Topic: anyone know anything about vauxhall 16v engines? (Read 1017 times)

ian_s · « **on:** August 15, 2006, 11:21:02 »

sorry if this is in the wrong place, and sorry cos it isnt a 4x4 question...

my mate has a 1999 vauxhall astra 1.8 16v.
its miss firing at low revs, and i reckon he should at least check the spark plugs and leads before he hands it over to vauxhall to fix.

but he has been told that the spark plugs in it cant be removed. at all.
without stripping the head off the engine.

anyone know what i need to do to remove the plugs?

cheers
Ian

PS Mods: feel free to put this where it belongs

wing nut · « **Reply #1 on:** August 15, 2006, 11:31:20 »

what you may find is ,its got coil packs which have to be removed before you can get at the plugs , but cant say ive ever heard of removing the head before :?:

wing nut · « **Reply #2 on:** August 15, 2006, 11:37:05 »

both engine codes only give you 0.40hrs to removeand replace the plugs so someone has got it wrong :lol:

it may pay to get a diognostic check as with all the electronic sensors on it ,it could be an oxygen sensor or anything :lol: hope this helps

thumbs · « **Reply #3 on:** August 15, 2006, 13:07:05 »

yeah id say get a diagnostic check 1st, be the easiest way.

it will have coil packs, but you should be able to remove the plugs without to much bother.

certainly dont take it to vauxhall main dealer just yet, ouch in the pocket for what could be a easy fix at home.

MTyrrell · « **Reply #4 on:** August 15, 2006, 13:12:46 »

My mums 1.0 go cart... er ... corsa had a similar problem, it turned out that the mass air flow meter had packed in. Best getting it put on a diagnostic machine could save you from changing parts that are ok.

The Vauxhall dealer charged my mum Ã‚Â£70 just to put it on the machine and tell her what's wrong :shock: then wanted Ã‚Â£400 parts and labour to put it right. Cost me Ã‚Â£50 for the sensor and five minuets to plug the new sensor in :? . might be cheaper if you go to a local independent garage.

nickW · « **Reply #5 on:** August 15, 2006, 13:18:38 »

don't you just have to remove the sparkplug cover, its on top the engine normally held down with allen bolts

ian_s · « **Reply #6 on:** August 15, 2006, 16:22:39 »

i'm going round his place tomorrow with a toolkit,
gonna take a shufty, and then its on the a local garage who can put in on the diagnostic machine.

Jas278 · « **Reply #7 on:** August 15, 2006, 17:04:57 »

Plastic cover on the top easily removed , pull the plug leads off theres the plugs, have a look domn the holes first , the cam cover can leak oil in causing the plug to break down , but yes I would certainly try a set of plugs first, now cars have long range spark plugs fitted people tend not to change them as often.

mark.yellow.series.3 · « **Reply #8 on:** August 15, 2006, 20:49:32 »

the plugs come out the middle of the head from under the coil pack, youll need a spark plug socket on a long extention.

and my mates was playing up and it was the coil pack, and there very expensive new. :?

KingWolf · « **Reply #9 on:** August 15, 2006, 22:07:01 »

If I were you I'd do a bit of a google search for fault code reading. You'll be able to do your own diagnostics on your drive and it won't cost you a penny. I used to do ths all the time with my old Cavalier Turbo. That car spent most of it's life in bits...lol

It anything electrical has failed this will tell you exactly what's wrong

steanlol · « **Reply #10 on:** August 15, 2006, 23:29:30 »

I'D get your mate to look at migweb.co.uk very helpful people and a good site

jjsaul · « **Reply #11 on:** August 16, 2006, 00:26:26 »

dont take it to the dealers

we had loads of problems with dads (company car) omega...they charged a fortune and still didnt fix it

muddyman · « **Reply #12 on:** August 16, 2006, 02:21:03 »

Miss firing engine will upset the cat with unburnd fuel.

dave_2A_2.25Turbo · « **Reply #13 on:** August 16, 2006, 04:20:17 »

It's as likely to be the leads as the plugs. A bit like the ford Zetec ones, people grab and pull and break the leads(internally) trying to get them off.

petergalileo · « **Reply #14 on:** August 16, 2006, 04:40:34 »

We had a vectra with similar problems, in addition to the mis-fire it absolutely hated going above 3000 RPM, it used to feel like the engine mounts snapped and the engine turned over under the bonnet !

Turned out to be the camshaft position sensor was faulty (sits right at the end of the sparkplug cover)

Ã‚Â£24 from ebay :D

rangerider · « **Reply #15 on:** August 16, 2006, 15:18:48 »

misfiring eco-tec - 9/10 times camshaft sensor ( a weekly problem when i was in the trade)

head off to do plugs your mate female i presume?:) heck never thought of trying that one on punters :)

ian_s · « **Reply #16 on:** August 16, 2006, 17:25:43 »

not female - ginger

ian_s · « **Reply #17 on:** August 16, 2006, 21:32:32 »

right, been to have a look at it,
sparks look ok, apart from one, on which the electrodes are covered in a black, wet, oily substance.
which i guess is bad
i told him to get a compression check done on it.

mark.yellow.series.3 · « **Reply #18 on:** August 16, 2006, 22:01:21 »

Quote from: "ian_s"

right, been to have a look at it,
sparks look ok, apart from one, on which the electrodes are covered in a black, wet, oily substance.
which i guess is bad
i told him to get a compression check done on it.

oh dear, valve stem seal?

ian_s · « **Reply #19 on:** August 17, 2006, 08:49:39 »

dunno what it is, but its beyond my skills now

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AuthorTopic: anyone know anything about vauxhall 16v engines? (Read 1017 times)