Engine management light

[Dman8a]

hey guys. just got a new car its a corsa club 1.0i 12v on a 2000 plate. i have been having problems with the engine management light coming on as i go up inclines it feels like the car has no power and shuuders as if it is about to stall.once i take my foot off the accelorator and let the revs settle the light goes off and it works ok again. i just had the lambda sensor replaced and the problem is still occuring and i am looking for advice on what i could do?

[scoops]

seems like quite a common prob..i have the same issue and im pretty sure its the air flowmeter. i cant believe that this many fail all the time, im pretty sure it must be due to dirt or something and might not warrant a replacement which is what most people do, just swap it. I'm gonna get some contact cleaner when i get around to it, give it a good squirt and clean all the plugs n sockets to the afm. Got to be worth a try.

[projectredtop10]

seems like quite a common prob..i have the same issue and im pretty sure its the air flowmeter. i cant believe that this many fail all the time, im pretty sure it must be due to dirt or something and might not warrant a replacement which is what most people do, just swap it. I'm gonna get some contact cleaner when i get around to it, give it a good squirt and clean all the plugs n sockets to the afm. Got to be worth a try.

if thats does cure it try a throttle position sensor. it happened on my sisters car (1.0 12v) and it had the same problems as yours. worth a try

[Brian2503]

hey guys. just got a new car its a corsa club 1.0i 12v on a 2000 plate. i have been having problems with the engine management light coming on as i go up inclines it feels like the car has no power and shuuders as if it is about to stall.once i take my foot off the accelorator and let the revs settle the light goes off and it works ok again. i just had the lambda sensor replaced and the problem is still occuring and i am looking for advice on what i could do?

The problem with the modern electronic engine management systems is when the warning light comes on it could be problem with any one or a combination of different components eg airflow meter, crank sensor, cam sensor, oxygen (lambda) sensor, throttle potentiometer, fuel injectors, injection pump etc etc. It may not even be the component, a bad wiring connection can bring on the warning light.
The only surefire way to find out what's at fault is to connect the vehicle to some diagnostic equipment that can read the fault codes in the ECU. You can of course check every wiring connection and systematically replace every sensor and engine management component until you cure the problem, you might be lucky and it will be the first component you replace but equally it could be the last one and you will need a very well stuffed wallet and the patience of a saint!

Air flow meters and throttle pots are prone to failure and the symptoms of your fault are similar to airflow meter failure, however when the AFM fails the warning light generally comes on and stays on. An injection pump with an intermittant fault prior to total failure would also give similar symptoms. If you are tempted to clean the AFM be VERY careful, I'm not too sure about the Corsa 1.0 12v but other AFM's I've come across have 2 very fine filaments. If you touch them they will break, if you drop the AFM they will usually break, the popular way to clean them is to spray the filaments with some electrical contact cleaner. Obviously if one or both of the filaments are broken the AFM will need replacing.

Hope this helps

Brian

[Dman8a]

Have already had it on a machine brian and it lead both times to the lambda sensor the ecu code got cleared and it happend again so i went back and got the sensor changed thinking it would cure the problem and here i am again stuck with the light. I am hoping my friend can help me clean the air filter and plugs i am just hoping at the minute that this will help. Thank you 4 the suggestions. Will keep ya posted about how it turns out

[Brian2503]

Have already had it on a machine brian and it lead both times to the lambda sensor the ecu code got cleared and it happend again so i went back and got the sensor changed thinking it would cure the problem and here i am again stuck with the light. I am hoping my friend can help me clean the air filter and plugs i am just hoping at the minute that this will help. Thank you 4 the suggestions. Will keep ya posted about how it turns out

Just a thought but it is possible that the new lambda sensor is faulty. Did you get a genuine OE replacement or an aftermarket one? I've had a number of bad experiences with the cheaper aftermarket replacement sensors, I'll only use genuine ones now.
Have you checked the wiring to ensure a signal is getting through to the sensor? The Corsa 1.0L 12v has a heated sensor. To check the signal you need to:

Get the engine up to normal working temperature
Ensure ignition is turned off
Don't disconnect the multiplug but gain access to the terminals. You need to access terminals 3 and 4.
Start engine and allow to idle.
Check voltage across terminals 3 and 4
Rev engine sharply 2 or 3 times
Recheck voltage across terminals 3 and 4

The voltage should fluctuate between 0.1 and 0.9 volts

To check the sensor heater circuit:
Ignition off
Disconnect multiplug
Ignition on and check voltage between terminal 2 and earth.

Should be battery voltage ie 12 volts +/-

Cleaning or replacing the air filter and spark plugs is unlikely to help and neither of these would cause the management warning light to come on.

Brian

[Dman8a]

Am not sure what sensor got put in as i didnt do it i had it at a garage that took care of it all or so i thought. Where is the sensor located just so i will be able to check it this afternoon and what sort of volt checker do i need to check it?

[Brian2503]

Am not sure what sensor got put in as i didnt do it i had it at a garage that took care of it all or so i thought. Where is the sensor located just so i will be able to check it this afternoon and what sort of volt checker do i need to check it?

I believe that on a Corsa 1.0 12v the lambda sensor is screwed into the catalytic converter which is part of the exhaust system underneath the car, so it's not to easy to get at with the car on the ground and as the voltage check needs to be done with the engine hot and running probably not a good idea to do it alone. As you had a garage fit the replacement sensor and it hasn't cured the fault I'd be tempted to take it back and get them to check it and put it right if necessary. However in my experience I've not known a faulty lambda sensor to give the fault symptoms you described earlier. In simple terms the lambda sensor, also known as oxygen or O2 sensor, senses the amount of oxygen in the exhaust gas then instructs the engine management system to make rapid minor adjustments to fueling to obtain the optimum air fuel ratio for the best compromise between power, economy and emissions.

If you decide to check the wiring yourself all you need is a simple volt meter, you should be able to get a multimeter that measures volts, amps, and ohms from a good diy shop or car accessory shop for about a tenner.

As I said, I'd be surprised if it's the lambda sensor causing this problem, I'd be looking more at the airflow meter or the fuel pump or fuel pump relay for the cause as mentioned in earlier posts. The throttle potentiometer could also be a suspect.

Just one final point, not all generic diagnostic fault code readers are particularly accurate when bringing up fault codes, especially if the software isn't updated on a regular basis. Some of them are known to give false or unknown fault codes, others won't even find fault codes that are present in the ecu. I'm not saying this is the case with the garage you used but it's something to think about. Your local Vauxhall dealer will obviously have the dedicated equipment to do the job.....at a price!

Brian

[Dman8a]

Thanks for your help i will let you know how it goes when i can check it out

[Dman8a]

Cleaned the cat convertor out yesterday with the help of my mate and it seemed to run alot smoother and pulled better but the management light sstill comes on. Could it be that the garage changed the o2 sensor and did not take the code of the ecu would that make the car still react like there is a problem?