Vauxhall Zafira Emission control light

Dr_Zonk

Thanks for your inputs.
When the garage first rang they said it was the 'air mass flow sensor' and promtly changed it saying £90 please. I was happy. But they then rang back an hour later and said that it hadn't solved the problem and a new computer was needed £800 please. I was sad.

I haven't got any expertise myself and my local garage won't touch it. So I think we're just stuck with a big bill. Thanks anyway.

paulclarke05

can anybody tell me where to find the valve that makes the ecu light come on it is something to do with exhuast emissions on mt 51 zafira it is located somewhere on the engine and my local garage say you can remove it and clean it easily

Lorian

There are several valves and sensors that can cause the light to come on. You need to get the code to tell you which one. See the site I quoted near the top of the thread on how to find it. do this and post up which sensor/valve has failed and we can tell you how to fix.

It could be the EGR but if they are saying it needs cleaning they probably mean the IAC. What's the symtoms as well as the ECU light being on?

Wig

Lorian wrote: »

Thats the engine management light.

On Vauxhalls it's correctly called the exhaust emmission control indicator. It lights up when the emmisions are being exceeded, it flashes when they are being heavily exceeded to a point that could damage the cat.

The "Engine Management light" on a modern vauxhall is a picture of a car with a spanner. and is correctly called the
Engine & transmission electronics, immobiliser control indicator.

I have no experience in this area, I suppose they could be correct that it is the ECU, but they (Vx dealers) have been known to be wrong in the past.

What I would say is that presumably you paid about £61 + VAT to have the diagnostics read, surely that entitles you to have a printout of the results of that diagnostic test. And if you have not got it you should go back and ask for a copy. If you have a copy you could say to us what it says.

As it is the emmisions light, I would be tempted to go to a test centre to get a print out of the current emmisions. To see what the levels actually are.

I know about these sites for Vauxhall help, plug these words into google:
VXON
MIGWEB

But I have to say, the knowledge base on the forums is not great, there are some who know a lot but don't expect those people to log on and see your post IYSWIM. I find the best place to ask is the back room on Honest John.

Does the light come on every time you drive the car?

Ahhh, it's an old stumped thread, I see Dr Zonk didn't bother to tell us what the solution was.

Wig

paulclarke05 wrote: »

can anybody tell me where to find the valve that makes the ecu light come on it is something to do with exhuast emissions on mt 51 zafira it is located somewhere on the engine and my local garage say you can remove it and clean it easily

They are probably talking about the EGR valve. But a word of warning, just because the EGR valve fault code has been read, does not mean the fault lies with the EGR valve. I have read posts from people saying the problem was eventually solved with changing the air flow sensor - nothing to do with the EGR valve.

The code is P1406

Did someone read your code for you? If they did go back and ask what exact codes they got.

This is some information on EGR valves
http://www.wellsmfgcorp.com/pdf/Counterpoint3_4.pdf

What engine is the Zafira? Something like Z16XE ? You'll find it in your service booklet or the KEY card in your vehicle wallet.

paulclarke05

Lorian wrote: »

There are several valves and sensors that can cause the light to come on. You need to get the code to tell you which one. See the site I quoted near the top of the thread on how to find it. do this and post up which sensor/valve has failed and we can tell you how to fix.

It could be the EGR but if they are saying it needs cleaning they probably mean the IAC. What's the symtoms as well as the ECU light being on?

the engine shaped light is on it has come on twice before and cleared it self the engine seems under powered ,my local garage says that the valve can be cleaned but i dont know where to locate it ,being in a very rural area and my nearest town nearly 60 miles away the seem to charge a fortune for any repair ,so if i can locate this vavle i will clean it my self ,thanks

JesseJames_2

My car did this last night, 02 plate Zafira petrol, same as some others in this thread

Noticed it was ticking over funnily when I dropped someone off last night about a mile from my house.
By the time I got to my house the engine got lumpier and noticed that 'Emission Control Light' permanently on.

Can this simply be due to a broken spark plug, can't get at the plugs just now as I have no star drive sockets to take the cover off?

Any ideas, especially the people on this thread that had the same 'lumpy' problem?
What was the problem?


thanks

hewhoisnotintheknow

jessejames

this problem has been on here three or four times in the last couple of weeks have a good search

Wig

hewhoisnotintheknow wrote: »

jessejames

this problem has been on here three or four times in the last couple of weeks have a good search

I've searched for 'emmission control light' and only find this thread. Can you offer any search terms that might point to the threads you refer to? Or better still a link to the threads - if you contributed to them then you might find them easier in your own post history.


To Jesse James,
Does the light reset (turn off) when you turn the engine off and restart it?

It could be any of many things, throttle control motor, MAF sensor, and others.

hewhoisnotintheknow

search zafira etc