Car help?

[spongy]

Mrs Spongy has a 2003 Vauxhall Astra 1.4 and it's started playing up yesterday on her drive home with our young daughter.

It starts fine and runs OK on idle. When the engine starts warming up it struggles and then conks out.

I had a little drive in it last night and she wasn't being over dramatic as she usually is.

I used it this morning to get to work (only 3 miles). It started fine and sat on idle absolutely fine so I set off for work. About a mile from work it started juddering a bit and felt lumpy.

When I lift off the accelerator or depress the clutch coming to a standstill such as a junction or roundabout the car dies and is a pig to start again.

Unless you keep the engine revving it stalls. When driving normally under power it is fine, no hesitation, not misfiring. But when you lift off the power it struggles and then dies again.

At lunch time today I went out and started it. It was fine on idle until it started to warm up, then it struggled and died again. Same on the way home tonight. Started and idled fine, once warmed up it kept stalling on me.

The EML hasn't come on to signify a problem and I've borrowed a friends Code Reader, plugged it in and there's no stored or pending fault codes.

I'm not a mechanic by any means but I know a little bit and think it could be maybe be sensor related or maybe the EGR valve. But I'm not sure and can't afford to get it into a garage until the 27th so I can't afford to buy bits myself and try to self diagnose.

What do you guys reckon?

A list of things that it could be that I can research would be a massive help.

 

[Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

Blown head gasket?

 

[Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

Or a split hose somewhere letting air in?
Bit like running on full choke (old bugger alert)

 

[spongy]

I've checked the oil filler cap and no mayo in there.

All fluid levels are as they should at just under the MAX lines.

I just find it weird that something can go tits up and there not be a fault code.

If I'm being honest this is more of an appeal to the older drivers that had cars that you could fix yourself before diagnostics and computers appeared.

If anyone knows what used to fail on cars to give the above symptoms it would be great.

Just spent some time on Google and tomorrow's job is to have a look at the breather pipes to and from the throttle body to check for blockages or leaks.

I don't see how a blockage can cause it as if it's blocked it shouldn't run OK at start up. Should it?

It's a nightmare. I only get half an hours lunch so it's hard to really have a proper look and don't finish til 7pm and it's sodding dark outside!

 

[moggy]

Have you tried turning it off and on again

 

[beorhthelm]

fuelings wrong, so its too low at idle. when started the "choke" (probably injection so an extra injector or extra fuel mapped) is keeping it high, but once warmed up, thats off and the regular fuel isnt enough. now the cause of the fueling... anyones guess if it isnt showing any code.

 

[cloud]

Could it be the crank sensor gone?

 

[sir albion]

I'd suspect it's the fuel injector and it's probably leaking or clogged up

 

[Swillis]

I've checked the oil filler cap and no mayo in there.

All fluid levels are as they should at just under the MAX lines.

I just find it weird that something can go tits up and there not be a fault code.

If I'm being honest this is more of an appeal to the older drivers that had cars that you could fix yourself before diagnostics and computers appeared.

If anyone knows what used to fail on cars to give the above symptoms it would be great.

Just spent some time on Google and tomorrow's job is to have a look at the breather pipes to and from the throttle body to check for blockages or leaks.

I don't see how a blockage can cause it as if it's blocked it shouldn't run OK at start up. Should it?

It's a nightmare. I only get half an hours lunch so it's hard to really have a proper look and don't finish til 7pm and it's sodding dark outside!

Vauxhall's have a built in code reader(which mechanics don't like us knowing) My girlfriend used to have that car but bigger engine. Place your foot on brake and accelerator simultaneously, turn the key to position 2(so dash lights up but doesn't start). If any codes are stored the service light will flash between 1 and 10 times, 1=1 2=2 etc and 10=zero. It will then do this a further three times until you have a four digit code. If you have more than one fault code then it will keep flashing until all codes are shown. It is a possibility that when your friend connected his code reader he could have reset the code. Drive it until cut out again and then try.

I actually had that problem as yours and cured it by blanking off the egr valve, all you need is a blanking plate, a star screwdriver and to undo two screws and connect the blanking plate to the egr and therefore blocking it off. It has no impact on engine performance and actually makes it run better. Remember to take it off before an MOT as it will cause it to fail.

Found one on eBay for under £4 delivered http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EGR-blank...552773?hash=item258e2497c5:g:5YEAAMXQPatTKWT7

First try the code and then report back, but unless the code shows something completely different it is worth trying to this for under four quid.

That car was in three different mechanics and they were all sodding useless, read about the pedal trick and after paying £1.99 at the time i fitted the blanking plate and the car was absolutely fine and never had another problem until she ran over a concrete post, but that was not her fault and woe betide anyone who says different.

 

[sydney]

injector , carburetor problem i'd say.

