Vauxhall Zafira A (1999 - 2005) - 99 1.6 Fuel starvation?

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Sun 9 Feb 2003 20:53
99 1.6 Fuel starvation? - hopy
Can anyone help with a problem I'm having with my 99(V) 1.6 Zafira? What has happened on a few occasions is the engine suddenly lost power after a long journey involving over 1 1/2 hours of motorway/dual carriageway driving. I believe it is caused by fuel starvation as there are no warning lights or signs of overheating. When I pull over the engine then dies. To get going again all it takes is a twist of the filler cap to let air in and then everythings fine!
I think it is normal to have a vacuum build up but believe there too much of a vacuum in this case.
The car was serviced last month but the Vauxhall dealer failed to sort the problem - all they suggested was to replaced the fuel filter which didn't cure the problem.
Has anyone heard of this problem before, or know if there are any vents in the fuel sysytem I can check? Although this is an annoying fault, I am concerned that it could happen whilst overtaking or in the outside lane of a busy motorway as the loss of power comes without warning; the only way to prevent this is to drive with the filler cap slightly loose!

Edited by Pugugly {P} on 15/12/2007 at 21:17

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Sun 9 Feb 2003 22:58
Zafira fuel starvation? - David Davies
It sounds from your description that there is a fault with the evaporative emissions system which briefly consists of a charcoal canister,a fuel tank vent valve and interconnecting vapour pipes.If the vent valve or wiring to it is at fault the engine management warning light would normally illuminate,but you do not mention this happening.So the first thing to check is the pipework between the charcoal canister and the fuel tank.Regret I do not know the precise location of the canister on your Zafira.
David Davies (Tune-Up Raglan)
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Tue 11 Feb 2003 19:26
Zafira fuel starvation? - hopy
Thanks David, I've just dug out my Haynes manual to find out where the charcole canister is. I'll let you know how I get on.
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Sat 15 Dec 2007 21:13
01 2.2 fuel starvation? - grant-atkins
hi ive had the same problem with my 2001 2.2 zafira the canister is in the drivers side wing you need to jack the car up pop the drivers side front wheel off and remove the inner plastic cover it sits behind the headlight you will also need to remove the air filter box to disconnect the 2 pipes running to the filter the problem with the filters is they fill up with water once you remove it turn it upside down for a while and blow down one of the pipes to get the water draining you may need to turn it up and down a few times a repete a few times to get all teh water out mines good as gold after doing this hope this information helps you

kind regards

grant

Edited by Pugugly {P} on 15/12/2007 at 21:16

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Sat 11 Jun 2011 08:48
99 1.6 Fuel starvation? - chilemad

I had the exact same problem. Initially I was told by an official dealership that the problem was down to a faulty EGR valve that was choking the engine; I replaced the EGR valve but the problem was still there. The fault was so awkward! No indication or warning was given when the fault appeared, the car seemed to go into a 'safe' mode and lost power gradually. The car would not restart until, i presumed, the car had cooled down.

A seperate dealership plugged my Zafira into a diagnostice setup and saw immediately that the ECU was faulty. I was quoted nearly £1000 for a replacement but found one on Ebay for £350, programmed with two key chips and the ignition transponder. I had to provide a few details online as to which spec. my Zafira was. I then had to pay my local garage to install the ECU which cost £100.

Hope this helps anyone in the same situation. Changing parts needlessly can cause a lot pain. I'd recommend a garage plug in their diagnostic tools before you get a garage guessing what the problem is, like I did.

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