Vauxhall Astra 1.6 2005 reg engine problems

[Orion21]

Hello,

I was wondering if some knowledgeable motors people had any idea what the problem is likely to be with my Vauxhall Astra 1.6 2005 reg. I am not mechanically minded but I'll give all the background information as I know it.

This morning the engine warning light came on just after setting out to work, so I pulled over and restarted the engine and it disappeared but the car appeared to lack power and felt slower.

Then when I left work it still felt the same i.e. lack of power and the engine warning light appeared when I got to about 30 mph or so and flickered on and off constantly (no idea what that means), it stopped flickering when there was no acceleration and continued when there was. I stopped on the way home to get petrol as it was low and was wondering if this could be the problem (hopeful I know ).

From the petrol station the engine warning light was on constantly between 0-30mph ish and flickered when above that / accelerating.

Does anyone have any idea of the likely problem and more scarily what I need to do to fix it and the cost?

Sort of hoping it sorts itself out over night and 'magically' works tomorrow, planning to check the oil level tomorrow.

 

[Orion21]

Northern Ireland, going to go try and figure out this test stuff and report back .

Is it likely to be an issue that could cause more damage if I drove the car tomorrow to work if the warning lights persist? I can then get it looked at somewhere on Saturday if need be, wish I knew a decent independent garage.

 

[Orion21]

Right that took a while, I did some pedal test thing (rather avoid the paperclip thing if I can help it, I'm that bad at this sort of stuff ).

Got 2 codes if I understand it correctly ECN 130000 and 030300.

Do these mean anything? And what can I do to get them sorted?

 

[Orion21]

From googling how to change spark plugs, it looks more complicated than I'd like to get involved with, as I wouldn't know what I'm doing and might mess something else up.

Was looking at this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kIIdF3aSUM as a guide.

 

[Orion21]

Got to work but lights still on like they were last night, kept speed low to avoid flickering of light (though this seemed to stop even with more speed halfway through my journey and the light just stayed on permanently).

Either tonight or tomorrow (to let car cool ), I am going to give it a go and see how far I get with swapping the 2 middle spark plugs (1 of them has to be number 3 right? ).

Depending on the spark plug swapping if the coilpack is likely to be the issue I might even give that a go as it seems to be part of something I will have to take off to get at spark plugs (probably easier to change than the spark plugs from the videos I looked at).

Does this look like the right stuff for my car: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VAUXHALL-...GNITION-SET-COIL-PACK-AND-PLUGS-/230950817851 ? Even includes the spark plugs and looks like a seller that has sold a fair bit.

What kind of tools do I actually need, baring in mind I'm not a DIY person? I'm pretty sure there's a bunch of tools in the garage, and from videos it looks like some kind of spanner to get bolts off on what I think is the coil pack, yank that off (maybe unplug it at side too), then some sort of socket + wrench that I attach to the spark plugs and unscrew? Hope that's all there is to it

As it is an old car not worth major repair bills may just change car if it isn't likely to be a cheap fix, but unfortunately this will probably bugger the trade-in or webuyanycar valuation.

Thanks for the help and advice so far guys .

 

[Orion21]

Can't even get the cover off so far lol.

What is the ] shaped thing on the passenger side of the engine in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fev7zF4S9Q0 ?

How do I remove it or work around it? Wasn't expecting to see that there from the other clip I looked at and it's getting in the way, was expecting just a plug thing (which seems to be in the middle and under the ] shaped thing).

Don't want to disconnect anything I can't easily put back together.

Thanks for any help guys .

 

[Orion21]

Anyway to further update I went to 2 garages to try and get quotes, vauxhall and an independent garage I haven't used before.

They both want to do diagnostics first (I did tell them the codes I got from the pedal test), can their diagnostics tell them a lot more detail than the pedal test I did or are they just trying to get £30-60 for a 2 minute hookup?

Vauxhall are quotting about £400 in all including major service, coil pack and diagnostic (I get a 20% discount from a Vauxhall card which I've already taken off the price to get £400).

The independent estimated about £4 quid a spark plug and £60 for coil pack (not clear if this includes labour etc, probably not) but want to do the diagnosis before committing. But they did say that from what I said engine is probably fine (not old enough apparently) and that I shouldn't drive on it as the cat converter could get damaged due to fuel ruining an O2 sensor or something. It would probably be about £200 - 250 including service and diagnosis as well.

Given that the car is probably worth £2000 at best in reasonable condition and less as it is. Do you guys think it is worth paying for the repairs at one of these places? How much is it's condition likely to affect trade in value if I changed car?

I will look at that video and give replacing another try once car cools down again so tonight some time.

 

[Orion21]

Mine did this and the cat had imploded

Great hope I haven't lost the cat too, anyway for me to know if it's likely done damage there?

Video helps, and going to give it another go at swapping spark plugs to test that tonight once the engine has cooled (since I don't know what I can and can't touch without burning myself , so playing it safe).

If I manage that I'll then see about buying a delphi coilpack + spark plug pack and replacing them myself if I can find them at a decent price. Otherwise I'm going to have to with with a garage, probably the independent but I don't know which parts they would use.

Not going to be driving it, already got myself a weekly bus pass .

 

[Orion21]

Well had another go, but couldn't get the cable / wiring attachment off the coil pack.

