Astra exhaust / emissions warning light

Booked me and the wife a nice little weekend break in Paris. Set off on Friday for Heathrow (only have to arrive 30 minutes prior to departure with carry-on baggage as I had checked-in on-line and had booked BA Express Parking - you drop it off right outside the door).

10 miles outside Heathrow the car seemed to loose power (and smoothness) and a warning light (exhaust/emissions) came on, flashed twice and then stayed permanently on. The car is a 4 year old Vauxhall Astra convertible with a Z20LET 2 litre turbo petrol engine that has 69,000 miles on the clock. It's had regular main dealer services. The belt was changed at 40,000 miles and again at 45,000 miles (under warranty) when the water pump was a bit dodgy and needed replacing.

Having timed it perfectly for the flight, we got out the car, slung the keys at the man in uniform beside the BA hut and then rushed to the gate hoping the fault would have sorted itself out on our return. Well, it hasn't. The light is still on and the car still drives like a dog.

Fortunately I have the next few days off work, the weather is good and I have a Kawasaki in the garage. The car is off to the dealer in the morning. What kind of thing causes this sort of problem and what kind of price am I looking at for fixing it? If I need a new catalyst, are there big savings in getting a small outfit to put a pattern part in rather than the official Vauxhall one?

Reply to
David Mahon
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In article , David Mahon writes

Well, TECH2 test and (failed) compression test later, the engine is being stripped.

Starting to sound expensive (I think we're at £350 in labour alone).

Reply to
David Mahon

I think the phrase you are looking for is "Oh bollocks".

Keep us updated, won't you?

Si

Reply to
Mungo "Two Sheds" Toadfoot

In article , "Mungo \"Two Sheds\" Toadfoot" writes

Scoring inside one of the cylinders - which I am told means it needs a new engine. The field engineer from Vauxhall is coming out to the dealer to look at it on Monday, to see if Vauxhall will make a contribution to the cost.

Reply to
David Mahon

David Mahon ( snipped-for-privacy@amigo.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Just goes to show that, even now, not everything can be diagnosed just by asking the electronics...

Reply to
Adrian

Thus spake Adrian ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) unto the assembled multitudes:

Which is what I keep wondering, because my Astra 1.6 Club almost always insists on idling at a high-sounding 1,500 rpm when it's started from cold or lukewarm, but if I blip the throttle, it'll immediately settle down to its normal 850rpm idle. On rare occasions it will run at the 'normal' idle straight from start, so it shows it can do it ;-).

When I asked the Vauxhall dealers to check it, they reported that "the software is the latest version" but didn't even seem to consider any mechanical issue.

Reply to
A.Clews

Thus spake David Mahon ( snipped-for-privacy@amigo.co.uk) unto the assembled multitudes:

Scoring from what, though? Any other mechanical damage that would have caused that? Broken piston ring, perhaps?

Reply to
A.Clews

In article , snipped-for-privacy@DENTURESsussex.ac.uk writes

Don't know, now have to wait until Monday when the Vauxhall field engineer arrives.

Do manufacturers often make contributions to repairs when major mechanical failures like this occur soon out of warranty?

Reply to
David Mahon

( snipped-for-privacy@DENTURESsussex.ac.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Something getting past the air filter?

Reply to
Adrian

In article , Adrian writes

And through the intercooler and turbo.

Reply to
David Mahon

David Mahon ( snipped-for-privacy@amigo.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

I doubt it's unknown.

But there's a rather huge IF. And that's the service history. If it's not bang-on-the-dot, dealer serviced every single time, then you're far more likely to be out of luck.

Reply to
Adrian

David Mahon ( snipped-for-privacy@amigo.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Ah. True.

Unless, of course, it IS (was) a bit of turbo...

Reply to
Adrian

Adrian ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

That'd still have to go through the intercooler...

Reply to
Adrian

In article , Adrian writes

Fortunately, it is.

Reply to
David Mahon

Thus spake Adrian ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) unto the assembled multitudes:

A bit of the intercooler, then? (perhaps chipped off by a bit of the turbo? :-)

Reply to
A.Clews

Have they cleaned the idle control valve (oops, main dealer - replaced idle control valve)?

Bob

Reply to
Bob Smith

Thus spake Bob Smith (bob@nospamplease) unto the assembled multitudes:

Interesting thought (as in, "I didn't even know there was an idle control valve" ;-)

Ta!

Reply to
A.Clews

It's one of the few things I know inside out really, having lived with it for so long before curing it. Mine gummed up about a month after cleaning it every time until I fitted an oil separator to the air breather pipe. I had the full range of symptoms - idling going up and down, idling high, idling low(and stalling). Bipping the accelerator sometimes helped.

A couple of how-2s:

http://82.34.50.33/sytemsandsoftwaredevelopment/systems/automotive/How_to/General/ecotecidlevalve.htm

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Bob

Reply to
Bob Smith

Thus spake Bob Smith (bob@nospamplease) unto the assembled multitudes:

Thanks Bob, this is the first useful pointer I've had, and I've mentioned this problem twice before in this NG without any useful responses.

Only thing I will say is that once the idle has settled down after blipping the throttle at startup, the idle speed stays normal from then on in. No other idling problems. Only ever happens at startup if the engine is cool.

Cheers!

Reply to
A.Clews

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