1996 Vauxhall Vectra LS from UK and Ireland - Comments

The Cat blew at 38,000 miles.

New timing belt and pulleys 40,000.

Water pump failed at 76,000.

Idle air control unit failed and throttle position switch (engines revs for no apparent reason)

Consistently damp boot, can't find leak.

New front disks and pads.

Seal in steering rack has failed (needs new rack)

Stem switch has failed, headlights flash after using indicators.

Engines stalls for no reason, very scary when turning corners.

Engine management light comes on for days at end, then is OK for weeks?

New camshaft sensor fitted.

Faulty radio/temp digital display, only certain pixels are lit.

Drivers side window jams on seal resulting in window falling out.

Recalled while it was being repaired by the dealer, spot welds on rear archs failed and had to be bolted.

Definitely a car to have a love hate relationship with.

The dealer had it for a full week just to tell me "it has a problem, but we can't find it", "bring it back when it gets worse"

Car has great economy, looks good and is very comfy. Love it when it's running fine. Talked to loads of other owners, most seem to have had the same problems, basically a dodgy engine management system.

I should have looked at this site before investing my £1700 on a '96 P! I'm gonna need a new idle air control unit (engines revs for no apparent reason)

Brakes squeal despite new pads

The new power steering rack was unbelievably loud for the first month,

Engines stalls for no reason,

Engine management light comes on for days at end, then is OK for weeks? This is your comment, but I couldn't word it better myself!

Faulty radio/temp digital display, only certain pixels are lit.

Drivers side window very slow.

Like the car when its OK, but find myself hating it most days now.

I had my P reg Vectra from almost new and everything in the original comment went wrong with it, apart from the window falling out.

In addition the hand brake cable snapped at 30,000 miles and the handbrake return springs rusted away at 25,000 - not a major problem, but my dealer failed to spot it!

There must have been something about that car because I kept it until 2003 before trading it in - the longest I have ever kept a car. It was very comfortable to drive, had a good performance and if the repair bills are ignored it was economical for a family car.

If it was just engineered better it would have been a great motor however I am afraid that it has put me off buying another Vauxhall.

Just picked up a Vectra LS "R" 1998.

On cold startup there's this rather loud droning noise coming from the engine.

After a few seconds it ceases and back to the normal almost silent engine idle we go.

Is this a standard thing on some models I ask myself?!

Having done a little search here and there on the net, but with no success so far.

Vectra 1.8 ls r-reg.

I too have a strange sound upon starting in the morning, a bit like a hairdryer then after a few minutes it goes off, I also have had no luck in finding out what this is.

Before starting the engine, lift the bonnet then start the engine. Now go to the front of the car and you will notice the noise coming from a round object fitted to the inside of the nearside wing. We have just bought a 1996 Vectra LS and also wondered what this noise was. Still do not know what this contraption does. This car too has the same problems as above, but mechanically, these vehicles are excellent with many taxi firms using them for their reliability. I know of some cars that have done over 200,000 miles and are still going strong. Pity about the poor ECU and niggly electrical problems as these spoil what is essentially a good car.

Is the round object like a pulley? it is called a re-tensioner. It is recommended that the timing belt assembly and water pump be replaced or re-adjusted before 40KM.

Re: Noise on vectra engines on cold start.

It is nothing to worry about, it is just the "heat sheild"

The noise goes after a few minutes when engine warms up.

If your Vectra makes a "droning" or "whining" noise (perhaps like a hairdryer or washing machine) for about 20 seconds to 1.25 minutes after a cold start (time varies due to air temperature) it is most likely the Auxiliary Air Pump. This is a round black device partly lodged in the passenger wing of the engine bay. It's function is to pump fresh air into the exhaust to warm up the catalytic converter, reducing emissions during startup & preventing damage to the cat by the over rich mixture.

These air pumps fail very often, first the bearings wear out, you get a whining or grinding noise; then later, they sieze up & stop working completely.

The most usual reason they fail, is to to a faulty valve down near the exhaust manifold. This is a vacuum controlled valve, it's purpose is to open when the pump is running & to allow fresh air into the cat. When the pump turns off (under ECU control), the valve shut off too. However, as the valve wears, exhaust fumes leak back into the pump. The corrosive gas damages the pump, makes it wear out faster.

So, you need to change the pump & the valve to fix the problem. If you leave it too long, you may need to replace the cat, a very expensive job.

I got a Vectra from a car auction. I think it has been stood for about 5 months. The brakes hardly work. I have bled the brakes and still nothing. They might be seized. Not a clue, but I need help?

Vauxhall Vectra 54 plate. The windscreen washers would not work. The nozzles have been blown with a air hose and the pump has been replaced with a vauxhall pump. Now the lever has to be pulled about four times before water appears on the screen and then it only dribbles about two inches up the screen. Can anyone suggest what is wrong as the garage can't fix it.

Re: windscreen washer.

Could it be as simple as a busted non return valve under the bonnet? about £1 from your local halfords.

I bought a '99 T vectra gls couple of weeks ago. Since then, the car stalls on idle so I replaced idle control valve. No change, and the engine management light comes on randomly and restricts power for a few minutes. Then the oil light comes on for a few seconds and then the engine management light goes on.

However when I brought the car, it ran very smoothly at idle and while driving, but now the engine sounds almost like the air intake hose is not connected (very thumpy sounding). I had cylinder compression tested and it was fine. I changed air filter, spark plugs; am at witts end already. It took me months to save for this car; now its costing me more already. I am waiting for it to break down completely so I then have no choice but to shell out on having a garage look at it!

I have a V Reg vauxhall vectra 2.2 automatic and the engine management light has come on. I'm supposed to be going to France in it tomorrow, and all the garages are shut because it's a bank holiday; should I drive it or not? Its not showing anything wrong at all.

You don't say if the revs are affected, if when you rev it the engine won't rev past 4000 then it's a sensor and the car is in ' limp home mode ' if 1500 revs then I wouldn't chance it as any missfire on the engine will destroy your cat convertor costing you more than the cars worth,

A lot of the problem is in the wiring that attaches the sensor as they become damaged by the heat over a period of time and then become conductive giving a signal to the ecu that theres a problem, so its your call if the car feels OK revs OK and temp good I would take the risk.

You can try turning the engine off and restarting when the light comes on, works for me.