Opel Vivaro

WolfShepard

Hi
Hi
We need some help/advice
Today we were stopped at traffic lights in the center of town. We had only been driving our Opel Vivaro van for 10 minutes, if even that long when it started revving all by itself, smoke started to come from exhaust. The noise of it revving was deafening. I got out with my 6 year old son and ran as I was afraid it was going to go on fire. My partner took keys out of ignition and it kept revving. Eventually it stopped by itself.. Does anyone know why this happened??

Ronnie Beck

WolfShepard wrote: »

Hi
Hi
We need some help/advice
Today we were stopped at traffic lights in the center of town. We had only been driving our Opel Vivaro van for 10 minutes, if even that long when it started revving all by itself, smoke started to come from exhaust. The noise of it revving was deafening. I got out with my 6 year old son and ran as I was afraid it was going to go on fire. My partner took keys out of ignition and it kept revving. Eventually it stopped by itself.. Does anyone know why this happened??

Jaysus, overrun, started running on it's own oil maybe...

as bad as this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw2r_lIRgpY

WolfShepard

Sorry had to laugh at that because it was exactly the same.... ??????????????

101sean

Sounds like it ran away on it's own oil through either turbo seal or injector seal failure.

Terrifying when it happens, nigh on impossible to stop short of stuffing a rag or dumping the contents of a fire extinguisher in the intake unless you can stall it in gear.

Saw it happen to a Beemer on the M7 and it happened to a friends Td5 Defender. His was fixed with a new Turbo but the usual result is a wrecked engine.

Ronnie Beck

Turbo oil seal went I'd say. Started feeding oil into the engine through the air intake. Disaster. Did it stop soon after you turned off the ignition?

WolfShepard

It stopped less than 5 minutes later. After we took keys from ignition. I have to admit I was shaking with the fright. It started after but we only drove it a few feet to a carpark to get it off the road and we drove it very very slowly and didn't rev it at all.

Ronnie Beck

There is a valve in the intake of my transporter that shuts when you turn off the ignition. Presume there is one on yours too. 5 minutes to burn all the oil downstream of it??? Otherwise it wouldn't stop until all the oil is gone or something goes bang.

WolfShepard

Oil must have burnt out because there was no bang and it stopped by itself and then we got in and started it a half hour later to move it to carpark. Hopefully its not ****ed and can be fixed.......

Ronnie Beck

WolfShepard wrote: »

Oil must have burnt out because there was no bang and it stopped by itself and then we got in and started it a half hour later to move it to carpark. Hopefully its not ****ed and can be fixed.......

I'd get it towed to a garage to be on the safe side. Hopefully it just need a new turbo.

WolfShepard

Thanks for advice Ronnie
That's our next job tomorrow, Tow it to the garage, and hope for the best. Luckily we didn't get in and drive it home.... Prob would have wrecked engine

Ronnie Beck

WolfShepard wrote: »

Thanks for advice Ronnie
That's our next job tomorrow, Tow it to the garage, and hope for the best. Luckily we didn't get in and drive it home.... Prob would have wrecked engine

Fingers crossed
If it didn't run out of oil it should be alright apart from having a load of oil in the intake. Cat mightn't be in the best of shape.

Nissan doctor

If the engine revved until it stopped by itself(5 mins you said) then there will be severe engine damage as in this situation the only way the engine stops when left to its own devices is when it runs out of oil and the engine seizes.

In your case, if the engine started again later then it is obviously not completely seized but there will still be serious engine damage unfortunately.

The only way to save the engine in this situation is to stall the engine mechanically by letting out the clutch in gear with the handbrake on.

dieselbug

"only way to save the engine in this situation is to stall the engine mechanically by letting out the clutch in gear with the handbrake on."

Not always easy to do with a revving engine and can break the crankshaft on smaller engines. If you can shut off the air supply is probably a good option. All very fine for someone who understands what"s happening, but its usually a panic situation.

Nissan doctor

dieselbug wrote: »

"only way to save the engine in this situation is to stall the engine mechanically by letting out the clutch in gear with the handbrake on."

Not always easy to do with a revving engine and can break the crankshaft on smaller engines. If you can shut off the air supply is probably a good option. All very fine for someone who understands what"s happening, but its usually a panic situation.

I agree, I guess I mean the simplest and quickest way is to drop the clutch.

As you say its a panic situation so I doubt many would open the bonnet and start tinkering with the engine to find the intake when its revving and blowing smoke like that:eek:

Ronnie Beck

Nissan doctor wrote: »

If the engine revved until it stopped by itself(5 mins you said) then there will be severe engine damage as in this situation the only way the engine stops when left to its own devices is when it runs out of oil and the engine seizes.

In your case, if the engine started again later then it is obviously not completely seized but there will still be serious engine damage unfortunately.

The only way to save the engine in this situation is to stall the engine mechanically by letting out the clutch in gear with the handbrake on.

No shut off valve in the intake on vivaro's then. Cowboys.

The handiest looking way to stop it on mine is to open the clips on the air box and stuff a jumper into the MAF. Don't know if I'd have the balls to drop the clutch onto it.

WolfShepard

Hi everyone.
Got van home its in the yard the van doctor is coming tomorrow to see what damage is done and if its fixable/worth fixing I'll pop back on here tomorrow with outcome... I think it really is rather ridiculous to have a 2002 van (in great nick by the way and always serviced and taken care of ) to just go like that with absolutely no warning!!!! What are you payin for then ??? Read a post the other day where a similar van, Same make and model just went on fire one night in someones yard of their house.. It actually was a newer model if I remember correctly..

feemcdee

I tried putting jumping leads on battrey of my opel vivaro to a car and it wouldn't jump start the car, now my central locking wont work on the van, there is also a light on the dash saying there is a door open when there isn't, and the temperature degrees in radio dash is reading faulty. Can anyone help?

martinr5232

feemcdee wrote: »

I tried putting jumping leads on battrey of my opel vivaro to a car and it wouldn't jump start the car, now my central locking wont work on the van, there is also a light on the dash saying there is a door open when there isn't, and the temperature degrees in radio dash is reading faulty. Can anyone help?

Did you check your fuses ??