PLEASE HELP! vauxhall vectra 2.0 idleing/stalling problems!!

[anoakes]

Please can someone help me. I have had me vauxhall vectra for about a month.

In the mornings its the worst. It starts fine but then as im going up the road it tuggs like somethings stopping me going. Really jumpy. Pull out of my road and put my foot down a bit and it goes no where, just pulls me back.
When the car warms up a bit it runs ok.

But when im going slow or pull up somewhere it sometimes stalls
(especially at roundabouts). When i pull over the revs are between 1 and 2 but the dial is moving up and down ....searching for revs.

Then last night i was driving it and the engine light came on for about 5 min and the car felt all werid. then it went off again and the car felt fine again.

Please someone help me lol.....im desperate.!!!!!!!!

 

[Burnerman]

I seem to recall a trade bulletin about this, some time ago.....it involved a plug coming loose on the engine coolant temperature sensor (ECT) and the repair included lengthening the wires to it, if I remember correctly.
However, have a general look around the inlet manifold / fuel injection areas, checking to see if there are any air leaks around there.
Its a start....!
John

 

[anoakes]

ah thank you for your reply. i will have a look when i get home. do need loads of tools to do these things lol?
and do you mean one of the spark plugs?
x

 

[Burnerman]

Just having another think about this one.....its always a bad move to start throwing components at your car because 'it must be that' - we've all been caught out that way!
There is a good point here though - the fact that the engine management light has been on, even momentarily means that a 'fault code' has been stored in the cars on board computer. This fault code can be read by any competent garage that has the correct diagnostic equipment and hopefully they will point you in the correct direction. That really has to be job one, I think.
Modern cars have sensors all over the place and they supply the engine management system with information - which then governs the fuel entering the engine. The coolant temperature sensor is only one, and occasionally the electric plugs that connect them into the cars wiring breaks down. When this happens the car can go into 'get home mode' - hence lack of power. Switching off and restarting the car reboots the system temporarily.
So, getting your car's fault codes read would be the sensible first step. Some garages charge about £45 just to do this, but the price is often reduced if they get the chance to repair.
Wishing you luck and minimal stress!
John

 

[anoakes]

thankyou for your help. just always seem to be ripped off when i go to the garage. is there anyway of finding the codes yourself and then looking online...or doesnt it work like that lol.

 

[Burnerman]

Although it is sometimes possible to define a fault code without the appropriate code reading machine, its quite tricky and varies from car to car - I can't suggest going down that route.
However, you don't need to go to a main dealer - many garages offer diagnostic checks so its worth ringing round or popping in just to see what they say.
Once the machine is plugged in, the fault code is read (usually 4 numbers) and the code is looked up. This will give the garage some idea of whats wrong. They then erase the code, and wait for it to appear again (thats what I do, anyway).
Even some of the 'Kwicker' tyre outlets offer this service - but they won't go anywhere near mine!
If you want me to hazard a guess, I'd say your car needs a new lambda or oxygen sensor.....it lives in the exhaust pipe and has a hard time. The code for this part is easily picked up by a code reader.
John