[Corsa B 1993-2000] Corsa b slow acceleration, kangarooing and using loads of fuel

[Rhyshope93]

The other day i was driving my corsa, went to turn the corner and went to put my foot down and had no power. The car kangaroos down the road and takes ages to build up speed. I have cleaned the afm and the throttle body aswell, but still no change.

Any suggestions?

Ive also noticed my rubber seal on the lip of ghe air filter has snapped, dont know if that could effect it?

Thanks for your time

[small9918]

could be a number of issues first place i would start, change the plugs and leads what your describing sounds like theres a good chance theres a weak spark so when the engines put under load it can't burn the air fuel mix properly

[mosamahab]

First thing I would check is plugs. Could be as simple as that.

[Rhyshope93]

Right thanks lads! Ill have a look today and keep yous updated

[Rhyshope93]

The engine lights not on. Would it be if it was the spark plugs?

[Taurus]

Usually not - though weak sparks can cause unburnt fuel in the exhaust which can throw an O2 sensor.

The thing is you haven't told us which engine it is - some engines have common issues so it's always important to say which engine, the model/year, and the service history.

Before going anywhere we need to know that the basics are in good shape - particularly plugs, air and fuel filters etc.

You say you cleaned the AFM. Most Vauxhall AFMs don't respond well to being cleaned. Toyota ones are fine to clean, they're a different type of sensor. The Vauxhall ones can easily be damaged by cleaning as the sensor reacts with the chemicals. The key thing is only to try cleaning the AFM if you know it's dud as there's nothing to lose - sometimes you get lucky with them. Also, if you do spray the AFM do it disconnected from the car and let it dry thoroughly before refitting. It must be totally dry before you put current through it.

One trick is to disconnect the AFM. You'll get a code light but ignore it for the time being. The ECU will default to a setting which will run the engine - just not at peak efficiency. So if it runs better with the AFM disconnected then you know the AFM is goosed. (Only replace with a genuine one. Aftermarket ones are often useless.)

So - let us know which engine it is, and also when it was last fully serviced. If you take the plugs out show us a photo of how they look, you can tell a lot from the state of the plugs.

[Rhyshope93]

Its a 1.0 engine. And dont know about service history. Just got it 3 weeks ago

[Taurus]

Then start with a full service because chances are it won't have been serviced before someone sold it.

[Rhyshope93]

Doing it now mate. Ive just undone the coil pack and it has oil down the sides. Also the thick pipe from the throttle body looks clogged. What would i clean that with?

[Taurus]

Wipe the excess out with a rag, then use carb cleaner to remove the deposits. (A really good product for this kind of thing is Quicksilver Powertune - made for boat engines, you can buy it from chandlers or ebay. But carb cleaner will do.)

Oil down the sides of the coil pack can be careless spillage when topping up the oil, or it can be a leaking camshaft cover gasket. Clogged breather pipes are common on them, but the oil residue can weaken the pipes so check they aren't perished. That would lead to air leaks which will cause poor running. You may well find that once cleared the pipes clog up again quite soon if the camshaft cover has a lot of muck inside it. Poor oil changes will lead to all sorts of crap building up in there. They are also prone to oil emulsion forming, when moisture from combustion products mixes with the oil and condenses in the camshaft housing.

[Rhyshope93]

Where is the egr valve located

[Taurus]

Passenger side of engine - on the side of the head.

[Rhyshope93]

My car broke down and wont start now

[Taurus]

OK - back to the beginning - when the problem first arose you said you went into a corner and then it didn't run so well. When you went into the corner did you drop it into a lower gear and let the clutch out so that the engine speed raced?

Just need to check that it's not a timing chain problem before starting to do checks which involve cranking the engine (though you may have done that already by now.) On those engines the chains can wear but they run OK. What tends to finish them off is changing down a gear at speed which can make them jump a couple of teeth.

So just want to check what you were doing when the problem first appeared.

[Rhyshope93]

The cars fixed now, it was one of the spark plugs was completely worn