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Thread: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

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    Pit Crew Decade Plus User Group4_Mark2's Avatar

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    Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    Hi,

    I suspect that the EGR valve on my Wifes 2002 Zafira 1.6 is faulty as the check engine light is on and the car stalles when coming to a stop sometimes. I also think that the fuel consumption is high. The check engine light was intermittent for a while but is on continously at the moment. The only time it did not come on is two days ago when the weather was very cold. I removed the egr valve and had a look at it and the centre pin seems to be stuck closed. My question is how easily the centre pin should move or if it should move at all when pushed?

    Regards
    Tom

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    egr valves getting stuck both open and closed are very common.

    you should be able to move the center pin but not particulary easily,

    incidenatlly you will only suffer poor performance if the valve sticks open

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    bypass it by a plate over the hole

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    I have tried pushing the centre pin as hard as I can barring putting it in the vice and forcing it and it will not budge. It is stuck closed at the moment so should be the same as the plate over the holes. Would it being stuck closed cause an engine warning light or is this possibly another problem. I have also read that if I block it using a plate that I should disable it in the ECU using the diagnistics.
    Last edited by Group4_Mark2; 31-12-2009 at 20:56.

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    If it is the Egr you need to pull the pin out then it should re-set itself.

    In my experience it's more likely to be the Mass Air Flow which is in the inlet tube from the air filter.

    Have you one of these ?

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-ZAFIRA-MAF...20172001r35123

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    yes a stuck closed egr valve can put up a managemnt light, because the ecu can work out theres nothing going through it by seeing how much airs entering the engine via the air mas meter in comparison to rpm and throttle position.

    i thinbk your first step is to read the fault codes

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    I have seen a few readers on Ebay which are reasonably priced and I think I will get one. Thanks for the help.

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    Quote Originally Posted by jimmy2006 View Post
    bypass it by a plate over the hole
    That'll bring up the check engine light!

    Autodata reckon that you can flash read the codes by earthing terminal 6 of the DLC,

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    Pole Position Decade Plus User david_white's Avatar

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    This is a very common problem on the 1.6's and although fitting a new valve cures it, it seems to only take 6 months to come back again.
    A lot of people blank it off, I have seen it done with ally or even cut out of a coke can and fitted with new gaskets but I think you can even buy blanking plates on ebay.

    Cleaning out the valve also works but this fix lasts even shorter than a new valve.

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    Will blanking it off cause the car to fail the emissions test? Pushrod, Where is the DLC?

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    no blanking it off wont cause an emission test fail, the valve should only open under certain conditions such as high revs no load, like on overrun,

    diagnoistic plug will be found under the plastic cover under the handbrake

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    Blank it off, it will solve it and costs the grand total of bugger all. Use a can and cut to shape using the gasket and simply replace the gasket with the bit of can (dont cut out the hole obviously ) works a treat and you wont have to worry about it ever again

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    Thanks for the all the responses, Blanking it off it is then. Easy and cheap solution, not often that happens. Now to find out what is causing the check engine light?


    Tom

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    Quote Originally Posted by Group4_Mark2 View Post
    . Now to find out what is causing the check engine light?


    Tom
    that might be the egr valve, if it is you may not be able to get the light to stay out once you've blanked the valve off though

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    While I am waiting for the diagnostics cable I am going to clean the throttle body and give the MAF a spray of carb cleaner to see if it has any effect.

    Tom

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    Quote Originally Posted by Group4_Mark2 View Post
    While I am waiting for the diagnostics cable I am going to clean the throttle body and give the MAF a spray of carb cleaner to see if it has any effect.

    Tom
    Thats what I done on my mates one and it helped a fair bit although not for long. He opted for a new valve which has cleared it up nicely but for how long I can't say. He chcked through the service history and it was the third or forth one fitted...

