Corsa 1.3cdti 2004-confused-brand new glo plugs & STILL an issue for cold starts??!

DEBTMONKEY1A

Thanks guys....will have a look round for prices for the part & call my mechanic Monday. Can anyone tell me (in basic terms-not a mechanical wiz!) why it affects the starting & how come the engine fires up eventually?

Tucker

My ex wife has the same engine. The EGR valve is a pig to remove on this engine.

You have to remove all sorts to get at it, including the fuel filter housing, so an hour is very optimistic in my view.

I had a similar problem with hers and there were a few issues. One was two of the glow plugs were in poor condition, but the other was the connectors to them were very rusted and needed a good cleaning and then a spray with electrical contact spray.

The spanner light will give you a fault code that needs a good quality reader to read. You really need to have that done as that was what flagged the plugs and leads as the issue on ours.

I tried to clean out the EGR valve initially, but never succeeded and that was not the issue with it in any event. So that could ultimately be a waste of time and more money without being the cure.

PS When the spanner light is lit, if you boot the car, does the turbo stop running and you lose power?

DEBTMONKEY1A

No-not at all. Once started-all ok. With the re-map it drives good (!)

DEBTMONKEY1A

Tucker....so it wasn't the EGR??? The spanner light was never on for long enough-turned engine on & off & it was gone so no-didn't get a chance to test turbo.

Also....didn't hear a 'click' when glo pug light went off? SO HOPE ITS not the egr.

Dans_Girl

I had a similar problem on my 1.3ctdi Tigra and it was the Dual Mass Flywheel. Needed whole new clutch kit and bearings.

Obukit

As others have said sounds like EGR problems. It is a real pig to get at on these engines so personally I would get your mechanic to blank it off and be done with it, slightly higher NOX emissions but better fuel economy/power and no more EGR problems.

1 hour labour is very low though, perhaps on the petrol version. On a diesel I would expect them to charge for at least two hours.

EGRs affect starting because, when starting, they should be closed so you get plenty of nice clear air. If the EGR is stuck open then you will be pulling in lots of soot from the exhaust, which the engine struggles to burn at low compression/temperature.

Tucker

When I read into the EGR side for my car, as I understood it, you can't really blank it off on this engine.

That's what people were saying on the Corsa c forums anyway.

No - mine was nothing to do with the EGR. Given that messing with the EGR on this car is NOT a quick job, I would strongly recommend you get someone to read the codes thrown up by the spanner light.

Otherwise you may well be releasing fluid into the wind by wasting money on something which is just a guess and a possible cause of the poor starting, but by no means the definite reason for it.

DEBTMONKEY1A

Mechanic seems to think might be the electrical relay (whatever that is?) that needs changing/cleaning. Started 2nd time this am & when milder (9 degrees or more) starts 1st time. as off away for a short break abroad best get it done-don't want starting issues when i come back! Will keep you updated-thanks again.

P.S. mechanic thought if EGR stuck open/knackered there would be other symptoms too-& car would be difficult to start at other times from being cold.

s_b

DEBTMONKEY1A wrote: »

Mechanic seems to think might be the electrical relay (whatever that is?) that needs changing/cleaning. Started 2nd time this am & when milder (9 degrees or more) starts 1st time. as off away for a short break abroad best get it done-don't want starting issues when i come back! Will keep you updated-thanks again.

P.S. mechanic thought if EGR stuck open/knackered there would be other symptoms too-& car would be difficult to start at other times from being cold.

not good enough im afraid
tell mechanic to invest in some op-com and a cheap laptop off the bay
even i cant work on problems these days without guidance of a scan

DEBTMONKEY1A

Will do SB-thanks.