Vauxhall 1.6 Petrol Engine Problems

[Rosette Allaband]

Ihave just recently started having problems with my 54 plate Vectra - the engine management light comes on and then the car loses power completely - which is a bit of a problem especially if your in lane 3 on the motorway.....

Anyway long story short, after a bit of research online it appears that there is a problem with fuel pumps and fuel regulators on this engine (54 plate and post cars) the fuel reg is attatched to the engine head and under a plastic cover so gets too hot and being an electro-mechanical part its bound to fail.

I have narrowed mine down to being a over cooked fuel regulator which would be 150 + fitting + vat from Vaxuhall - oh and they would want 49 for the digagnostic as I found when I went and asked them what the problem might be (bloody charlatans). I have unclipped the plastic cover and it seems to be ok until you get stuck in traffic and the temp goes over the 90deg mark - So Im pretty sure its the reg.

ANYWAY - here's the best bit - after a little more research into the fuel regs it seems Vauxhall have issued a safety recall on this part (issued between 2004 - late 2009 as they are prone to fail - RESULT - phoned my local dealer AGAIN and asked them if this was the case - 'oh er let me see' short wait then 'Ah yes Sir it appears that is the case, we can fit you in on Wednesday' NO CHARGE ...........

So if you've got a vauxhall with a 2.2 direct engine and are experiencing such trouble - its well worth considering this issue first... Oh and If your local dealer wont go for it contact vauxhall customer services and apparently they send you a letter for the dealer....

Freelander (2nd hand from someone who'd recently moved to Devon) tailgate glass exploded. Windscreen people sorted it under insurance but I wasn't quite happy with the fit so took it to local main dealer. Was told previous owner's move may have upset the system as there was no record of my vehicle being recalled for this very fault. No charge for re-aligning the glass and doing the necessary work. Also there were 2 more recall faults outstanding which I didn't know about and were done without any quibble.

i had the same problem with my 06 plate zafira 2.2 direct and after seeing your post i phones my local dealer to see if there was any recalls outstanding on my car only to find there was a pressure regulator recall dated from march this year and its now booked in to be done tomorrow for free to good job i saw this post as i was going to buy 1 for it this week

The Vauxhall Astra Mk7, also known as the Astra K, is big, comfortable, swoopy, aerodynamic, and a world away from the spartan original (which is nevertheless still cool). However, as much as engineering has moved on, there are still a number of common problems noted by owners of the Astra K.

Front brake hoses that were installed the wrong way round at the factory were responsible for 713 cars being recalled, and then in 2019, 1688 cars were recalled to have the front seat back lower cross member checked. If found to be faulty, the seat was replaced.

It is also not an uncommon thing for the Vauxhall Astra K to suddenly lose power, and for the engine to emit a metallic noise. This can happen on the 1.0-litre petrol models and the 1.6-litre diesel, and there are different causes for each.

Hi all, As we all know, the start of September was the roll out of the new E10 petrol. Now according to the DVLA website, ALL Vauxhall models can use the new E10, excluding models with the 2.2 litre direct injection petrol engine, code Z22YH, Vectra, Signum, Zafira. Which should use the E5.

My Astra is a 1.6 16v petrol, and 19 years old. It was running ok to start with, but in the last week it has been quite gutless, and economy fell through the floor. Wife went out on Monday and put in 30 of E5, and it now is running sweet again, and fuel economy is back to where it used to be, which is good.

I always believed that supermarkets got their fuel from the main suppliers, i.e., BP, Esso, and Shell, and it was just transported in the supermarkets own vehicles. Had to use Tesco today as our BP has not had any fuel for about a week.

I too remember them doing away with the old 4 star, luckily my datsun was OK with it, not needing harder valve seats like some cars had to have done. I just adjusted the carb mixture and she was good to go.

Hi Andy and all, I'm glad this question is finally getting some attention as I tried to raise it with Vauxhall months ago (including the Owners' Club) and got no response. I often drive my 2005 Zafira in the Netherlands, where E10 was brought in over a year ago, and I needed to know whether I could put it in my Zafira or not. The Dutch website referred to Opel of course, and listed Zafira A and Zafira B, and I had no idea whether my Zafira Life was one of those or something else! Now that E10 has been introduced in the UK as well there is at last a UK website giving advice, and it seems that it is OK to use E10, so I have stopped tanking up with the more expensive premium fuels and started using E10. So far, no problems. Fingers crossed.

