Vauxhall Zafira Emission control light

Celebrityfannn

Thameslink goes a lot further than an S-bahn, also when inside the city it misses out some of the smaller stations which would make it more "R-bahn"
im not sure about the frequencies, when i travelled on it it seemed like a train every 30 mins

mikey72

MarrowFarmer wrote: »

There are 2 lights, engine management and emmisions (the engine light is the car with a spanner through it)

Engine management can be reset by turning the ignition on and off 40 times, if it keeps coming back on you have a problem, get it looked at.

Emmisions light codes can be read by the old brake/accelerator pressed and turn the ignition on (all lights will flash on then off after which the emmisions light will flash 0ne or more 4 digit codes (10 flashes, pause, 1 flash, pause, 7 flashes, pause, 10 flashes, pause is 0170)), this will usually be on because of a broken sensor and/or some dodgy emmisions reading. I had a lamda sensor pack in causing a whole series of codes, got a private garage to read/fix and reset for a fraction of the cost of a main dealer (they will demand £40 just to read the codes you already know because you used the pedals trick above). This light can only be reset by a garage (or apparantly disconnecting the battery for a period of time). Again if it comes back on something is wrong. That said the car will normally revert to a default setting and you may not even notice a change in performance or economy.

If in doubt get it looked at, you may well want to drive straight past the main dealers and find a good local mechanic though.

The engine management light is the car with a spanner, if it lights there is a fault in the engine or tranmission electronics, and the vehicle will go into limp mode. If it flashes it's the immobiliser.

You can read the engine management light fault codes with the pedal trick, 40 clean starts will reset the light, as will disconnecting the battery for an hour or so. It'll come back on if the fault is still there though.

The emmsion light is the engine shaped one, lit up means the emmisions are out of spec, flashing means you will damage the cat.
You can only reset the emission light by fixing the emissions.

paul_owen

hi there, this is proving to be a very costly experiance for all. I also have the light with the spanner on all the time. it stops the car from reaching 3500 revs and seems to limit the speed.

initially we took it a local garage. he said it was the boost control. cleaned it and also said the air flow meter. and changed that. he did a service on the car and we paid about £280 the light was out when we collected the car but then came on again the next day.

we took the car back and the mechanic said he didn't have the right diagnostic equipment and recommended another garage. they charged £56 pounds and said it was either the mass air flow meter (which had just been changed or the EGR valve. they quoted approx £450 parts and 2 hours labour.

I can do work on cars and changed the EGR and intake manifold (as they do not separate) but the light with the spanner stayed on.

we went back to the garage who did the diagnostic test and they wiped the fault codes and told us because they did not repair it that it was your 'perogative' to take the car away and fix it yourself so there was nothing they could do.

I went to argos and bought an RAC diagnostic machine for £160 and checked the fault codes myself. it stated there were no faults and the light was 'off' even though the light with the spanner remains on and the car still will not rev over 3500 and limits the speed to about 65 miles per hour on the moterway.

maybe the fault code reader is not compatable I don't know!

vauxhall refuse to give any info without a diagnostic test which cost about £95

the EGR valve plus inlet manifold was £420
the first garage £280
the second garage £56
the fault code reader £160

what next!

ps, I tried all the different reset options on different forums and may end up just driving around with the light on for eternity!!!!!!

Red_Cat

I work for a diesel engine manufacturer in the field of electronics and software, i.e. the ECU, harness, sensors and software that goes on the ECU. Below is some general advice/knowledge.

All codes will not be wiped clear by a tool. Some are latched, that is they will stay "written" as a fault and can only be cleared by the manufacturer's service tool, not a generic tool. They are written in something called non-volatile memory, so even if you disconnect the battery, on reconnecting the battery to the ECU, the code will still be present.

Also, some codes are proprietary, i.e. specific to a certain manufacturer. Generic devices like the RAC one will note read these, or may read but not decipher them.

OBD II is On board diagnostics legislation designed to make the fault codes open to all, so that you can use generic tools, so you are not restricted to the manufacturer's dealers for support. Part of this also means the dash engine lamp must light up if emissions are thretned or are out of control. In this case the driver then has to see attention.

For Paul Owen's issue, it might be worth seeking out an independent garage skilled in this sort of diagnosis. Some Bosch garages are well equipped and should be cheaper than main dealers.

