Motor Gurus - Vauxhall zafira few niggles

pitkin2020

Well I managed to buy a zafira this morning, V-REG done 112k just had a cambelt change and it has the 1.8 engine. There is a few niggles I need to get sorted so hopefully someone can help me. Its been a while since I have had a petrol so some of these maybe perfectly normal compared to a diesel.

Any help on any of these little niggles would be much appreciated.

Rear door won't unlock or lock from the key fob or from the key in the door. It will lock/unlock if you pull the button up or press it down though, seller reckons its just a solenoid needs replacing??

Car is a bit lacking in power, hard to describe on here but the power just feels a bit lumpy, you go to put your foot down and it'll go then hesitate then go again, (does that make sense)??

Temperature gauge seems to register fine when your parked although when coming down the motorway home it was virtually on zero for temp??

Engine seems to be getting very hot, just done a run of about 70 miles home but when I have stopped to park (the temperature gauge kicks in now) it was just idling in the car park and the temp kept rising to over the 100 mark, the fan kicked and cooled it down to under a 100 again, is this normal for a petrol as the fan rarely (if ever ) has kicked in on the diesel. The engine also has a very hot rubbery smell to it too as its heating up not sure if that has any relevance??

Just hope I haven't made a mistake in buying this........all in all though the body work isn't bad for a 1999 car, the alloys are reasonably clean and the interior is very good but does need a good clean and some seriously strong air freshner lol

s_b

these have cat issues at this age mileage
and this can cause your problem
also they is a big car for an 1800 engine so it might just be fine
you might find its simply a worn out set of plugs of course
first job oil and filter
cambelt might just be out too
i would also expect it to put the fan on at 90 so there may well be underlying issues

dont like these weakotexs really dont im afraid

mikey72

pitkin2020 wrote: »

Rear door won't unlock or lock from the key fob or from the key in the door. It will lock/unlock if you pull the button up or press it down though, seller reckons its just a solenoid needs replacing??

Wiring loom going into the door breaks.

pitkin2020 wrote: »

Temperature gauge seems to register fine when your parked although when coming down the motorway home it was virtually on zero for temp??

Mine did this, the thermostat was stuck open, and overcooling when you're at speed.

pitkin2020 wrote: »

Engine seems to be getting very hot, just done a run of about 70 miles home but when I have stopped to park (the temperature gauge kicks in now) it was just idling in the car park and the temp kept rising to over the 100 mark, the fan kicked and cooled it down to under a 100 again, is this normal for a petrol as the fan rarely (if ever ) has kicked in on the diesel. The engine also has a very hot rubbery smell to it too as its heating up not sure if that has any relevance??

Mine doesn't do this, idles quite well, doesn't get too hot.

pitkin2020 wrote: »

Car is a bit lacking in power, hard to describe on here but the power just feels a bit lumpy, you go to put your foot down and it'll go then hesitate then go again, (does that make sense)??

Google "pedal test" or maybe "paperclip test" and see it any faults come up.

vax2002

All the hallmarks of a failing head gasket.
Is it using water ?
Thermostat could have been removed to mask it.
They fail and pull water in to the Cylinder causing a misfire , very common on that engine and they can run like that for a few thousand miles.

pitkin2020

Thanks for the info guys. I meant the fan comes on at 90 not 100 my bad.
I don't know if its using water as I have only done 70 miles in it, there is no signs of the mayo under the oil cap or on the dipstick (I know not all show those signs).

This weekend i'm planning on changing the plugs, oil, oil filter and air filter as I don't know when it was last done. I'm about to go through all the receipts for the car that came with and see whats what.

Cheers for the info its something to be getting on with checking.

vax2002

This engine as with many 16v fail on the head by drawing in water to the cylinder, you dont get oil and water mix that often.
classic signs are coolant loss without explanation, lumpy running, water or steam from exhaust. hot running and fan kicking in early.
You can buy time by removing the thermostat.
However.... a bad thermostat can also cause many problems and the shaft in the centre gets corded and it does not open easily or close as it should, they tend to stick kind of halfway, if the car is running hot when stood and cold running, then it needs changing asap.
A dodgy thermostat on this engine is fatal as it slows the oil from warming and thinning to the top of the engine causing premature wear, the oil gets goosed real quick.
it is a ten min job on this car to change the thermostat , its on the top left, follow the big hose, has 3 e8 bolts in the housing. Its a funny push twist affair in the housing and a household vacume hose end makes for light work fitting and removing
I would do this before the love affair starts with oil, plugs and all the expense and see how it runs, something tells me it may just sort out the other issues.
PS if the thermostat is goosed and the temp gage showing low when running the cold start solenoid would over fuel the car and it would hesitate on acceleration.

pitkin2020

Cheers for that, just looking on Ebay the thermostat isn't that expensive so i'm sure I could get for a reasonable price from my local motor factors I'll see if I can pick one up tomorrow. Does the coolant have to be drained before fitting the thermostat??

vax2002

pitkin2020 wrote: »

Cheers for that, just looking on Ebay the thermostat isn't that expensive so i'm sure I could get for a reasonable price from my local motor factors I'll see if I can pick one up tomorrow. Does the coolant have to be drained before fitting the thermostat??

No but the radiator gets a bit gunked up from the antifreeze corroding the block, if you can get the bottom hose off the other end of the radiator (invest in a pair of spring jubilee clip pliers) you are as well to stick the hose in the thermostat housing on low pressure when the thermostat is out and give it a damn good rinse out, keep animals away from the gunk that comes out and wash the area down afterwards.
fill with clean water and the correct spec antifreeze/ summer coolant to the right quantity.
My bet says the rough running cures itself with a new thermostat.
PS you will need and e8 socket bit, like a reverse torx bit for a screwdriver in socket form, a 1.4 drive set is better as the sockets are thinner

pitkin2020

Cheers for the advice and I hope your right, will let you know the outcome!!!

pitkin2020

Not had chance to change the thermostat this morning but thought I would add a little more info. Checked under the car this morning and there was no sign of any water or oil leaks, so thats a good sign. The car drove really well first thing pulled nicely and was a pleasure to drive, after it had warmed it the juddering came back and it was hesitant to pull again, its hard to describe lol. I checked the water bottle before and after this mornings drive and it hasn't gone down.

Spent a few hours, yes hours removing the rear door card to sort out that rear lock problem but to no avail. I have checked the loom visually and no signs of any breaks. From the door join 5 wires come in, 3 for the locking mechanism and 2 for the speaker/tweeter. Speaker and tweeter both work fine so i'm now thinking there is either a break in the other three wires thats not obvious, i.e under the sleeve or the solenoid is dead. IF the solenoid is dead I can just plug in a replacement Ii'm guessing and it should work there is no programming or any of that to be done??

The car looks a right mess lol, I have all the glove box out (to get the radio out) and and the rear door card i'll be glad to get it all back together now but won't be able to till monday and I can get down to the breakers for a few bits.

s_b

no programming needed on this year
i just though it could be the maf playing up once warmed up but this would usually put the light of gloom on