Vauxhall Astra G Petrol (1998 - 2004) - 2002 1.6 16v Ticking noise, EML, poor starting etc

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Tue 10 Jun 2008 21:38
2002 1.6 16v Ticking noise, EML, poor starting etc - thomp1983
evening folks, a friend asked me to have a look at his '02 plate astra 1.6 16v (Z16XE engine i believe) done 60k, as he said it was making a ticking noise. after looking at it and speaking to him ive ascertained the following,

it had no oil in it (not registering on dipstick) may have been this way for awhile, once putting a few litres of oil in it is significantly quieter although still tappety in my opinion, i told him to check oil when stone cold in the morning as it may well need some more and i suspect it may quieten down some more once the oil has had chance to get back around the system and into the tappets, really hoping he hasn't damaged it seriously, there are no bottom end knocking noises but it could need new tappets.

the engine emissions light is on, he said it's been on for a month. he was driving it one day at about 80mph, went to overtake and the car just wouldn't go and started to slow down, he lifted of the accelerator and pressed down again and it went and the light came on. he says it
seems to drive fine since but the light is permanently lit, my first suspicion is egr valve, but any other suggestions would be helpful.

also the car seems to take a good few turns to catch before firing, suspect this could be the car needing a good service as he's unaware of when it was last serviced, but any other ideas?

and finally, it's due a cambelt change, the parts seem reasonable just wondered if there's any hints or tips i should know? ive read the autodata info on the change seems quite straightforward, the only mention of a special tool is to lock the flywheel to loosen the crank pulley bolt but i believe this can be done the old fashioned way by putting it in gear and holding the brakes on.

cheers
chris

Edited by Pugugly on 10/06/2008 at 22:01

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Tue 10 Jun 2008 22:13
2002 1.6 16v Ticking noise, EML, poor starting etc - Screwloose
chris

Low oil can cause P0607 - "ECU internal error; replace ECU." It's caused by excessive engine rattling making the ECU think that it's knock-control measures aren't functioning.

The light may go out after 40 engine cycles - the engine damage will last a lot longer....
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Tue 10 Jun 2008 22:28
2002 1.6 16v Ticking noise, EML, poor starting etc - thomp1983
would that put the emissions light on?(orange one) id of thought that would of tripped the the engine management light?(yellow one iirc)

think my next step is to remove the oil breather hoses, throttle body and egr valve and give them all a good clean with carb cleaner then leave the battery disconnected for half hour to reset the warning light and see if the problem returns.

do you know if the fix vauxhall released where they fitted a blanking gasket then updated the ecu to disable the egr valve applies to this engine? (yes i know i should just ring them)

chris
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