11th May 2015, 07:27
I bought a 2001 Barina for my daughter, and the power drops down on and off when you are driving it. It completely cuts out when you are slowing down and now it has intermittent start problems. I had the starter motor replaced last Tuesday and it died again on Sunday. The RAA thought it was the starter motor, but I just got that checked and it is OK and now starting fine. I assume it will die again in the next few days.
Has anyone any ideas? The garage said to take it to the auto electrician when it dies again. He has had the car on and off for the other problems, and could not find the problem.
Any suggestions please, as we just want to get the starting issue fixed and get rid of the car. It is a death trap.
16th May 2015, 23:55
I have a 2003 Barina CD, manual, and the speedo has begun playing up. At first it was just a little wobble, and now it is sometimes wobbling around 40-50km/h when I'm on a highway doing 100km/h (I gauge my speed off my tacho). It is an intermittent problem, sometimes it works perfectly, but it is getting more and more frequent.
Talked to an auto electrician and he said it could be a whole range of things, varying from $200 to over $1000. I am a uni student, so I don't really have the money to put it in in case they come back asking for $1000.
I have also recently noticed that if I'm driving at night and turn my high beams on, the speedo will drop considerably if it is playing up, and then when I turn the high beams off, it will return (at least a lot closer) to my actual speed. Anyone have any ideas?
Also, just recently on cold mornings if I turn my car on, my radio (Blaupunkt) will come on full volume, scaring the hell out of me, and probably disturbing neighbours. However, once the car has warmed up to normal running temperatures, the radio will run at its normal volume that it was set at. I've taken to just having the radio turned off until the car is warm enough.
If anyone has any ideas on how to fix these problems, I would appreciate it greatly!
4th Jun 2015, 04:30
I've got Barina problems also. Sounds like it floods constantly on starting and won't start. NRMA went over it, but couldn't locate the source. An auto electrician had it for four hours and also can't find the fault.
thecoreyr1@gmail.com
24th Jul 2015, 02:08
Yes, it was the connector on the back of the instrument cluster. A quick fix to get the car started is to tap the instrument cluster till it comes on. The real fix is to pull the instrument cluster out, clean the contacts and very slightly bend each pin so they make a firm connection. Fixed an old cluster for free. Dealer wanted $600+ for a new instrument cluster.
24th Jul 2015, 21:57
Locate a UK forum for Vauxhall or Opel Corsa, as these are known, they would be discussing a lot of common problems.
6th Aug 2015, 04:11
I bought a Holden Barina XC 2001 in 2011. When I bought the car, it had done 165,000 km and it currently has about 180,000 km on it - I don't drive much. I haven't had any major problems until recently. A few months ago it had been driving odd, sluggish when the emissions light came on. I got it serviced, then took it to an auto electrician. Got it scanned, then got the spark plugs changed, new coil pack, new cam sensor ($530). The emission light went off and it seemed to be driving fine for a few months.
Recently it stalled at the lights and just wouldn't start, and the emission light came back on. RACQ thankfully got it going and I went to get a new battery ($170). It happened again, then I took it back to my auto electrician. He put in a new EGR valve and a new ECU ($1260). It seemed fine, no error codes, driving OK. Then last week it happened again. I was just sitting at the lights when the emissions light flickered, it stalled and would not start. Took it to a different auto electrician who scanned it and said he thought it was the ECU again. Have to take it back to the original auto electrician next week.
Am beyond broke. I will tell everyone I know until the end of time never to buy Holden.
18th Oct 2015, 02:16
I am also looking for this relay. Do you know what location number it is in the box next to the battery? The cover has no details at all except location numbers.
2nd Nov 2015, 15:22
Hope this helps:
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt160/roygrave/fusebox.jpg
9th Nov 2015, 11:06
I have a 2002 Holden Barina 3 door, which I bought in 2006. In about 2007 the emission light came on and the coil needed to be replaced for around $800. Since then the light has come on a few times and the auto electrician I went to said something in the exhaust system needed to be cleaned out, which he did for a cost of about $300. I had been putting 95 petrol in it. The light came on again once on my way to the West Coast, but I kept on driving and the light went out on the way back. I guess it cleared itself. I kept on putting 95 in it. Then the light came on again, so I kept driving it and the light went out, and I now put in 91 petrol. Hopefully I will have no more problems with the light coming on, or if it does, I will take it for a long drive.
I have found this car to be great, although I have been told it is a Nanas car, but who cares, it gets me from A to B!!!
10th Nov 2015, 05:29
The XC Barina engine is fitted with a very troublesome device called an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valve. It looks like this:
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzAwWDcwMA==/z/-vIAAOSwyQtVhXGa/$_75.JPG
These either fail or get sooted-up on a too-regular basis and raise the check engine light.
If the car is driven short distances then it's bound to get sooted-up, and a long hard drive can often clear the problem.
It can be cleaned with carby cleaner. I have had to do this to a friend's XC a number of times over the last few years. Her car is driven only short distances.
Holden charges a small fortune to replace it. Anyone handy with a spanner can do it for $100 or less in parts (check eBay).
In England, where the car is known as the Opel Corsa, many owners have simply replaced the EGR valve with a metal plate.
5th May 2015, 00:47
The Holden Barina XX 2001 has a problem from the coil pack. Missing, warning lights coming from dashboard. A coil pack is expensive ($300), but it's easy to replace, it only needs special allen keys. I had the same problem and I bought a secondhand coil pack for $45; all problems have been solved.
Retired motor mechanic and mechanical engineer.