Yesterday after taking the car for an MOT, i was reasonably happy to find that it had only failed on a tyre and a rusty clamp holding the silencer to the exhaust. I had the tyre changed immediately, with the clamp being replaced at the same time. The drive home from the garage was as normal and nothing out of the ordinary.
A couple of hours passed before the car was started again, and it started nicely. I started to drive, only to hear the car was sounding similar to a dragster and was giving off a faint burning smell. I turned the car around and headed back home, switched off and back on to check the car was starting ok, which it does fine.
I have a feeling (along with my nosey neighbour) that the car is only running on 3 valves, but am not 100% sure. As i stated it sounds similar to a dragster or what i can only describe as what american muscle cars sound like (a low grumbling sound), it smells slightly of burning, although i am unable to ascertain whether the smell is coming from the engine area of from the exhaust, and it seems to have lost a lot of power.
Any input/advice on what may be happening, further checks that i can carry out to identify the problem, and any solutions would be of great use. I am not a genius when it comes to cars, so simple terms would be much appreciated.
Thanks a lot
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 26/02/2008 at 21:45
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You mean running on 3 cylinders.
First check the basics are the plug leads secure do this with engine off!
You could try removing the plugs & give them a clean, is the exhaust ok not blowing?
Is the oil level ok? coolant?
more info required. good luck.
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Silly me, i meant cylinders!
Well I just changed the spark plugs as they hadnt been changed for a while and made sure the leads are attached firmly. The oil appears to be ok, the coolant was a little low, has just been topped up. As far as im aware the exhaust isnt blowing at all.
Tried running the engine over once all above had been done- still same problem.
Any more ideas would be muchly appreciated?
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I'd suggest you crawl under it and see exactly what they did to the exhaust.
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I have it jacked up as we speak - it seems all fine, sijply replaced the clamp with a shiny new one. If there was anything wrong surely it would have appeared on the drive home? And could tightening it too much/not enough cause the symptoms that i stated?
Thanks
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To check for a blowing exhaust , attempt to block exhaust with the palm of your hand while car is running. Use a rag to protect hand(s).
If the exhaust/exhaust manifold is blowing, it should get much louder and be more obvious what is wrong .
If it is not leaking , engine will stall.
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If it's idling on 3 cylinders; pull those HT leads[?] off, one at a time, to find the one that makes no difference. [Is this Astra F or G? Engine code?]
What did the removed plugs look like? Was one black?
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It is an Astra G. There are no HT leads as such (as far as i can see) just a cable connetcing into a block which houses the 4 connections to the plugs, the block then fits over the plugs as one. I have replaced HT leads on other cars so am awre what they look like, so am fairly certain im not being too moronic in saying i cant see them? With regards to covering the exhaust to see if it stalls/gets louder, there is an aftermarket exhaust fitted on the car so is fairly difficult to get a seal on the exhaust itself, so am unsure if the exhaust is blowing, or if i am not getting a seal. Would it be worth removing the clamp they fitted on the exhaust to see if this makes a difference or am i living in hope?
Thanks
Edit: All of the plugs were of a blackish nature
Edited by Emilio69 on 27/02/2008 at 16:18
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Emilio
That makes more sense; I was wondering about that reference to "leads" previously.
You may well be running too rich if those plugs were black. The recent exhaust repairs may have damaged the oxygen sensor in the exhaust; or be leaking air inwards and affecting it's reading.
Unless you have an analogue voltmeter and can measure the output from that oxygen sensor, then taking it to someone with diagnostic kit [most garages] would be your best move.
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Its looking like the only option is to bring it to a garage then i think, which is what i was hoping not to do! Just all seems so strange that it works fine, then when i go to use it next its not.. i didnt know things could break just sitting there on the driveway :S
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Emilio
Unless you can find a helpful friend with a meter; then that may be your best move. Just get the live-data examined and come back with the fuelling results and any codes.
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Just a quick one before i get out a mortgage and head to the garage...
I had a little tinker around earlier on and it seems to be idling fine now... no obvious signs of the problem. When you increase the revs slowly in neutral there appears to be no problem, sounds like the engine is ticking over nicely and as normal. The problem only appears when you hit the accelerator hard or aplly a load ie. have the car in gear trying to drive, this is when it is noticeable.
Surely if it was only running on 3 cylinders, then the problem would be apparant even when increasing the revs slowly in neutral? If so, does this mean that the engine is ok, and it is more than likely an exhaust problem?
Not sure if this info makes any difference to possible problem or not.
I will allow tomorrow for any more possible ideas you lovely people will have before biting the bullet and visiting my local cowboy. Its bloomin' typical that i have friends in nearly every trade under the sun but no mechanics!
Cheers for all your input so far!
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Trying to tie that in to what was recently done; I'd wonder about fouled plugs from the possible overfuelling - but there's not enough evidence to support any conclusion..
If it has happened spontaneously; then a coilpack breakdown becomes favourite.
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Before i start spending a fortune on parts, i have read in various other places from people who seem to suffer from similar problems... they suggested removing the throttle body and giving that a good clean out which I can do easily enough, and also cleaning/replacing the EGR valve... now i have no idea what this is or where i can find it but would like to give it a try before i purchase a new coilpack, as others have stated after fitting a new coilpack no difference was made, but cleaning the throttle body and EGR valve solved the problem and the car runs better than it did before.
Can anyone tell me/link me to what the EGR valve looks like, and where i can find it on the car?
Thanks
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I have tried everything to my knowledge which could be wrong with this car.. apart from the coilpack. These are pretty expensive and i dont really want to fork out for a new one if it makes no differnece what so ever.. i was curious if anyone lived in the portsmouth area with a similar car who may be willing for me to try there coilpack? :)
Thanks
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EGR Valve is so problematical on this car that Vauxhall will disable it for you. Takes just a few minutes (small gasket/blanking plate and a quick down load). Can,t be very expensive as mine was disabled while I chatted to the mechanic about doing a down load on my car . He didn,t charge me although I fitted the gasket ( 5 mins). Mine has an 8v engine though.
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