Corsa Limp Home Mode

Cool_Username

Hi everyone wonder if you can offer me some advice - just as a bit of background about a year or so ago my 54 Corsa CDTI knocked itself into the emergency 'limp home mode' - no power in the engine, no turbo etc. Left it for two days and it was back to normal, and has stayed perfect for a year until yesterday.

As before the warning light came on and there was no turbo as I was driving the last mile home after work - left it for a few hours and the car was back to normal again. Tried it again today and the warning light comes on on the first start, but if I switch the engine off and back on the warning light is gone and the car runs normally.

Any ideas what could be up with it? Tried to do the 'pedal trick' to get a fault code from the display but couldn't get it to work.

CHR15

A good investment would be a cheap code reader

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/U380-OBD-2-II-EOBD-Fault-Code-Reader-Scanner-Tester_W0QQitemZ260542800375QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Diagnostic_Tools_Equipment?hash=item3ca98fa1f7

It could be a number of things, e.g. a clogged EGR Valve.

If you have a code reader, it will give you an indication of where the problem is, and you can clear the code instantly, removing the Limp Home mode (after taking a note of the code)

Wig

I think the process is to sit in car close door (maybe remove rear brake bulbs before doing this),
Put key in ignition
Depress clutch and brake pedals simultaneously and then turn key till dash lights up, don't turn key anymore. keep pedals pressed down.
The spanner light will start to flash rapidly for a few seconds (ignore these flashes) then it stops waits for a bit and begins to send out the codes....... count the flashes from this point and it tells you the fault codes
10 flashes = 0
9 = 9
8 = 8 etc

If this doesn't work try
brake pedal and accellerator pedal fully depressed - definately one of those two combinations.
Codes are read in groups of 4........... * * * *

harveybobbles

Normally EGR on that engine. Or manifold flaps.

Cool_Username

Wig wrote: »

I think the process is to sit in car close door (maybe remove rear brake bulbs before doing this),
Put key in ignition
Depress clutch and brake pedal simultaneously and then turn key till dash lights up, don't turn key anymore.
The spanner light will start to flash rapidly for a few seconds (ignore these flashes) then it stops waits for a bit and begins to send out the codes....... count the flashes from this point and it tells you the fault codes
10 flashes = 0
9 = 9
8 = 8 etc

If this doesn't work try
brake pedal and accellerator pedal fully depressed - definately one of those two combinations.
Codes are read in groups of 4........... * * * *

Thanks Wig, I tried doing that to find the code yesterday afternoon - it's meant to be depressing the accelerator and brake and turn the ignition to II but couldn't get it to work unfortunately.

Cool_Username

harveybobbles wrote: »

Normally EGR on that engine. Or manifold flaps.

Thanks Harvey, should it be a relatively simple matter of cleaning out the EGR valve with a bit of WD40?

harveybobbles

Cool_Username wrote: »

Thanks Harvey, should it be a relatively simple matter of cleaning out the EGR valve with a bit of WD40?

BCE is beter than WD40.

chippy1

had same problem main dealer came back after been on computer faulty boost controler valve but after they have whiped the fault code it aint done it again .

Cool_Username

Just an update - restarted the car on Sunday, the day after the problem, and the car was fine. Thursday now and it's been fine ever since! Strange!