Vauxhall Zafira A - Idling Hesitation

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Fri 8 Jul 2016 16:26
Vauxhall Zafira A - Idling Hesitation - Monster1973

Hi all,

My Zafira 1.8 Auto has an hesitation when at idle revs. Once on the move it is absolutely fine and accelerates fine. It is most noticeable when at junctions whilst in 'drive' waiting to move again, where the car can be quite juddery. It does not really register on the rev counter though.

I had to replace the rear silencer when I got the car as it was blowing a little and was vey rusty and worn compared to the other sections. I thought that this might be the cause of the hesitation but it is still there. I believe that the exhaust also has a small leak from the seal after the Cat. I also know that the thermostat needs replace as it is stuck open but I don't think that that would be be the cause of the hesitation. I have changed the air filter.

I can't say whether or not this is affecting the fuel economy as I am not sure what I should be getting, I filled the tank recently and have used just over a quarter of a tank covering 185 mile (combined motorway and town driving). Not sure if this is good or bad.

I am considering removing the throttle body and cleaning it. According to an invoice with the car it has had the MAF changed 15k ago. I had an MOT done a couple of weeks ago and the emissions were bang on, including the lambda reading with only advisory being a slight leak on the back box. It did have the P0170 fault code.

Any ideas would be gratefully received.

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Fri 8 Jul 2016 17:50
Vauxhall Zafira A - Idling Hesitation - elekie&a/c doctor

Certainly a good idea to clean the throttle body.I would remove it from the engine so that both sides of the butterfly flap get a good clean.Also make sure that any vacuum orifice ports are clear.

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Fri 8 Jul 2016 17:52
Vauxhall Zafira A - Idling Hesitation - Monster1973

Certainly a good idea to clean the throttle body.I would remove it from the engine so that both sides of the butterfly flap get a good clean.Also make sure that any vacuum orifice ports are clear.

Thanks!

Ian

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Sat 9 Jul 2016 11:53
Vauxhall Zafira A - Idling Hesitation - alex801

Don't mean to scare you. But I had one of these a couple years ago. Same sprogs as you and I too thought I needed thermostat changing as my car would take so long to warm up and when on a run temp would drop right back down but never overheated. And my car went from having yhe hesitation you talk of. To developing a huge missfire at 70 on a motorway....... The AA man came equipped with a new coil pack( 1.6)

On removing old one one of spark plug ports was full with oil we thought rocker cover gasket at first but it soon came apparent that it was catastrophic damage.

I had a parts and labour Warrenty with the car that didn't cover damage due to oil leaks. The garage said the problem was either burnt valves or a hold in the piston. Neither would of been covered so I sold it for scrap.

Maybe get a compression test done before you spend any money or throw time at it. Make sure compression is good first?

Your problem maybe small but mine was not

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Tue 12 Jul 2016 08:45
Vauxhall Zafira A - Idling Hesitation - Monster1973

Thanks but OMG!

Hopefully nothing to servere. The car car drives really well when past idle speed and pulls as shouyld when overtaking, etc. Had no backfires at all and have given it some welly on the motorway too. The MOT emission test was spot on and I cannot see any oil leaks around the engine. I do need to get a deep sparkplug socket to check the plugs though.

Cheers

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Sat 9 Jul 2016 18:59
Vauxhall Zafira A - Idling Hesitation - Cyd

If you're able to do the throttle body yourself, then I'd do that first. Just be careful not to swamp the body with carb cleaner - use an old toothbrush and some lint free cloth. I do mine regularly but never take it off the engine - wedge the butterfly open with a piece of wood (or something else soft that isn't going to damage the edge of the butterfly).

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Tue 12 Jul 2016 08:46
Vauxhall Zafira A - Idling Hesitation - Monster1973

Thanks!

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