1999 Holden Vectra JS CD 2.2 petrol from Australia and New Zealand
Summary:
Sensible
Faults:
Exhaust and muffler rusted after 7 years - replaced.
False OBD/engine light illumination caused by loose sensor connector - refitted by the dealer at no cost.
Coolant system is very touchy, and requires an annual flush to run smoothly.
'Twaomp' noise from the wheels, replaced bearings, brake pads and rotors, but the noise is still there. Does not effect performance or the vehicle.
Recently, the vehicle misfired whist travelling at freeway speed. It felt as though I'd just driven over a speed bump at 100km/h, although the road was clean and level. The car continued a further 2 or 3 km before doing the same thing. Concurrently the tacho started jumping erratically, and even red lining, all while the vehicle was barely ticking over 3,000 RPM. The car then proceeded to stall, and I lost control of the power steering.
The car was able to restart, but the RAC advised it was best to have a tow back to a repairer.
The mechanic checked the OBD with a scan tool, and a series of faults, including misfire and ignition problems, were identified. On their advice, I replaced the crank angle sensor and the cam sensor.
After about 2 hour of idling in the workshop, I was informed that the mechanics could not make the vehicle 'fault' to replicate the previous issue, and that it performed well on the test drive.
I drove out of the workshop with no problems, and the repairs certainly fixed the issue with the tachometer.
A few days later, whist driving on the freeway in wet, cold conditions, the car's temperature was fluctuating between warm and hot. As soon as it reached about 98 degrees, it would drop down to warm again. This continued for about 20 minutes. Then, in almost the same way as before, I lost power on the throttle; it rev'ed but would not pick up speed. I'm travelling at 100km with my foot on the accelerator getting minimal response. The gearbox would not shift down gears as the car slowed past 50km/h or even at 30km/h. The engine just cut out in top gear, and I lost power steering at about about 30km/h. There was no problem restarting the engine, but the problem persisted and the engine light illuminated. I continued to drive, pulling over every 5 minutes to let the car rest and cool down.
It seems to happen when I'm travelling a distance further than 10 minutes from home.
Since then I have put the car in the naughty corner, and started catching the bus.
I don't know what to do now. I'm thinking that it could be a fuel injector problem or a vacuum leak, but aside from that - I'm out of answers. Do you have any ideas?
General Comments:
Remember, this is the good 4 cylinder 2.2 ecoline engine with auto transmission.
Handles extremely well.
Excellent 'pick-up' on the throttle, with power delivered instantaneously.
Suspension is brilliant - can hardly feel speed bumps or rough roads.
Interior controls are well placed.
Good fuel economy.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 17th June, 2011
18th Jun 2011, 02:25
Just curious, what does your heading Sensible refer too? Sounds more like it would be sensible to get rid of it ASAP. There's a huge number of negative reviews of this car on this site. I feel real sorry for anyone who owns one. The daughter of a friend of mine bought a year 2000 auto 2.0L Holden Vectra privately secondhand, I warned her not to buy it, but their 'family mechanic friend' who was actually just the owner of a wreckers gave it the 'all clear'. Sure enough, it ended up being a total dog, and she junked it in disgust, bought a Corolla, and never looked back...
17th Jun 2011, 17:55
Read the other reviews on JS Vectras here. Sounds like you had a very lucky run out of an otherwise unreliable vehicle. Time to move on.