To top it off I've noticed another issue, drivers door hinge is rusting and sort of jerking a bit.

The car also has a jammed boot and rear washers not working (been like that for a while). As it goes on due to age and low value of car it probably isn't worth paying for repairs when there may be other issues.

Since it is also due a service and this may flag up more issues, I think I'm likely just to start looking for a new car, so there may be a spec me a car thread soon .

But thanks for the help you guys have given to me .

 

[Orion21]

So guys, I got a couple of quotes today for a part exchange (£1600) and from webuyanycar (£1350).

Do these seem like a decent amount for my 2005 1.6 Astra Club?

Issues with the car include engine management light, jammed boot (new lock I'm guessing), rear washer doesn't work, due a service, MOT coming up and whatever else gets flagged up at a service / MOT that I don't know about so other wear and tear I guess that has occurred in the almost 2 years since the last service.

I'm tempted to go with one of the above quotes and not have the hassle / uncertainty of the repairs and the cost of it, but wanted to check to see if they seem decent offers worth seriously considering.

 

[Orion21]

I'm in Northern Ireland, as for the WBAC quote they've already looked it over that's what I should actually get for it if not another £50-60 quid.

I've tried the pin thing on the rear washer jet before and the front washers work, maybe there's a separate pump for the rear (think some garage may have told me this, maybe I'm just getting confused).

As for the boot I did ask a Vauxhall about this ages ago when it first happened and it sounded like it could easily cost me £100+ to fix for the labour and new lock assuming it wasn't some wiring issue (they said similiar about having to check the pipes for the rear washer), since I could live without them I didn't bother. I couldn't hear or notice any movement at the boot when using the central locking.

The door hinge, is more than just a bit rusty it looks like it needs tightened as it moves when the door is opened closed, possibly easy to sort if you have the tools and can just tighten it.

The engine thing while if it is as minor as coilpack / spark plugs wouldn't be too bad, it's the risk that I'm concerned about of a bigger expense if it isn't the simple fix and on an old car I was thinking of changing anyway (or possibly keeping 1 more year if the engine problem didn't come up if it passed the MOT without problems).

Since it hasn't been serviced in nearly 2 years I am concerned there may be other wear and tear replacement needed, no real reason to suspect there is but I guess brake pads etc could need done for all I know. Indeed 2 years ago Vauxhall said it needed new tie-rods or something which would have cost £200-250 if I recall correctly if not more (think they lied / exaggerated, as it passed 2 mots since ).

Guess I'm trying to persuade myself I should get rid here , and wondering what sort of value the car has, Parkers seems to suggest £1600 - £2700 (private poor to franchised dealer) for my car, but with a about 20k miles more than my car has so maybe that makes a difference. Given the £200 (spark plugs / coilpack / service) at best and probably more like £400-500 + worth of work needing done I think £1400 - £1600 for the car may be just about ok.

 

[Orion21]

It's an early model Astra H, even the independent I went to was quoting £100 + vat for service and £60 for the coilpack (pretty sure without labour), £30 quid to diagnose. Hadn't asked about the boot, rear washer, door there, but I could easily see it being £400 + quid.

If I'm wrong in this and looking at garages that charge too much please let me know, I've always wanted to find a good independent that had good service and prices. To be honest I'd rather keep the car for at least another year, I'm just wary of a relatively big repair bill for what I know and possible more for what I don't.

That said I've looked on Autotrader and it seems cars similiar to mine sell for £2000-£3000 with higher mileage, so maybe I am undervaluing the car.

 

[Orion21]

Hmm maybe I'll try and find another garage. Won't be doing it myself that's for sure, don't have any experience car mechanics etc.

In any case I'll be doing something by Saturday.

 

[Orion21]

Complex enough for me, never mind getting the right parts etc.

I didn't actually get to the spark plugs as I couldn't get the wiring harness off the coilpack and didn't want to push harder as it felt like it could break something, so I'm rather hopeless mechanically .

 

[Orion21]

If I were to get another car a budget of about 5k + whatever I get for the current car.

What's a good hourly wage labour rate for mechanics?

Being quoted about £50-60 quid for an hour, which might just be to look at the faults (boot, washers etc) rather than fix.

 

[Orion21]

After what people here are saying I've reconsidered and I'm trying to get multiple quotes for the work. Sort of expecting it to be £400-500 though to fix it all assuming there's nothing else needing done that get discovered in the service like brakes etc.

Just out of interest when should a cambelt be checked as it is still on it's original as far as I'm aware and it's at 60k approx miles now? Don't know if these are checked during services, could ask I guess.

As for the car was looking on autotrader, and it seems Astras of the same age and spec but higher mileage get about £2500-3500 there, mostly if not all trade advertisements though. Granted mine has a fair few scrapes, scratches and at least one dent but still going by those values maybe I would be better off getting it fixed. No point in me asking peoples opinions here if I don't at least consider what's being said to me .

 

[Orion21]

Just thought I'd update this, got the car repaired in the end at an independent garage which seem good. Cost just over £200 in all, for the coilpacks / spark plugs, service and the other niggling issues including boot fixed.

A lot cheaper than anywhere else seemed to be suggesting.

Glad I didn't flog the car now, a lot cheaper than trying to upgrade car (which would probably have been a downsizing) and even if I do change car I can probably flog it for more than I was being offered now .