Big problem with my Vectra, one for the Vauxhall experts here

[Behemoth]

Good afternoon all.

It would appear my bullett proof Vectra has got a serious problem. Basically it got me to work fine yesterday but when I was driving home the engine cut out. I looked on the dash to see I had battery light on and oil light, but no ECU light.

Rolled it to a stop, got out, made saure I hadn't dropped engine parts anywhere on the road (I thought it was my Cambelt at first) popped the bonnet open to see nothing was wrong from just looking at it. Got back in turned the key. It would turn over but not actually fire up at all.

I kept turning it over every minute or so, and it was when a bloke in an X3 turned up to offer me a tow somewhere that as I was turning it over the engine fired into life. I got in and carried on driving home. Perhaps 2 miles down the road, right in the middle of a very busy main road it cut out again, no ECU light just the battery and oil light on.

After a bit of faffing about I called the AA who turned up some 10 minutes after I made the call. As it was dark it was hard for him to see what the problem was, but when we tried to start it we noticed that the ECU light wasn't coming on and neither was the fuel pump priming.

He faffed about for ages as bets he could checking wires and things (it was getting darker by the second) and by more luck than judgement it fired into life. He told me to drive it home and he'd follow me. Well I only got about 30 metres up the road and the same thing happened again.

So it got towed home as there was nowhere open on a Sunday to sort it.

Later when we moved it from the road to the drive so it was off the road and out of the way it started fine, fuel pump primed ECU light came on.

This morning I started it and left it go to see how long it would run before it would cut out again. 20 Minutes later it cut out. Wouldn't restart, no ECU light and no fuel pump priming.

Now the problem is that I can't drive it anywhere when it is running because I know half a mile down the road it will just die again. All the supposed mobile people that are qualified to look at this problem aren't answering their phones and I'm very close to calling a local scrap yard to just come and take the thing away.

I should point out it's 1.8 16 V on an X plate, I've never had a problem like this with it before, ever.

[Singh400]

I'm no car expert, but the problems you describe are the exactly ones that I experienced with my Corsa. After a lot of call outs and ruling alot of stuff out, I finally took it to the garage (with the AA behind me just in case) and it turned out to be the crankshaft.

Again, I must say I am no car expert, and know nothing about them. Just thought I would share that if it at all helps

[eshrules]

I'm no car expert, but the problems you describe are the exactly ones that I experienced with my Corsa. After a lot of call outs and ruling alot of stuff out, I finally took it to the garage (with the AA behind me just in case) and it turned out to be the crankshaft.

Again, I must say I am no car expert, and know nothing about them. Just thought I would share that if it at all helps

I doubt it's the crank....

@ the OP, have you had a fault read done? It sounds like a poor earth or break in wiring somewhere. The fuel pump is clearly the source of the issue here, whether it's the pump itself or the wiring remains to be seen.

[Tonka777]

I doubt it's the crank....

I think he meant crank shaft sensor, which it could very well be....

Had one go on my old Vectra a while ago, it kept cutting out as the revs dropped when i pulled up to traffic lights etc. Its odd that the ECU light isn't illuminating though, although not impossible that it could have been removed, perhaps by a previous owner to hide a fault?

It could also be a break in the wiring, which is not going to show up directly on a fault code read. Get the codes read first and see what it points to, then check all the wiring leading for breaks.

[Singh400]

I doubt it's the crank....

@ the OP, have you had a fault read done? It sounds like a poor earth or break in wiring somewhere. The fuel pump is clearly the source of the issue here, whether it's the pump itself or the wiring remains to be seen.

...

I'm no car expert

I think he meant crank shaft sensor

Yeah, might have been that. Sorry I got it wrong!

(I'll bow out of this thread now)

[eshrules]

I think he meant crank shaft sensor, which it could very well be....

Had one go on my old Vectra a while ago, it kept cutting out as the revs dropped when i pulled up to traffic lights etc. Its odd that the ECU light isn't illuminating though, although not impossible that it could have been removed, perhaps by a previous owner to hide a fault?

It could also be a break in the wiring, which is not going to show up directly on a fault code read. Get the codes read first and see what it points to, then check all the wiring leading for breaks.

if it's a fault with that sensor, or a break in the wiring, a short to ground code will have been logged surely? Code read - the first port of call every time imho.

[XA04]

Sounds similar to what happened to my girlfriends corsa. Thought it was the fuel pump at first as it would try and start but wouldn't fire up... could bump start it ok but wouldn't last forever. Ended up been the crankshaft sensor though.

[Behemoth]

If it were the crankshaft sensors I could understand it, but as it is it takes the best part of an hour for the car to start again, and then it runs for 10 minutes, maybe longer, maybe less. We know where the ECU is and we are going to get a replacement (from the same year car as I have) as we are pretty confident that the ECU itself is knackered.

[madmaca]

My Vectra usually gives me about a months worth of the engine light coming on when my sensors are on the way out (had 2 camshaft sensors, 1 crankshaft sensor and numerous IAC valves). It would be very unusual for it to go without warning imo...

[mycarsavw]

If it were the crankshaft sensors I could understand it, but as it is it takes the best part of an hour for the car to start again, and then it runs for 10 minutes, maybe longer, maybe less. We know where the ECU is and we are going to get a replacement (from the same year car as I have) as we are pretty confident that the ECU itself is knackered.

