all of a sudden as i was driving along my car went realy sluggish and the engine management light come on and started flashing car wont pick up speed as it usualy does. before this if i went over 2100 revs used to feel turbo kick in but turbo doesnt kick in anymore

pete, September 2009

It seems to be a common problem with vauxhalls, my 2ltr astra van did this and so too did a friends 1.7 astra van. when you lift the bonnet up the are 2 egr valves by the battery and one on the other side behind engine if i remember corrrect. Itsounds to me like one of those has packed up(they all have same part no on them) I bought one then changed it between the three positions until fault was cured. Think it was around £105+vat from vaux.

james, September 2009

hi thanks for reply the car is 1998 s reg

pete, September 2009

First check the engine oil level. If it's low or the oil is in poor condition this will affect the vacuum pump.
Check all the air and vacuum hoses, make sure they are all firmly fitted and there are no splits or holes.
If the EML has been on, a fault code should have been stored. You need to get the car plugged in to diagnostics equipment to get the codes read.
Basic code read is about £30 at an independent garage. Be aware that a lot of generic code readers will not work with Vauxhall diesels, you may have to go to a Vauxhall dealer or find an independent who has "tech 2" (vauxhall official) diagnostics.
The code will tell you which sensor or actuator has registered a fault. It does NOT necessarily mean the part itself is faulty.
What year is the car, the engines and management systems vary considerably over the models life.

digger, September 2009