Hi,

I have a 1.8 petrol Croma (I know).

The engine light has come on.
I was thinking this is a good time to buy an engine code reader.

I assume it is easy to hook one up to this engine? Can anybody tell me what type of reader I need and where to plug it in/if it is easy?

Thanks.

you need this http://www.multiecuscan.com/ a laptop and an ELM 327 INTERFACE

i think there are also stand alone and a phone version that dont need a laptop. have a good read of the site.

lead plugs into the socket in fuse box near right knee there is a photo in here

Thanks. I'll see if I can pick one of them ELM yokes locally.

Local garage plugged it in. They said they had the Croma on their list, and it found the engine code OK but wouldn't read any errors. They tried OPEL and also a generic OBD whatever but couldn't get anything out of it.

They are putting my in touch with a guy they know who does a lot of FIATs.

They said it is likely just the EGR needs cleaning.

I would really appreciate it if somebody could let me know what engine this is so I can start looking for things on the net. I know it's not a popular engine in the Croma but if it is GM engine then I should be able to find lots of info on it, included if I can clean the EGR myself.

Thanks!

I have obtained a VAGCOM reader and downloaded multiecuscan.
After much hassle I got it to scan and it said:

ABS
TRW Lucas ABS
ISO Code: 51 85 8C 83 BA

COMPLETED



Would an ABS error throw up the engine management light?
There is no ABS warning light, just the check engine.

I can't 'connect' to the ECU, just scan.


What do I do next?

An ABS or other non Engine ECU fault would not normally throw the engine ECU EML light on.

According to this supported vehicles list

http://www.multiecuscan.net/SupportedVehiclesList.aspx

the red listing means that you need the purchased MES license and not the free.

If you live near me (Southampton) then I'm quite willing to connect to your car and see what is stored.

Nick (MultiECUScan moderator)

Thanks.

I'm actually in Dublin but thanks for your offer.

If I paid my 50euro, would it more than likely then find the check engine fault, or would it just allow me to get more diagnostics on the ABS fault it found?

If you fancy a trip down to Kerry to visit Sam, I can check your croma for you!! :

The engine light will not come on for an ABS fault. When you run ecuscan make sure you are selecting ENGINE in the left hand panel. In the right hand panel, select the appropriate Marrelli or Bosch ECU for your engine. Then select connect. It should then work.

I think you may have ABS selected by default.

Check and let me know. The cable you have should work.

Woops. Sorry, just looked at the list, and you need to register to read the (Siemens? Who Knew...) ECU.

But believe me, it'll be the best 50 yoyos you will ever spend. Its a life saver.:worship:

Ah I see now.

It makes sense as the person I got a loan of the cable from had modified it to look for ABS problems (on a Ducato).

So it is probably not an ABS error at all... it is saying it found it.

So yesterday the service spanner appeared. Perhaps it is not a coincidence, but....

Anyway, the engine light still has not come on again, so I don't want to spend on the software just yet.

Is there a way to get rid of the spanner without buying the software too?

The engine management light has come on again.

I pulled out of a bad T junction, but had to abort and reverse back in. I nearly stalled it.

At the next T junction, I pulled out and the light came on.

The car is down on power and is running rough. The revs do not feel smooth.
It is hunting a lot more at idle, but turning off the aircon stops that... perhaps that is another problem that is being exacerbated now.

It is slow now (and boy was it slow before) and feels rough all the time, but you can definitely notice it all a lot more in the low rev range.

Just wondering if the above points towards anything in particular?

Hi,
Don't know the petrol Croma (mine's a 1.9 mJTD 150) but typically this could be a MAF (mass air-flow) sensor issue. Time for Multiecuscan again . It might just need a clean, try a search on the forum for MAF cleaning. You can also try unplugging the MAF to see what happens.

Robert G8RPI

Thanks. I suppose I should look up what engine code I have so I can find pics.

I'm reading alot about coil packs and plugs. Would a failure there cause similar symptoms?

So I have a Z18XER which has no EGR valve. At least that is one less thing to worry about....

If the Engine is the GM Vectra engine then i had had trouble with the coilpack on mine. But you really ned to get it plugged in. If you still have problems at Christmas/New year i will be staying in Bray and have Registered Multiecuscan (i recommend it as well) as has solved issues on my Diesel Croma that my Snap On setup couldn't find.

Hi,

Thanks for the offer, but I brought the car up to somebody local who also has a registered version of multiecuscan... but it would not recognise it!

He had a cheap handheld scanner which threw up P0301.... cylinder 1 misfire.

I have ordered up 4 sparks and a coil (and a handheld scanner) and hopefully that will fix it.

Just wondering if I am at risk of damaging the cat if I drive on it a bit?

So I replaced the coil pack on this and it fixed the problem.
Then I changed the spark plugs.

What a difference. It must have been dodgy all along as the car is so much smoother now with no flat spots etc.

Also, it had a quite pronounced 'rumble' when at low revs and that is pretty much gone.

Quick and easy job too.

Thanks.