03 Opel Vivaro

Shoot2kill · 17-03-2013 8:00pm #1

My vivaro van is gone very slow to start, it has a new battery and new heater plugs.

Could it be a fuel pump problem. It could swing for 20secs before it even tries to start. Oh and it will start straight away if you let it roll start.

Thanks in advance. S2K.

shamwari · 18-03-2013 12:25pm

A definite weak point on these is the primer bulb beside the diesel filter. They develop small tears along their sides that are very hard to see and allow air in. Try priming it before starting and see if it starts easier. They're about €40 new from Opel... :eek:

It could also be a weak starter motor but chances are remote.

Finally, these things are not OBD compliant and generic scan tools will usually give rogue error messages (a P0042 in particular) for parts that are not fitted. So be careful if it needs diagnostics done

Shoot2kill · 18-03-2013 1:10pm

Thanks for the reply.

What puzzles me is the fact that once it starts it will drive and tick over perfect. Is there defo a primer in it. I can't find it anywhere. Is it supposed to be near the fuel filter??

shamwari · 18-03-2013 2:27pm

I replaced one on a Vivaro a while back. Looks black and shiny, about the size of an egg and connected into the pipe feeding the diesel filter. It looks like the bulb in this . (This is from a Renault, but your engine is a Renault too)

crosshair1 · 18-03-2013 6:09pm

Some of these have an intank pump and may not have a primer bulb.

If it sounds as if its cranking speed is good then i think you would be best advised to do a leak off test on the injectors and also the rail relief valve.

If you turn it off does it have difficulty starting up straight away again?

shamwari · 18-03-2013 7:57pm

@Crosshair, can I ask what scantool you've used to those things? As above, these things are a bit cranky when it comes to being scanned. I've got Opel specific software that will read fault codes but not live data.

crosshair1 · 18-03-2013 9:15pm

I use a clone clip or genuine vaux com, there isnt really much to be gained using any scantool as they are pretty slow at throwing up codes and the codes stored usually arent relevant to the fault presented.

dieselbug · 19-03-2013 11:41pm

shamwari wrote: »

@Crosshair, can I ask what scantool you've used to those things? As above, these things are a bit cranky when it comes to being scanned. I've got Opel specific software that will read fault codes but not live data.

Dec Superscanner 2 or 3 is generally good on French. Peug, Cit or Renault.
Good data, fuel pres, corrections etc.

shamwari · 20-03-2013 1:10am

dieselbug wrote: »

Dec Superscanner 2 or 3 is generally good on French. Peug, Cit or Renault.
Good data, fuel pres, corrections etc.

Have you actually used on one a Vivaro though?

dieselbug · 20-03-2013 8:54am

Cant say I'v had it on a Vivaro, Primastar yes and coverage was good.

Shoot2kill · 20-03-2013 12:09pm

There was also a small grind off the altenator so I relpaced that last night with a 2nd hand one. I also drained down all the diesel as the van had been parked up with the most of a year.

So, its now got a new battery, heater plugs, altenator and fresh diesel. We also tested the injectors last night and they are all giving an even amount of fuel.

If you perservere it will start and drive, now I do think its down a bit in power, not much though. If you park it up afer taking it for a spin it will start easier the second time but will will still swing too much. It definately took 30 seconds to start this morning.

Any ideas??

crosshair1 · 20-03-2013 1:16pm

Shoot2kill wrote: »

We also tested the injectors last night and they are all giving an even amount of fuel.

can you explain how you tested this???

Shoot2kill · 20-03-2013 4:29pm

crosshair1 wrote: »

can you explain how you tested this???

A friend of mine had a kit for testing them. He put a hose into each injector and I cranked it. The same amount of fuel came up into each hose.

crosshair1 · 20-03-2013 6:41pm

ok, you should also have put a pipe on the fuel return from the n/s end of the fuel rail (pressure releif valve). if this is leaking back it will prevent or delay a start.

Shoot2kill · 20-03-2013 8:52pm

crosshair1 wrote: »

ok, you should also have put a pipe on the fuel return from the n/s end of the fuel rail (pressure releif valve). if this is leaking back it will prevent or delay a start.

Thanks for that. I'll get that checked out tonight. Is it possible to replace that valve or is it a big job?

crosshair1 · 21-03-2013 10:44am

It screws onto/into the end of the rail depending on type, one has a fitting similar to the injector leak and the other looks like a blank cap (17mm i think) on the end.
You need to test first though.

beanie10 · 22-03-2013 11:10pm

Im having similar problem with Renault Trafic.
It take a few turns in the morning to start and if i dont keep my foot on accelerator it will cut out.
After about 10 secs of keeping rpm at about 1,100 the van will tick over at just over 500 rpm. When it should be ticking over without any help at 1,000 rpm from cold.
It starts fine for rest of the day until following morning.

Any ideas what could be causing this?

Shoot2kill · 23-03-2013 5:58pm

My mechanic reckons he's got it sorted anyways, I should be picking it up there now shortly. It was some valve on the rail that was letting diesel back into the tank. Fingers crossed now that will sort it.

shamwari · 23-03-2013 8:00pm

beanie10 wrote: »

Im having similar problem with Renault Trafic.
It take a few turns in the morning to start and if i dont keep my foot on accelerator it will cut out.
After about 10 secs of keeping rpm at about 1,100 the van will tick over at just over 500 rpm. When it should be ticking over without any help at 1,000 rpm from cold.
It starts fine for rest of the day until following morning.

Any ideas what could be causing this?

As I mentioned previously in this thread, check the primer bulb near the fuel filter before going for heavy-duty diagnostics. Try priming it before starting and see if matters improve. I've had the rubber split on the bulb which allows air in. The last one I looked at behaved like you described before it wouldn't start at all.

beanie10 · 30-03-2013 4:44pm

shamwari wrote: »

As I mentioned previously in this thread, check the primer bulb near the fuel filter before going for heavy-duty diagnostics. Try priming it before starting and see if matters improve. I've had the rubber split on the bulb which allows air in. The last one I looked at behaved like you described before it wouldn't start at all.

Definitely easier stared when I prime it first so i changed the primer. Still have the same problem however when i was changing the primer i noticed diesel on the outside of the fuel filter housing. Thinking it was the seal i got a whole new filter ans seals but still leaking on outside of housing. Now its not much just a very small amount of diesel. Could this be causing it. Should i get a new housing?

shamwari · 30-03-2013 5:39pm

beanie10 wrote: »

Definitely easier stared when I prime it first so i changed the primer. Still have the same problem however when i was changing the primer i noticed diesel on the outside of the fuel filter housing. Thinking it was the seal i got a whole new filter ans seals but still leaking on outside of housing. Now its not much just a very small amount of diesel. Could this be causing it. Should i get a new housing?

If fuel is getting out then air will be getting in and this will not be helping you at all! I've never heard of a housing leaking before, so before you embark on changing it, are you absolutely sure your have reassembled everything correctly after you replaced the filter and seals? Also could the fuel you see be running off a leaky fuel union or pipe? Can you post a pic of the housing and the leak? If there is a small crack in the housing. It might be repairable by covering it externally with a suitable sealer.

03 Opel Vivaro

Comments