Help with vectra dti 52 reg glowplugs plus odd temperature gauge

[raymond72]

Hi,
Im new here so please go gentle with me lol,im having major problems with my car in cold weather starting up,once its started it fires up all day long then,ive looked at the glow plugs and a couple look tatty and rusty,i am going to have a go at changing them this weekend and was wondering about any ideas to make this task easier?.
All so at start up in cold weather the car with the spanner lights up?.
The other issue i have is the temperature gauge 90% stays on zero but the car runs fine and the heaters work as they should,the odd time it has worked it soon goes back to zero .
kind regards ray.

[Craig1985]

Temp gage- would think this is a well known fault with the thermostat. Vauxhall supply these including the housing.



Glow plugs- dont buy cheap replacements as these have been known to snap and the ends drop off. As or changing them, give them a good soaking with wd40/penetrating fluid/easy gas every day for a week, then when your ready start the engine for a min or 2 and switch off, then nervously try undoing then.

[raymond72]

Hi and thanks for reply,i have bought some strange named glow plugs and wil have an attempt to change them this weekend,as for the thermostat and housing how dificult is this to do?and how much are these?kind regards ray.

[Craig1985]

Taken from another thread


Note: this is for the 1.9 CDTi 16v engine.


Take the lid off the expansion tank.


Remove the battery, this gives better access to everything.


Remove the hose from the intercooler to the inlet manifold and plug the plastic pipe from the intercooler with rag or paper.


Remove the Electronic module on the side of the battery box.


Using water pump pliers, squeeze the clip open on the large hose on the thermostat housing nearest the front of the car and slide along the hose.


Pull this hose off and dump coolant everywhere.


Now there is a short hose linking the plastic pipe attached to the side of the thermostat housing which goes to the front of the engine and is bolted on with a torx bolt, this needs removing and the nut holding the pipe to the side of the thermostat housing also needs to be removed, it is a bit akward and is best done with a 10mm ratchet spanner, once the nut is removed, the pipe can be seperated at the front and carefully pulled out back towards the battery then lifted clear and plonked on top of the engine, the one end is still connected to the expansion tank.


The two medium sized hoses at the back of the thermostat can now be got at with the water pump pliers and the clips should be squeezed open and slid back along the pipes, then these pipes should be pulled off.


This now leaves the sensor and the small pipe left connected but these are easier to remove once the thermostat bolts have been removed.


Using a long 13mm socket and long extension bar the topmost bolt can be got at from the battery box, so remove this.


Next using the long 13mm socket and a short extention bar the lowermost bolt can be removed.


Now with the housing loose you have to struggle to get it clear due to part of the aircon pipework being hooked over the stud which the platic bracket was attached to earlier with the nut.


The sensor can now be unclipped, slide the yellow plastic clip away from the sensor and lift the now exposed black clip away from the sensor, this will allow you to pull the connector off.


You will now be able to access the smallest pipe easily.
This is held on with a locking clip which is best destroyed with a pair of long nose pliers, just look at the other clips around the car with the paint dabs on them to understand how to release it.
You will need a small jubilee clip to replace this afterwards.


You should be able to remove the final hose and with a bit of pulling and twisting, remove the thermostat housing.


Wipe clean the engine block face and check the rubber seal is sitting properly on the new thermostat housing.


It is easier to close up the new jubilee clip until it just fits the small pipe before refitting, that way it is less likely to cut into the hose as you are tightening it.


Refit in reverse order.


You will need about 2.25 L of coolant to replace what was lost.


If you drop anything, there is a panel behind the nearside wheel which can be removed with a torx screwdriver, this allows you to get your arm under the gearbox and retrieve sockets, bolts etc.


Hope this guide is of use to you.

[Craig1985]

Just remembered yours is a dti, so ignore the how2. Part will prob be £30-50?

[Manakovich]

Be careful with old plugs, I have snapped one before, give them a good blast with WD40 and leave for few hours before getting them out,
as they say better safe than sorry.

[jiffy1986]

Does your glow plug light come on? On my old 2.0 dti i never ever saw a glow plug light and it was a ****** on cold mornings. I had the software updated at my local dealers then the light would come on when engine was really cold i.e left overnight and would start fine, but if i left it for around four hours the ecu would think it hadnt cooled down enough for glow plugs, even though it had, so would start but run rough for a few seconds. I think its a design flaw with these engines

[Tom Jerrard]

as for glow plug issue, my 2.2DTI does this if you unplug the coolant temp sensor let the plugs do a cycle then try and start it, if starts ok then plug the sensor back in and get new coolant temp sensor, £10 of ebay. hope this helps