Hi everyone,
I have a Vectra 1.8 LS (Yreg) petrol.
Im not sure theres an easy answer to my question but any help would be appreciated.
The car has done 140,000 miles and is running fine, but about 18 months ago (90,000 miles) the picture of a car with a spanner started coming on intermittantly. Since then it changes to the picture of the engine for a few months and then changes back to the spanner one. Sometimes it goes out altogether but only for a few minutes.
Ive had it reset twice but people just say that the fault is no longer there and all they can do is reset the warning which costs 20 quid and lasts about two days!
Whats the point in fault codes if you can't figure out what causes them?
I change the oil and filter every 10,000 miles and have changed the cam belt with tensioners every 40,000, the car drives fine.
Shall I just live with it or is there anything that I might try?
Someone suggested cleaning the throttle housing?
Thanks for any ideas.
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The "spanner light" is to inform you there is a fault in engine electronics system or transmission electronics system. Electronics switch to limp-home programme. Fuel consumption may increase and driveability of the vehicle may be impaired.
Normally if the fault isn't still present, the code will disappear from the ecu log after 20 or 25 engine starts. As the light only comes on intermittantly, I imagine this is why the ecu isn't storing the fault code. I believe also the light needs to remain on for around 8 seconds for a fault to be logged.
Usual culprits for causing faults is either the camshaft sensor, or chankshaft sensor - sometimes both.
The following site *might* help you in reading the fault code for yourself, rather than relying on a dealer to do it for you. That is if the ecu ever does log a fault. I should also point out that this only works on cars up until around the year 2000.
www.topbuzz.co.uk/info/fault_codes/fault_codes.htm
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Failing that, if you are confident that you can get the light to come on during a short trip, then get the mechanic from the dealer (or well equipped independent) to come out in the car with their TECH2 set to snapshot mode.
I have used this technique in the past to get information on tricky intermittent faults that can't be replicated in the workshop.
If a fault is captured, the TECH2 unit will store the available ECU data for some time before, during, and after the fault condition occurs.
If the snapshot does capture a fault, make sure that the data are downloaded to a computer *before* the TECH2 is powered down.
Number_Cruncher
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First thing you should check is the network of vacuum pipes that control various functions. If you search out one of the thin plastic tubes. Trace it back to one of the valves and check closely all the rubber tubing that joins them together. They are very prone to splitting and due to the different vacuum operated controls can show up all sorts of faults on the system. A simple method of checking is to try blowing down a few of the thin vacuum pipes. If you are able to bloe down them there is a leak.
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My P reg played up the light came on intermittantly then became progressily worse it was the camsharft sensor it went through 2 in 18 months when the light comes on it goes into get you home mode Neil
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