On Nissans, (not my employer but I owned some) the engine warning lamp could be cleared by shrting across two pins in the diagnostic connector. Don't try this randomly for any other car, but a similar solution may be possible and is worth seeking on the net for.

paul_owen

Hi there forgot to mention. for anybody out there wanting to change the EGR valve on an 03 plate. the valve does not come off the inlet manifold. I tried and failed after lots of cursing! vauxhall sell them as a unit connected together. I also bought new bolts as stated in the manual. removal of the inlet manifold was very easy, but refitting was a pain as the bolts that attach the fuel pipes to the pump / engine were in a very tight space. I ended up cutting a ring spanner down to size and also cutting a slit in the ring in order to fit it over the pipe as it seemed to stop me dropping the spanner so often. smaller hands may have been a big help though. also in the manual it said you could just restart the engine as it didn't need bleeding. not true I tried and tried. In the end I had the wife turn the ignition 'slowly' and undid the fuel pipes one at a time in order to allow fuel through then tightened when fuel was visible. the engine then started as I was releasing air.

Oh, make sure you clean all the gunk from inside exhaust inlet holes etc prior to refitting the new one and don't let any gunk drop inside.

also I bought a haynes Fault code manual for £12 from ebay and that also added to the costs.

the bolts for the inlet manifold were another £9

Still driving with the spanner light on!

red_eye

Lorian wrote: »

Thats the engine management light. Find the diagnostic port and check the codes yourself to find the fault. Here is the definitive guide:

http://www.topbuzz.co.uk/info/fault_codes/fault_codes.htm

If you don't know it means after you look the codes up then post them up here. As others have said its best to check its not just a sensor issue, as most often it is. Of course I'm sure the dealer is telling the truth :A

When you say it has an odd stall on pulling away, are you sure it's when pulling away, not when decelerating? It's unusual otherwise.

Also is there any knocking or grumbling noises when the engine is started from cold?

Note. While the engine management light is on the engine is likely to be limited to 4,500 revs. You probably won't notice this in day-to-day driving, but you will if you are heavy with your right foot.

you cant look at the diag port and think it will give you codes:rotfl:

red_eye

paul_owen wrote: »

Hi there forgot to mention. for anybody out there wanting to change the EGR valve on an 03 plate. the valve does not come off the inlet manifold. I tried and failed after lots of cursing! vauxhall sell them as a unit connected together. I also bought new bolts as stated in the manual. removal of the inlet manifold was very easy, but refitting was a pain as the bolts that attach the fuel pipes to the pump / engine were in a very tight space. I ended up cutting a ring spanner down to size and also cutting a slit in the ring in order to fit it over the pipe as it seemed to stop me dropping the spanner so often. smaller hands may have been a big help though. also in the manual it said you could just restart the engine as it didn't need bleeding. not true I tried and tried. In the end I had the wife turn the ignition 'slowly' and undid the fuel pipes one at a time in order to allow fuel through then tightened when fuel was visible. the engine then started as I was releasing air.

Oh, make sure you clean all the gunk from inside exhaust inlet holes etc prior to refitting the new one and don't let any gunk drop inside.

also I bought a haynes Fault code manual for £12 from ebay and that also added to the costs.

the bolts for the inlet manifold were another £9

Still driving with the spanner light on!

before buying a new EGR remove and clean it

paul_owen

Hi there, Red eye when you say you can't look at the diag port and it will give you codes! what do you mean! Do you mean you can not use a fault code reader or do you mean something else. can an RAC Fault code reader (£160) read a vauxhall Zafira 03 plate diesil. it has a connector and it says no fault codes and it says light is 'off' does that mean the the amber light that looks like an engine is 'off' and there are no faults (therefore the car is working correctly). And the light with the spanner is a completely different beast. that needs a different type of diagnosis.

Why Is the car losing power in low gear. will not rev over 3500rpm and seems limited. is it the light with the spanner that puts a car into limp home mode or the light that looks like an engine .Or am I on the wrong track and the car is not in limp home mode at all , but maybe the turbo is not kicking in or some other fault. I don't know.

why should we have to go to the main dealer. I feel like I am going to explode.!!!!

Merv24

porridge wrote: »

Why not give it a couple of days?, I've done it a couple of time, basically i've put in the super unleaded petrol and it sets the light off, the light goes out again when it gets to a quarter of a tank.

My 55 plate Zafira 1.6 petrol has had this light (the EMC one) and been refusing to start (or even turnover) with it illuminated.

After a few heart sinking moments and turning the ignition on and off a few time it appeared to have cleared but alas it is back.

The last three tanks have been Super Unleaded so I am hoping once this full tank has been used the problem will clear once I fill it up with normal unleaded.

Watch this space.

mikey72

The normal reason it won't turn over is the immobiliser, does the spare key work?