[Corsa C 2000-2006] 2006 Corsa C 1.4 Twinport - Starts, runs like a bag of nails then stalls within a few seconds..

[MaCleod1968]

Greetings!

I'm in a lil' bit of a pickle!

My wifes Corsa C 1.4 Twinport is very poorly! She was driving to work when the EML came on, and the car lost power. She pulled over straight away and waited for me to arrive. Upon trying to start the car now results in it turning over for a few seconds before running like a bag of nails and then finally stalling.

Green Flag towed us home but didn't seem to have much of an idea apart from possibly being the coil pack...but surely it wouldn't start if this was the case....

I've got the error codes by doing the brake/accelerator trick - 0300, 0303 & 0304 - Random misfire/cylinders 3 & 4.

Historically we've had a similar problem with the EML coming on and the car running a lil' sluggish. I thought it was due to the battery being a lil' flat
because she only does short journey's to work. Once charged up it seem to run fine.

We also have the classic 'Mayonaise' around the oil filler cap and gunked up breather hoses. I last cleaned these out about a week ago and recharged the battery as she had said the EML had been on again. The car ran perfect for a few days until now.....

Today I've checked the plugs, tried a different battery and had a general poke around...but to no avail....

Could anyone possibly give me a few pointers before I take the plunge and call in a mechanic??!!

Cheers

Mac

[Danny]

The 'Mayo' is normal if she's only doing short journeys. Not getting the engine fully up to temp causes condensation which emulsifies the oil into the white gunk.
Coilpack sounds possible to me. Would explain why a fully charged battery worked better than one that wasn't quite full.
When starting, the ECU over fuels the engine to ease starting, then once it's started it leans the mixture off so a weak spark won't work properly.

[MaCleod1968]

Cheers for the quick reply Danny. Is there any easy way to check to the coil pack?

[Taurus]

"Runs like a bag of nails" - do you mean it's rattling? I'm just sorting one out that did the same, had to trailer it back last week - timing chain had slipped. Unfortunately in this case it had gone far enough for valves to meet pistons so it's meant a new engine.

If it's not rattling then hopefully it's something simpler. Random misfires I've dealt with:

1. Always start with new spark plugs. Cheapest and simplest thing to check first
2. Coilpack - they can fail and the only way to tell is to try another one. But take a good look at the bottom end of the pack where it connects with the spark plugs, look for signs of cracking or discolouration. Anything like that will cause the spark to arc and cause a misfire.
3. Injectors - you can swap them round, 1&2 with 3&4, see if the misfire follows the injectors. Not usual for two to go at one though.
4. EGR valve - a sticking EGR valve can cause random misfire codes without the EGR itself showing a code. The way to check is to clear the codes (this is important) and then unplug the EGR valve. See how it runs like that. You'll get the EML on throwing an EGR code of course, but ignore it.
5. Low battery - it can show 12v but still be low on charge. The ECU and ignition system can do weird things if the battery gets low.

As Danny says, oil emulsion is common if the car is used for short journeys. But keep and eye on the oil & coolant levels. A common issue with them is the seal going behind the water pump, part of the timing cover gasket, it allows coolant into the oil. The coolant level drops and the oil level rises.

If it is rattling, or has had a noisy timing chain previously, be cautious about cranking it. If it has slipped a couple of teeth it will survive. But if it slips some more it's a goner, and they're expensive engines to replace.

[MaCleod1968]

Cheers for the information Taurus, I'll change the plugs first, examine the coilpack and check out the EGR valve.

I said 'runs like a bag of nails' as it turns over and starts running (although sounds a lil' rough) and the accelerator makes no difference...runs okay for a couple of seconds, then looks like it's only firing on a couple of cylinders before finally stalling...

If I get to the bottom of it I'll let you know what it was/is!

Cheers again both to Taurus & Danny!