    Another problem with these engines (forgive me if I'm repeating someone) is that the breather from the cam cover to the inlet suffers from a lot of condensation build up as it doesn't have any insulation on it. One thing this caused is for the oil to go milky and a lot of people (including my mate) are then told they need a new head gasket. I removed all of the cam cover and breathers and cleaned them right out. They were very sludgy and he also cleaned the inlet and throttle body with carb cleaner. This made the engine run a lot happier and I also insulated the breather hose with some foam/sponge as this is what I found my honda has as std and fingers crossed it has worked. Otherwise the condensation that builds up in this pipe runs into the oil in the cam cover.

    Hope that helps ;-)
    Last edited by david_white; 02-01-2010 at 23:16.

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    anyone remember the montego 1.6

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    Quote Originally Posted by alladdin View Post
    anyone remember the montego 1.6
    yes, but they didnt have crap egr valves, they were just crap full stop!

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    Quote Originally Posted by alladdin View Post
    anyone remember the montego 1.6
    OOH yea , still have nightmares

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    Quote Originally Posted by david_white View Post
    Thats what I done on my mates one and it helped a fair bit although not for long. He opted for a new valve which has cleared it up nicely but for how long I can't say. He chcked through the service history and it was the third or forth one fitted...

    Another problem with these engines (forgive me if I'm repeating someone) is that the breather from the cam cover to the inlet suffers from a lot of condensation build up as it doesn't have any insulation on it. One thing this caused is for the oil to go milky and a lot of people (including my mate) are then told they need a new head gasket. I removed all of the cam cover and breathers and cleaned them right out. They were very sludgy and he also cleaned the inlet and throttle body with carb cleaner. This made the engine run a lot happier and I also insulated the breather hose with some foam/sponge as this is what I found my honda has as std and fingers crossed it has worked. Otherwise the condensation that builds up in this pipe runs into the oil in the cam cover.

    Hope that helps ;-)
    That is interesting, thanks for the tip. I will also get the pipes checked tomorrow and see how blocked they are. Damm it is cold for doing any work at the moment.

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    Quote Originally Posted by Group4_Mark2 View Post
    That is interesting, thanks for the tip. I will also get the pipes checked tomorrow and see how blocked they are. Damm it is cold for doing any work at the moment.
    Tell me about it. It is colder in my garage than outside

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    Quote Originally Posted by graham bahr View Post
    yes, but they didnt have crap egr valves, they were just crap full stop!
    I remember an AA patrol back in 96 refering to the hard shoulder of the motorway as Montego Bay

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    there is a modification from vauxhall which is a plate which blanks off 1 of the 2 holes. comes with a new valve but i think its a standard 1 not modified. your fault sounds like air flow meter. try driving car with afm unplugged and see if it makes a difference

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    I cleaned the throttle body and gave the air flow meter a little spray of carb cleaner and the light is gone. Thanks to everyone who helped.

    Regards
    Tom

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    I've been sleeping for far too long, I come back here and there's a EGR valve issue with a poxy Zafira. Mrs Racing59 had (still has, we haven't flogged it yet) a 1.8 Zafira and that suffered from the same issue. Performance went downhill, stalling all of the time, wouldn't idle any sense. Having explored codes, found nothing, looked at the innards of the bottle throddy and decided that it needed a bit more than VIM.

    A good double dose of carb cleaner, and all was well again. In this case it was the idle air valve gummed up with crud.

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    Shit Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    OUr Zafira has been in the local Vauxhall garage for 6 weeks now. The car was running fine but the EML was permanently on and the garage diagnosed EGR and replaced it. However the car ran very badly bet 2000-3000 rpm and won't go more than 30mph, so back to Garage. They have replaced the EGR valve 3 times now, no EML, no fault codes but no improvement in performance. Retried our original EGR and performance was fine but EML on again...... Any suggestions as they are stumped and I'm desperate to have car back for the kids. Of coincidence the garage also replace the Air filter which was clogged with crud, so they may have altered the air mass flow(??) but if that were the problem then the cars performance wouldn't be improved by reinserting the original EGR as hapened.... How reliable are the EGR's? How often are the EGR models changed/ updated? Is a blanking plate viable? what would be the consequences of running with the EML on ? We're booked to go to Ireland for Easter and don't want the car breaking down.....

    lots of questions from a desperate woman!

