I’ll throw this out to the STW massive unless anyone can suggest a good car/vauxhall/corsa forum.

The wife’s Corsa has a problem.

Firstly, when driving, after about 1 mile a warning light comes on. It’s a picture of a car with a spanner in it. A quick google shows there is some debate over what this light means but the consensus seems to be an electrical/ecu issue. There are no fault codes logged according to my £10 ebay reader and the man round the corner’s £2k machine.

Secondly if it has recently run it’ll it start first time. If it has been sat for a while it’ll take quite a few cranks to start. It seems the longer it has been sat the longer it needs to spin before it starts (but that might be a red herring). Up to a minute or so if it has been sat for a few days. Firstly it turns without firing, then a bit of almost starting, then it fires up. Sounds a bit like a fuel/air leak issue but I’m really not sure. Could it just be glow plugs?

It’s been doing this for a couple of weeks. It’s an ’03 diesel, CDTI, 1248cc, 70k miles.

Any ideas?

The turning for a bit then coughing then starting is exactly what I’d expect from bad glow plugs in a diesel.

it’ll probably be the immobiliser preventing it from starting there is a mod to do to the harness at back of the clocks on the Corsa C ( had to do both of the one’s the mrs has had!!) if that dont work it’ll start getting expensive……

corsa

Except it does start.

sell it and make sure the test drive is less than 1 mile

The turning for a bit then coughing then starting is exactly what I’d expect from bad glow plugs in a diesel.

This, especially if it starts first go once the engine’s warm.

Except it does start

in the beginning both of the Mrs corsa’s started eventually but after a while it got to the point where it wouldnt atall…..

It’s an ’03 diesel, CDTI, 1248cc,

missed that bit sorry, if its not the harness at the back of the cluster, then look at the glow plugs then diesel pump timing.

to further molgrips diagnosis

its ALSO exactly what id expect from a slow leak in the fuel lines before the high pressure pump or from the leakoffs post injector – usually on top of the engines … vauxhalls are notorious for the leakoffs dying.

I would trace them back to the tank looking for wetness from fuel.

this is free – before you start going buying glow plugs.

If i was changing things then the first thing id change would be glow plugs because new glow plugs in a 10 year old car is always a good thing.

+1 for leak allowing fuel to flow back to tank.
Then glow plugs.
Dashboard light could be servive required light, how old is air filter?
Does it have EGR valve? If so, might need a clean.

because im incredibly bored passing time till a flight…..

http://www.corsa-c.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?54071-Engine-Management-light-not-good!

similar symptoms to you

The turning for a bit then coughing then starting is exactly what I’d expect from bad glow plugs in a diesel.

My Diesel Corsa had this problem, there was a leak in the fuel injection system so it was filling with air and the fuel draining back over night. It took a while to re-pressurise the system to start, but once it started it was fine. It had done 200k at this point and was well past its best so I scrapped it.

oh and on that note footflaps IF you have that issue

dont keep driving it.

If you keep self priming it every time you WILL knacker the fuel pump.

on that note – next time you go out after its been sitting for a bit , dont start it.

Get under the bonnet and look for the fuel pump priming bulb and squeeze it till it goes hard – system should be primed , now start it.

if she fire up first time you have a leak.

its ALSO exactly what id expect from a slow leak in the fuel lines

A good shout also.