51 plate Vauxhall Vectra 2.2 CD. Misfire and lack of power.

andysh2

Hi all new to this forum, My Vectras developed a misfire and a lack of power its also a real pain to start from cold it usually fires up then dies, you have to spin the engine over for a few seconds to get it to fire back up. When driving it, it misfires and has a real lack of power its just like im towing a bloomin house. the car struggles to get past 60mph and it sounds like the exhaust has something loose in it not sure if this has owt to do with my other problem. I thought it was a duff plug so i sent it to my main dealer for a service, When i picked it up they said all they found was a split advance and retard pipe. but the cars no different its only giving me around 21mpg and before it went for service it was down to 18mpg. i love my Vectra but this is doing my head in. The car normally pulls really well but its struggling like mad at the moment any ideas? the cars done 42,000 miles.

                                                       Cheers Andy.

ecky1972

welcome to the site mate im sure somebody on here will be able to help you out

vocky

a few things to check/do,

replace spark plugs (£20)

replace mixture lambda sensor - the one nearest the engine (£15 - £60)

replace coil pack (£150)

check timing chain hasn't jumped, any rattle on cold start up is a bad sign

personally I would check the chain first 🙁

andysh2

Thanks for the reply, the spark plugs were done at the service last week, the rattle is coming from the exhaust like the baffle tube or something the engines not rattling just missing.

blue_se2

Could be the cat blocked?? Had simialer problems on Mondeo's the cat breaks and rotate in the silencer and restricts the gas flow.

andysh2

I've thought that too, the cat and front pipes about two years old, on the service he's noted the cats starting to fail. it's a really annoying fault the cars always ran spot on. would a faulty/blocked cat cause a misfire? i also noticed that if you put your foot down it doesnt want to go and then when the revs reach about 4000 rpm it will go but nothing like before it did,also coughs a bit of bllue smoke when its struggling on acceleration from time to time but not all the time.

blue_se2

As i say I would check the cat. That all sounds very similar to the problems i'v seen on mondeo's in the past get someone to rev the car and see how much gas comes out the tail pipe.

blue_se2

You Got this sorted yet ???

andysh2

No not yet mate, Priced a new cat front pipe up its £207.00 ouch, the exhaust is really rattley from the cat, spoke to a mate a work and hes said that because shes blowing a bit of blue smoke out and bogging down that it could well be the lambda sensor so mite try this first but its still going to want the exhaust.

blue_se2

why not just remove the pre cat buy a sports cat from ebay and weld that into the front pipe prob cost ya half the price and gain ya a few ponies??

andysh2

Well the vectras finally died last night, came to start it up and it wont start and think the camchains broke, it sounds like its only turning over the bottom end. Does anyone know roughly how much it would be to put right. Im fed up with it now i only had it main dealer serviced 3 weeks ago, It went in with the above problems and they found nothing. The car was exactly the same when it came back. The car was only doing 18 mpg with poor performance.

Mark_Dj

Nasty, if it's broke check out the links in the Ebay section on this site as we try and list new engines all the time for people. I think there are three 2.2 engines on Ebay right now...

andysh2

Well just been reading about this field remedy 1532, My vectra B falls into the chassis number recall range and don't think it was done, what annoys me is that it was main dealer serviced 3 weeks ago and they said nothing, More annoying aswell is it went in with the above problems and they sorted none of them makes me wonder if the problems are connected with the timing chain. the car used to have a ticking type noise more so when cold im now also thinking that all this is connected. so ive now got to go and phone vauxhall and see what they say. Incidently when the chain went it was on trying to start it and it didnt go bang it just sounded like it wasnt turning the top end over. so you never know there maybe less damge fringers crossed, the car has only done 42,000 miles aswell.

andysh2

Well what can i say, I rang the vauxhall dealer who first serviced my car before i owned it to see if the chain mod had been done and he could find no evidence of it been done there, so i now have to take it the mod was never done. I rang vauxhall car care today and basically she didnt want to know she said the car was too old and to take it up with my dealer thanks vauxhall (Not), Anyway rang my local vauxhall dealer where i had the car serviced 3 and a half weeks ago too be told that i probably wont get any help with the rebuild because my servicing wasnt to vauxhall standard i.e. i dint use them before. He did say that chain failure was uncommon and it was a non servicible item it lasts the life of the engine and thats why they didnt check it, he also said they werent recalled it was just a field remedy so now where do i stand. it looks like im going to have foot the bill or do it myself. either that or scrap the car with 42,000 miles on it with no rust wotsoever. im very reluctant to let my dealer get his hands on it too.

andysh2

Well finally got round to removing the camshaft rocker cover today and the camchain isnt broke its still intact, also i flicked the engine over without the cover and the camshafts turn ok and the chains get oil to it ok but the chains gone very slack between the two cams at the top. it's like the tensioners gone or something but it stills sounds very weird when it turns over any suggestions? cheers Andy.