Opel Zafira 200 stuttering, any ideas why?

Peppa

First off I have had the car serviced by my regular mechanic and then also bought it to an Opel dealer specifically for this problem and nothing is showing up so I am looking for ideas here.



I don’t drive the car very often (just at the weekend really).

When the car is cold (especially in wet weather), the engine stutters, like the engine is being starved of fuel, i.e. rev counter oscillates between 500 and 1300 rpm when idling. The engine can cut out sometimes, especially when you want to start moving (try to go engage first gear).

After the car has been warmed up, these symptoms become far less pronounced, but occasionally, there will be a pause when you press the accelerator, before the engine responds. The odd time the engine will cut out even when warm.

All of this results in me having to over-rev a lot when engaging first gear and is a complete pain in the rear.

Any ideas anyone?

Peppa

Anyone any ideas?

gyppo

Could be quite a number of things.
However, if its more problematic in wet weather, it may point to a fault in the ignition system. Coil packs (the module that provides the high voltage to the spark plugs in order to generate the spark) would be the first place I'd look.

I would imagine that there should be some fault logged in the cars ecu though - does any engine management lights ever come on?

Peppa

Gyppo, thanks for replying.

Definitely much worse in the wet but no management lights ever come on and we have just gotten this serviced by an Opel garage and their computer showed nothing up!

It's really annoying 'cos we just want it fixed 'especially coming into the winter.

Mr Benevolent

Could be post traumatic stress disorder, have you been showing it videos of NCAP tests by any chance?

Seriously though, could be coil packs.

no1beemerfan

I'd start with the coil packs too, see if you can pick some up in a breakers.

Peppa

LOL Confab I think I am suffering PTSD now after looking that up!!

Would coil pack problems not show up on the computer tests that they carry out - its just back from the Opel Garage where nothing showed up.

I barely know how to open up the bonnet I'm afraid so would changing the coil pack be expensive - i.e. getting a bona fide garage to do it?

What ball park figure would I be looking at? I have just paid out for two different garages to look at this so costs are mounting but it does need to be sorted.

BTW thanks a million for the feedback, its great for someone like me to get some understanding.

no1beemerfan

I don't know much about opels but on my Renault it had similar problems to yourself and I was told to try the coils. €25 in Whelans breakers in Portlaoise had me a full set and there were 8 nuts holding them on. Had it changed in ten minutes.

But as I've said I don't know the layout of your engine but its not rocket science!

dazza27

Coil pack is straight forward to change but they are not cheap and it's recommended to replace the spark plugs at the same time.if the coil pack is faulty you should get a multiple misfire fault code ?? Do you know when the throttle body was last cleaned ?? I'd try that or cleaning the egr valve before I go putting a coil pack on....

Nissan doctor

A coilpack problem on an Open can't happen without a fault being registered in the ECU, even if the EML doesn't come on.

Its simple, if there are no electronic faults present, then its a mechanical fault and if it improves as the engine warms up then maybe something like an inlet manifold/throttle body/egr valve gasket leaking with the leak reducing as it warms up as the metal expands.