Hi Sue, so glad to hear that you have been able to get sorted. I wasn't sure about my own Astra G, so I went on the UK DVLA website and found the info that i posted, in the hope that it would help other Vauxhall/Opel owners. And it appears that i have, even across the to the Netherlands. Have your Petrol stations increased their prices like the UK?

It doesn't seem to have made a difference with my fuel economy. I did 130 miles the other day on 15 of E10, and the old girl gave me 56 mpg. I don't mind that from a 20 year old car that's done nearly 230,000 miles.

I have a 2003 Astra 1.6 manual that has covered just over 86,000trouble free miles. However, since putting E10 in it's running erratically and jerky as I pull away or take my foot off the throttle pedal. Whether it's the fault of the petrol or another problem, I don't know. I guess the first action I should take is to fill up with a higher premium petrol and see if that cures it. Having a number of vintage & classic cars & motorcycles I am already suspicious of this new petrol but back in the 60's I used to run my bikes on Cleveland Discol which had alcohol added and I suffered no problems with it then.

My Astra did run a bit rough at first on the E10, but it was also due a service at the time. But the old girl seems fine now, and is still giving good mpg for a 20 year old with over 200,000 miles on her.

The Ethanol burns a bit hotter which would help to keep the engine clean but it also leads to slightly less MPG which along with the higher cost of fuel is leading us to be under the illusion that we are not getting much to the gallon as before

Don't think anyone will be as stupid as me. Buy thought I'd mention this. I have always used e5 shell in my vectra vxr. The other day was out and was really low (c.o.l) so I pulled in to morrissons to try there super unleaded. Didn't have none so put a tenners worth of e10 in the car now got a horrible misfire engine management and service light on. Two bottles of redex later and 50 of e5 later car is OK. Plz any vxr owners don't even chance a tenner if desperate. Yes I am a idiot

Hi Davep, glad to hear you got your vxr sorted. Obviously being a higher spec motor it prefers the e5. My old girl seems to prefer the e10. As I mentioned in previous posts, it was splutters and sluggish for a bit, but a good service, and she seems happy again. Just recently did a trip of nearly 300 miles, and she returned 59.6 mpg, at a steady 60mph. I must be doing something right.

A turbocharger, also known as a turbo, is an additional system used by car manufacturers to boost engine power. Turbos are commonly used to deliver the same level of power in smaller cars that's usually found in larger cars.

Almost all manufacturers now offer a turbocharged model in their line-up. It means they can provide smaller engines that produce the same power output while also increasing fuel efficiency. For example, Ford have replaced their old 1.6-litre petrol engine with the new 1.0-litre turbo EcoBoost unit.

Turbos run at incredibly high speeds (up to 250,000rpm) which means they operate under huge pressures and temperatures. Typically, a turbocharger will be paired with cooling systems to cool the oil and hot air.

Turbochargers are extremely reliable. In fact, less than 1% of warranty inspections find a fault with the turbo itself; instead, blown turbos are normally the result of problems with engine lubrication or the introduction of foreign objects.

In terms of the turbocharger, it needs a constant flow of clean, quality oil. A lack of oil (oil starvation), incorrect grade of oil or poor quality oil will lead to a build up of contaminants in the engine (oil contamination). This can cause abrasive damage to the inside of the turbo.

A turbocharger is essentially made of two fundamental components: the compressor at the front and the turbine at the back. Sometimes, foreign objects such as dust particles, dirt, leaves and small stones can enter the turbo, either via the compressor inlet or turbine inlet.

If the foreign object enters the compressor housing, it often comes from the air filter. In contrast, if the foreign object causes damage to the turbine, the problem usually originates from the engine itself.

The efficiency of the turbo will be reduced if foreign objects start to damage the compressor wheels or turbine blades. To prevent this happening, your air filter should be serviced and replaced regularly. You should also check your turbo for debris.

Turbos are designed to last the lifetime of the vehicle (or around 150,000 miles); however, it's possible for them to wear out over time depending on how hard you drive the car and the original build quality of the turbo.

As soon as you spot any of the turbo failure symptoms outlined above, you should get your turbo checked as soon as possible by a qualified technician. The longer you leave it, the worse (and more expensive) the problem will get.

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