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    We ran our zafira for ages with the Engine Managment Light on and the only problem is the fuel consumption was not great. I then blanked off the EGR valve and reset the Engine fault codes. The car ran ok but the light came on again. I then replace the EGR valve and the light went off for a while but is now back on again. It is a bit annoying but the car is running great otherwise. Not sure about the fuel consumption as we have not done any long distance driving since it came on last time. The problem with our Zafira is that when the EGR was blocked the ECU should have been updated to work without it but no one around here to do that.

    ON your car it sounds like you may have an ECU problem which is keeping the EGR valve open all the time. Do you have any problems starting with the new EGR valve? How is your fuel consumption with the old EGR valve?


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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    on the air mass meter plug, check the earth wire with a multi meter, which should be the yellow one. if you dont have continuity to earth, you have a dry joint in ecu. remedy is to earth directly to engine

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    If you want to spend a couple of hours go on the transit van forum and read about the EGR problems on there, my Transit motorhome has just had a new turbo after only 1590 miles costing over a grand due to the EGR valve so i know about the problems they cause, Blank it off, Gray.

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    Quote Originally Posted by looneytune View Post
    on the air mass meter plug, check the earth wire with a multi meter, which should be the yellow one. if you dont have continuity to earth, you have a dry joint in ecu. remedy is to earth directly to engine
    Thanks for that, I must check on my car.
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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    that only applies to that guys problem as i've encountered that several times. have you tried the modified egr gasket on yours? i've never had a problem with vauxhalls once that is fitted

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    Hi all, sorry to open up an old thread, my mum has an 02 plate zafira 1.6 16v in which i blanked the EGR valve off about 7 months ago and it sorted the problem with it cutting out @ junctions and generally running rough. The EML has been on for about a month now and we plugged it in the computer in work and no faults came up so left it and carried on using it cos it was running fine apart from the light being on, the car has been using alot of oil and smokes really bad when warm then it clears and its fine again, 2 days ago it started missing and loosing power, took it into work and plugged the machine in and came up with number 4 piston problem so we did a compression test and nothing on the 4th piston, head off to find 1 of the exhaust valves on piston 4 had a piece missing and the rest of them coked up quite badly. I fitted a new exhaust valve and erased any old faults and it runs smoothly and no EML on, EGR is still blanked, my question is, would blanking the EGR valve off would have caused the exhaust valve to break? thanks in advance dave

    here is the pic

    Last edited by Fast_Turbo; 24-04-2012 at 21:40.

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    how many miles has the engine done

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    Quote Originally Posted by rick deregus View Post
    how many miles has the engine done
    156,000 miles, started it this morning in work and it is smoking really bad now smokes when it starts but clears until you accelerate then there is loads of it, any idea's?

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    can of worms

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    sounds like valve guides to me
    sideways is the best way to turn a corner

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    As above or more likely stem seals. The burning oil probably caused the valve to go

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    Hi all ,

    Just had engine management light come on and done pedal test got code p0400 on my 2003 vauxhall zafira1.6 16v club is this egr valve and what is best solution

    please help

    cheers chris

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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    Our Astra 1.6 8 valve had an EGR valve fail a couple of years ago. I had it replaced and its been fine since. The cam cover does get full of slime during the winter from condensation build up. It only gets used on short journeys. My old Viva used to do it many years ago as well,so its a problem that Vauxhall engines seem to suffer from regularly.
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    Re: Zafira EGR valve suspected problem

    p0400 is a EGR fault, either fault a faulty valve (most common) you can take then out and clean them in tfr or a wirning to egr fault(rare). this will cure the issue. The milk in the top if the engine is just condensation caused but hot internal gases and coller outside air,,, either flush it or a good run will clear it, but nothing to worry about as long as your oil on the dipstick is not milky.

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