambda sensors. There are 2 on these and through experience its best to change both as one thing leads to another. We use to do one but always ended up doing the other VERY shortly after.

Although, it does sound more like a air leak issue. Common things to get checked out ar the MAF, O2/lambdas, IAC (which sometimes can be fixed with cleaning out) and cam/crank sensors.

 

Thanks lads

 

My when i said mechanic i neglected to mention its my father in law, so no charge. Hes pretty handy and was on about getting the connectors and sofware for the engine diagnostics a while ago and loading it onto a maptop, so maybe he can do that also.

 

Your help has been invaluable and at least points me in the right direction.

 

many thanks

[SUPRALOOPY]

Iac Idle air control valve.

Avoid a mechanic and take it to an autolec, Thats what I am by trade. Just ask them to do a code read if it brings up a fault code, its all good. But it seems to be a intermittent fault. So my advice would be to request a live data , which is where they will watch the data supplied to the ecu on screen. This will show if there is a fault. Also ask them to do an on the road diagnostic, this is basically a live data while you are driving the vehicle.

 

 

That's the way to go but will cost. Not as much as just blindly putting new parts on from listening to guesses on here;)

[Supra-Brett]

had a better idea. As it wont start (easily without pumping the accelerator), i will call the AA, get them to look at it and hopefully they will do a code diagnosis and let me know what the fault is. Then i can go and get the correct part

[SUPRALOOPY]

I'd do the diag for you, but the western sahara is a bit of a trek ;0)

[absz]

IF the engine management light comes on then its normally a emission related fault ie sensors/map/egr

but if the car with a spanner light comes on then its normally body ecu or power feed related. i had a 1.6 zafira 2003 with a similair fault which turned out to be the fuel pump relay as the engine RPM is also connected in the same circuit.

 

the diagnostic machine was showing no faults.

[Supra-Brett]

well the AA man came. He couldnt get the error code as it hadnt stored, and even when running (badly) it didnt show any live codes.

 

A bit more diagnosis and the problem turned out to be 2 x faulty spark plugs !!!!.

 

I will give it a bit of a drive tonight and fingers crossed all is OK.

[Awisto]

EGR Valve on them give similar symptoms, my neighbour's had 2 fitted in the same amount of years.

[Abz]

EGR Valve on them give similar symptoms, my neighbour's had 2 fitted in the same amount of years.

 

Common problem on the Vauxhall's, cheapish part & easy enough to do yourself. Mately had the same problem, though it was on a Astra (2001), though his one happened regardless of motorway speeds.

 

Think the diag test is the best way to tell what needs replacing, with Vauxhall's normally a number of sensors!

[SUPRALOOPY]

Live data to see what's dropping out.

[Supra-Brett]

Live data to see what's dropping out.

 

he said that the live data he gathered after fitting new sparkplugs was exactly as normal. I think the live data he gathered before was what pointed towards sparkplugs.

[Supra-Brett]

well the cars running fine. Thanks for all your advice guys

[Supra-Brett]

Well yet more problems.

 

the sliding rear seats have packed up now !!

 

The drivers side mechanism is working and releases and the passenger side is locked/jammed.

 

Any ideas ?

[SUPRALOOPY]

Petrol will do it.. Its a vauxhall. If they are manual seats check the spring/cable that makes both sliders open together. Not very well explained but I hope you get the idea.

 

Edit read it properly now. Does it have leavers or buttons to release the rear seats?

Edited July 29, 2010 by SUPRALOOPY (see edit history)

[Supra-Brett]

Petrol will do it.. Its a vauxhall. If they are manual seats check the spring/cable that makes both sliders open together. Not very well explained but I hope you get the idea.

 

Edit read it properly now. Does it have leavers or buttons to release the rear seats?

 

levers which release some sort of locking mechanism which allows the whole rear bench seat to slide backwards and forwards

[nevins]

Its normally a wire that runs from onside to the other, when pulled it pulls on a clamp that holds the runner, check that this is well lubed (lol) and free from being seized, this is the normal problem, or even easier check its still attached.

[Supra-Brett]

Its normally a wire that runs from onside to the other, when pulled it pulls on a clamp that holds the runner, check that this is well lubed (lol) and free from being seized, this is the normal problem, or even easier check its still attached.

 

Thanks i will check that. Ive had a look at the mechanism the other day, and it did move suggesting it was working, but maybe not enough to disengage ?

[nevins]

Thanks i will check that. Ive had a look at the mechanism the other day, and it did move suggesting it was working, but maybe not enough to disengage ?

 

You may find that just bending the wire/bar slightly will allow it to function, they are normally formed to a shape but can stretch slightly over time from use, or even something being pushed under the seat and hitting it.

[Supra-Brett]

You may find that just bending the wire/bar slightly will allow it to function, they are normally formed to a shape but can stretch slightly over time from use, or even something being pushed under the seat and hitting it.

 

great idea, thanks

[Supra-Brett]

well finally got the seats sliding again. Took me 3 to 4hrs of faffing about. Basically the sliding seats work on runners. You pull a handle and it releases 2 pins one on either sid eof the car. the pins have 4 x bolts that lock into place on the runners. on one side 3 of the 4 bolts were releaing and one was jammed. It was a nightmare to loosen as the mechanism restricted access. Brute force and some drilling eventually gained access and now its OK.