 

[Dick Head]

Sounds like your big end's gone.

 

[spongy]

Vauxhall's have a built in code reader(which mechanics don't like us knowing) My girlfriend used to have that car but bigger engine. Place your foot on brake and accelerator simultaneously, turn the key to position 2(so dash lights up but doesn't start). If any codes are stored the service light will flash between 1 and 10 times, 1=1 2=2 etc and 10=zero. It will then do this a further three times until you have a four digit code. If you have more than one fault code then it will keep flashing until all codes are shown. It is a possibility that when your friend connected his code reader he could have reset the code. Drive it until cut out again and then try.

I actually had that problem as yours and cured it by blanking off the egr valve, all you need is a blanking plate, a star screwdriver and to undo two screws and connect the blanking plate to the egr and therefore blocking it off. It has no impact on engine performance and actually makes it run better. Remember to take it off before an MOT as it will cause it to fail.

Found one on eBay for under £4 delivered http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EGR-blank...552773?hash=item258e2497c5:g:5YEAAMXQPatTKWT7

First try the code and then report back, but unless the code shows something completely different it is worth trying to this for under four quid.

That car was in three different mechanics and they were all sodding useless, read about the pedal trick and after paying £1.99 at the time i fitted the blanking plate and the car was absolutely fine and never had another problem until she ran over a concrete post, but that was not her fault and woe betide anyone who says different.

I tried pressing the pedals this morning. The service light kept flashing but didn't throw a code up. I got bored counting the flashes. And I couldn't see any discernable break in the flashes to signify a pause?

Luckily I work at a sheet metal company so I shall be making a blanking plate today hopefully to test the EGR valve. I took it off yesterday and had a look at it and it wasn't all coked up with crap.

I'm thinking maybe idle control valve or crank shift sensor. Maybe lambda.

I can't afford to keep buying bits to try and without a code it's guesswork.

 

[Swillis]

I tried pressing the pedals this morning. The service light kept flashing but didn't throw a code up. I got bored counting the flashes. And I couldn't see any discernable break in the flashes to signify a pause?

Luckily I work at a sheet metal company so I shall be making a blanking plate today hopefully to test the EGR valve. I took it off yesterday and had a look at it and it wasn't all coked up with crap.

I'm thinking maybe idle control valve or crank shift sensor. Maybe lambda.

I can't afford to keep buying bits to try and without a code it's guesswork.

Constant flashing means no code, should have said but many years ago now. You really need to drive it until it cuts out again and then check for the code.

 

[junior]

Sounds like worn brake pads to me.

 

[AK74]

 

[grubbyhands]

Or a split hose somewhere letting air in?
Bit like running on full choke (old bugger alert)

That would be my first thought.Split or fallen off vacuum hose at throttle housing area or in the trunking between throttle housing and air filter housing. This would give a weak mixture situation when the vehicle is warm which would not show on cold start/initial warm up as the "choke" facility would cause a richer mixture and it would run OK.As an aside, we are talking about a petrol engine aren't we? I think Vauxhall did a smaller diesel,other than their 1700 around that time. Diesels are a wholly different thing as far as 'phone diagnosis is concerned. Good luck.

 

[Arthritic Toe]

Runs for a bit and then conks out? Classic ignition coil symptom. Although I think the astra has those individual 'pencil' coils - so would expect it to just misfire not conk completely if it were one of those. Might be worth yanking them out and checking for mis-sparking 'tracks' though.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Petrol or Diesel?

For an engine to run properly, it need compression, fuel and ignition.
The fault you describe appears to present once things warm up.
On that basis, I'd wager the fault sits in the fuel system.

It almost sounds like the sensor that manages mixture for cold running engine [aka electronic choke] is faulty.

Garage job, I'd say .... but avoid the main dealerships.

 

[markw]

Runs for a bit and then conks out? Classic ignition coil symptom. Although I think the astra has those individual 'pencil' coils - so would expect it to just misfire not conk completely if it were one of those. Might be worth yanking them out and checking for mis-sparking 'tracks' though.

Yes my moneys on this, leads or coil packs normally fine when cold but break down when engine gets hot.

 

[spongy]

It's a petrol. The coil pack is one unit with the 4 ports on it. This engine is famous for having coil pack issues. It went last year and I put a new one on in the autumn.

I made an EGR blanking plate at work today and tried it when I finished. Same problem so I can rule that out at least.

Gone to go home and the battery is now flat.

Waiting for her to come and pick me up in mine. Got to get our 2 year old back out of bed so she can. Just as we were getting her to bed reasonably easily.

Just what I need after a 13 hour day.

Sake.

The car is gonna stay at work until payday when I can afford to have a garage look at it. I'm done with it.

Fookin cars.