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[baldeagle]

Local Vauxhall dealership are trying to diagnose the cause of misfiring on my Omega CD 2.2 petrol auto. They have upgraded the software on the existing ECU and cleaned the throttle body but the Technician thinks that the ECU needs replacing at a cost of £900. I am reluctant to proceed with the repair since they will not guarantee that the new ECU will solve the problem.
Suggestions please?
Baldeagle

[Kevin Wood]

ECUs very rarely fail. This is a case of them running out of ideas and picking a part at random. Do they really expect you to shell out 900 quid on the offchance that it'll fix it?

Do you know if they have read any trouble codes from the ECU? Under what circumstances does the car misfire? Let us have some information on the problem and we can give you some pointers.

Kevin

[baldeagle]

The emmissions warning light has been 'on' continually for a while without any apparent change in engine performance, then a couple of days ago the car was difficult to start from cold. It would start immediately and run normally for a few seconds then misfire and stop. I was able to keep the engine running from cold by use of the throttle and it improved slightly as the engine warmed up but driving was difficult because the engine misfired every few seconds and then picked up again.
The Vauxhall dealer has read the codes and cleared them but I do not know what they were.

[Kevin Wood]

I'd say the first step is to find someone with a code reader and get the codes read. I'm assuming they will have recurred. The fact that it started with an emissions light and has been getting worse suggests that something has been gradually failing. An ECU going pop would have happened suddenly.

It's a real shame they didn't save the trouble codes before they reset them.

Whereabouts are you located, by the way?

Kevin

[Big_Mart]

Sounds like a fueling issue to me matey
Fuel Pump?
Fuel pressure regulator?
Injector?
If it was me i`d do a compression check and fuel pressure check first and test the ignition module its highly unlikely to be an ecu by the way youv`e described the fault.

P.s get the fault codes you have paid for them after all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bigdods]

If you *have* to go to a vauxhall stealer to get the work done do what I did, make an agreement that if the new part doesnt fix the problem they will re-fit the old one and only charge labour for the time taken to fit the new one (not do the sawp back) . At least that way you minimise the cost of seeing if their poke and hope works. You might want to also ask for the diagnosis fee to be returned if it doesnt fix it as they clearly havent diagnosed anything...

[baldeagle]

Thanks guys for your suggestions and advice I will let you know the eventual outcome. I made the assumption that the Vauxhall dealership would be most likely to have the equipment, expertise and experience to diagnose a fault but so far I have been sadly disappointed and almost £200 out of pocket.
Baldeagle, Mansfield, Notts.  

[Kevin Wood]

Sounds like a fueling issue to me matey  

Could well be. Worth checking the fuel filter isn't clogged too.

I assume the dealer will have checked the spark plugs and coil pack but just in case...

Make sure the cam cover hasn't leaked and submerged the plugs in oil too.

Air filter? Worth a check.

Could be a crank or cam sensor but without the codes read it's not easy to say.

Kevin

[mark.adams]

I made the assumption that the Vauxhall dealership would be most likely to have the equipment, expertise and experience to diagnose a fault but so far I have been sadly disappointed. 

I think thats what they rely on, that a big flashy shopfront and well equipped garage will draw you in thinking that they know everything there is to know about vauxhalls.
I've gleaned more info on omegas, in particular, from this forum, than any garage has ever provided. Where i used to live in Kent, the vauxhall main dealers garage used to send diesel cars to a local diesel truck specialist for diagnosis... what does that tell you?

[Kevin Wood]

The problem with all main dealers these days seems to be that they've lost all the guys with experience and they teach new mechanics to rely too much on computer diagnostics. Every time I am waiting at the parts counter of a main dealer I hear customers being told "we've put it on the computer and it's fine".

Things haven't changed. To fault find a car you still need to understand how all the systems work, just like you needed to in the days of distributors and carburettors. You also need to understand the limitations of the diagnostic aids you have, and understand why they're telling you something, not what they're telling you.

Sadly, most main dealer mechanics will replace anything mentioned by the diagnostic software with no further thought. Once they've run out of trouble codes and there's still a fault they assume it's the ECU - because it's not reporting a problem when there is one!

 

Kevin

[Ken T]

Also because they can charge huge amounts for it. They said it was my ECU and wanted £650 for a replacement. I got one plus the keyreader from a scrappy for £45. This does need a tech 2 to program to the car key, but you can get the whole set from some breakers for about £100.
Best of luck,

Cheers Ken

[Andy B]

Local Vauxhall dealership ......... thinks that the ECU needs replacing at a cost of £900. .......

Coincidently I was in my local Vx dealership yesterday, and was ear-wigging a phone conversation where they were telling the customer that his car needed a new ECU (don't know which one). I said to the spares lad "not that old line again! ECU's rarely fail"
He said that apparently the car was on its 3rd already. Something tells me that the problem is elsewhere!

[Auto Addict]

Baldeagle, Mansfield, Notts.  

Are you near Brackley?

If you are I would PM TheBoy, and arrange for him to run his TechII over it.

You will get a far better diagnosis than at the dealers, and will probably save you a shed load of money.

Have you checked for water/oil in the plug wells?

[Marks DTM Calib]

No.....hes near me....I am in South Nottingham and could have a look at the live data and do a few tests......

[TheBoy]

No.....hes near me....I am in South Nottingham and could have a look at the live data and do a few tests......

I think this is the OPs best option, and would be the option I would take up...