i have a p reg 1996 vauxhall vectra 1600 petrol and its started spluttering and missing when i put my foot down, going uphill is especially bad. we were told by a mechanic it seems like a fuel problem. its had a new timing belt and plugs and we have run a bottle of redex through it. the problem seems slightly worse when its warm it seems to have gotten a lot worse over the last few days but since we put the redex in and the new timing belt (yesterday) it seems slightly better. do you have any idea what it might be?

jen harris, December 2007

if your spark plugs are black, in other words sooted up
this means the fuel mixture is running rich,this can mean many things, leak in pipes, cat converta,lambda sensor (oxygen sensor) even a leaking exhaust.It would better to get a ob2 code puller for your car,which will give you a fault code,and the code will relate to a specific fault.

These type's of faults can be very time consuming for the home mechanic,and your local garage should be able to get the fault code at a cost of £50 if you dont buy the code reader yourself! a code puller will cost approx £35

Michael Edwards, August 2008

could be cause of hg failure starting sw fc ow L5 @ ao l . co m

rich, December 2007