# Astra j 1.7 cutting out ?????



## Lsmcdti (Aug 14, 2015)

I have an astra j 60 plate 1.7 cdti, a few weeks ago it cut out and when i started it back up it would judder and cut out again, anyway aa bloke only found an egr code, it started and drove fine again so went home, i removed the egr which was not that dirty, cleaned and replaced and has been fine for approx 800 miles but on the way to work today it happened again, massive loss of power then cut out, when i started it back up it cut out again, then started again and idled slighly rough but when i pressed the accelerator nothing happened, i could put my foot to the floor and had no revs at all, i turned off then on again And it drove as normal, got to work and waited for the aa, he got egr code again, he operated the egr via his diognostics and it was working fine, he said he thinks it might be getting stuck open but how can i be sure its the egr at fault before i pay out on parts or repairs ? Any ideas? if the egr was stuck open would it sit idling but have no responce from throttle ? Thanks


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## possul (Nov 14, 2008)

You've sort of answered it yourself.
Fault codes always pointing to the EGR valve and the fact you cleaned it and it was fine for 800 miles.
EGR valves are all to common on diesels nowadays (I have the 1.9 fiat lump)
And regular cleaning and a good thrash up to motorway speeds every owner and jow keeps everything free


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## Lsmcdti (Aug 14, 2015)

Has been cleaned and wasnt really dirty only about 1mm of crap around the inside, so shouldn't be clogged up if it is the egr it would be an electrical fault, thanks


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## Sh1ner (May 19, 2012)

I take it the fuel system/filter is clean and not leaking air anywhere?
I would also check the MAP/Boost sensor to see if it is dirty or clogged. Egr faults often show up when it is the map sensor blocked or clogged as the primary reading is one of mismatched airflow. The car does not necessarily know which is which. EGR or Airmass. It is on the inlet manifold.
Some are held in by one, some by two allen bolts plus electrical connector. It has two functions airflow and pressure.
If it looks dirty just spray it with carb cleaner and give a gentle brush being careful not to force anything down the sensor tube or damage the thermistor underneath the plastic shields.
A bad egr will often make it run poorly with excess smoke, poor or will not idle and general bad running.
The valve itself is often ok and can be cleaned but I have had them with intermittent electronics. 
I am a bit puzzled by the complete lack of throttle response but it is not unknown for the TPS to become faulty but that is easy to check with live data.
Live data often shows up what the fault is better than code reading.
I have seen more 1.3 and 1.9 engines though so I am not completely familiar with the 1.7.


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## Maxtor (Feb 23, 2007)

DPF sensor?


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## Lsmcdti (Aug 14, 2015)

Sh1ner said:


> I take it the fuel system/filter is clean and not leaking air anywhere?
> I would also check the MAP/Boost sensor to see if it is dirty or clogged. Egr faults often show up when it is the map sensor blocked or clogged as the primary reading is one of mismatched airflow. The car does not necessarily know which is which. EGR or Airmass. It is on the inlet manifold.
> Some are held in by one, some by two allen bolts plus electrical connector. It has two functions airflow and pressure.
> If it looks dirty just spray it with carb cleaner and give a gentle brush being careful not to force anything down the sensor tube or damage the thermistor underneath the plastic shields.
> ...


Serviced it couple of months ago and the fuel filter is a different size socket to the oil filter and didn't have that size but will be changing it soon, although it was a mobility car before i had it and they are serviced regularly i have nothing showing the fuel filter has ever been changed, at just over 60k on the clock now so this did come to mind however a mechanic told me a dirty filter wouldn't cause these symptoms, will i be able to see if the maf sensor is dirty? Is the boost/map sensor also known as the vacuum control solinoid ? Just been looking at that online, thanks alot


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## Lsmcdti (Aug 14, 2015)

Maxtor said:


> DPF sensor?


How would i check this ? The egr was relatively clean so would have though the dpf is ok, not to say the sensor is lol, thanks


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## possul (Nov 14, 2008)

Good call on the map sensor sh1ner


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## Sh1ner (May 19, 2012)

Cheers possul.
Lsmcdti The boost sensor should look like a little plastic cage with a thermistor inside, which you can see and a pressure sensor at the base which you cannot see. It gets covered in all the grot that comes back into the engine via the egr which covers the thermistor in grot and blocks the pressure sensor tube.
If you google a picture it might show you a clean one.
It is important to clean it gently to avoid damage. I would only use an airline from a distance to dry it off and avoid putting direct air pressure into the pressure sensor.
The vaccum control solenoid is often under the slam panel. Some are on the engine. There can be more than one fitted.
One might control the swirl flaps and another might control the low boost from the variable vane turbo. If this sticks the vehicle can become sluggish/unresponsive at low speeds. If the swirl flap control does not work then it will run rich and be very smokey amonst other things if it has failed in the closed position.
I would honestly just check the easy things first. One at a time then retest. It is very easy to tear everything off and not have a clue what actually fixed it or create another problem that makes everything more confusing.


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## rf860 (Jul 24, 2011)

i had an astra 1.7 cdti with that exact problem and it turned out to be the camshaft sensor


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## Lsmcdti (Aug 14, 2015)

Thanks for the replys


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## Lsmcdti (Aug 14, 2015)

Sh1ner said:


> Cheers possul.
> Lsmcdti The boost sensor should look like a little plastic cage with a thermistor inside, which you can see and a pressure sensor at the base which you cannot see. It gets covered in all the grot that comes back into the engine via the egr which covers the thermistor in grot and blocks the pressure sensor tube.
> If you google a picture it might show you a clean one.
> It is important to clean it gently to avoid damage. I would only use an airline from a distance to dry it off and avoid putting direct air pressure into the pressure sensor.
> ...


Thanks for the info, had 10 mins before work today so decided to quickly check if the boost sensor needed cleaning, and to prove you shouldn't do things in a rush i dropped one of the *********************ing bolts so i havent checked it as yet and it is held on with one bolt, the bolt is trapped somewhere because it didn't fall through and i cant hear it rattling when i drive, anyway how would i clean the boost sensor if dirty and with what? Thanks


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## Lsmcdti (Aug 14, 2015)

rf860 said:


> i had an astra 1.7 cdti with that exact problem and it turned out to be the camshaft sensor


Cheers will bare that in mind if the egr turns out to be fine, i looked and they are around £50 but how easy are they to change ?


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## Lsmcdti (Aug 14, 2015)

rf860 said:


> i had an astra 1.7 cdti with that exact problem and it turned out to be the camshaft sensor


Was yours the astra j aswell ? And did it throw up the egr code even though it was fine ? Thanks


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## Lsmcdti (Aug 14, 2015)

Could a split pipe cause the symptoms i described, i know they can cause problems but would it be this severe, thanks


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## rf860 (Jul 24, 2011)

Lsmcdti said:


> Was yours the astra j aswell ? And did it throw up the egr code even though it was fine ? Thanks


No it was the h model, however I believe the 1.7 engine was carried over to the newer model.

I'm not sure what codes it threw up to be honest! I took it to Vauxhall and they fixed it.


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