Is there not someone on the Vaux. forums who has a code reader and is local?

Personally, I'd not be wasting money fixing possible problems, especially considering you mentioned scrapping it in the first post.

Sensors usually sit on moving parts hence the sporadic starts/stops. If the ECU itself was knackered it wouldn't keep kicking back into life.

[madmaca]

Is there not someone on the Vaux. forums who has a code reader and is local?

If it's a Vectra B then there is a DIY method to diagnosing fault codes - just google " vectra paper clip test" - it works!

[kalniel]

If it were the crankshaft sensors I could understand it, but as it is it takes the best part of an hour for the car to start again, and then it runs for 10 minutes, maybe longer, maybe less. We know where the ECU is and we are going to get a replacement (from the same year car as I have) as we are pretty confident that the ECU itself is knackered.

Completely non-techie answer here, but sounds to me like something is draining away enough to make the car start, but as soon as it starts the pressure starts building and something is getting flooded/displaced and it cuts out eventually, leading you to wait for it to drain away again. Oil/fuel/water getting somewhere it shouldn't?

[Behemoth]

We are still banging our heads against a brick wall in all honesty. Once the engine dies it will not start again. Had a mate over earlier who knows Vectra's inside out, we even tried the paper clip trick and we got nothing out of the car at all.

I really don't know what to do with it, and despite the fact that I said scrap it in my opening post I was talking through anger more so than anything else. It's one of those annoying problems that seems to be impossible to fix without knowing whats going on with the car itself. I haven't finished paying for the car, and secondly it's got a good strong engine. Only got 73500 on the clock which is very low for a car of it's age.

We did notice there was less coolant in it than there should have been so we've topped it up, first thing my Dad did was blame it on me not having it serviced when I had it MOT'd last year, but I couldn't afford the cost of a full service AND having the steering wrack replaced at the same time.

I'm supposed to be having someone come tomorrow who knows car electronics like the back of his hand and I'm hoping he can tell me whats up very quickly. I can't take the car to anyone because I don't know how long it's going to run for, and if I do take it to a local indy I'm going to be taken for a ride with the price.

[eshrules]

We are still banging our heads against a brick wall in all honesty. Once the engine dies it will not start again. Had a mate over earlier who knows Vectra's inside out, we even tried the paper clip trick and we got nothing out of the car at all.

I really don't know what to do with it, and despite the fact that I said scrap it in my opening post I was talking through anger more so than anything else. It's one of those annoying problems that seems to be impossible to fix without knowing whats going on with the car itself. I haven't finished paying for the car, and secondly it's got a good strong engine. Only got 73500 on the clock which is very low for a car of it's age.

We did notice there was less coolant in it than there should have been so we've topped it up, first thing my Dad did was blame it on me not having it serviced when I had it MOT'd last year, but I couldn't afford the cost of a full service AND having the steering wrack replaced at the same time.

I'm supposed to be having someone come tomorrow who knows car electronics like the back of his hand and I'm hoping he can tell me whats up very quickly. I can't take the car to anyone because I don't know how long it's going to run for, and if I do take it to a local indy I'm going to be taken for a ride with the price.

the 'paper clip trick' is dodgy at best. OBD scanners are £10/20, no car owner should be without one and I'd be surprised if nobody you know has one that'll scan your car.

Fault scan the car, then move forward.

The chap who knows autoelectronics like the back of his hand should have an opeltech or a handheld scanner at the very least.

As for the coolant... I suspect this isn't the cause of your issue, but you really ought to be checking that regularly, especiall considering the winter we've just endured

[Behemoth]

It's been comfirmed as a faulty ECU. When it gets too hot it shuts the whole car down. Thats why once it's shut down it won't come back on.

When the auto electrician came first thing he did was to put his tech 2 diagnostic computer on it, and when the engine cut out he lost all comms with the ECU itself. He checked all the wires that were connected to it and all the earth and live feeds were fine.

Sending the ECU to a company in Devon who can repair the one I have for £150, if it was anymore than that I'd be looking at putting the car on ebay and selling it to someone as a project/spares repairs as its certainly not a scraper.

Pleased that its not going to cost me too much because otherwise I'd be selling my PC and Laptop here on Hexus.

[eshrules]

It's been comfirmed as a faulty ECU. When it gets too hot it shuts the whole car down. Thats why once it's shut down it won't come back on.

When the auto electrician came first thing he did was to put his tech 2 diagnostic computer on it, and when the engine cut out he lost all comms with the ECU itself. He checked all the wires that were connected to it and all the earth and live feeds were fine.

Sending the ECU to a company in Devon who can repair the one I have for £150, if it was anymore than that I'd be looking at putting the car on ebay and selling it to someone as a project/spares repairs as its certainly not a scraper.

Pleased that its not going to cost me too much because otherwise I'd be selling my PC and Laptop here on Hexus.

how quickly does your car warm up?! seems odd to me that he started the vehicle before running a primary diagnostic. Normal practice is to scan, clear, run engine, scan and observe from there.

I'm still not convinced the ECU is at fault, let's just hope the repair proves me wrong!