engine stalls

Hi - my friend has a vectra 18 (twin cam) the other day he give me a lift,
and it started to cut-out on occasions - any ideas?
once the 'engine man' light came on briefly
Fluke

 

idle control valve first port of call if your motor has one.
was this at slow down/pull away?

mike

 

....normally you'd see the engine idle speed "hunt" between a couple of
hundred revs and maybe 1k revs, with occasional stall. But agreed,
common problem.

 

yeah it was just as you say here - are these valves repairable or is it a
new one?? any ideas of a price for a new one

Fluke

 

easy to do with a can of WD40 and a paint brush.
its just a rotating half cam in an air chamber which is controlled by a
motor.
lets/dont air through.

simply gets gunked up with oil deposits and wont turn around

what i do is to fill it with wd40
put thumb over holes and shake like mad for about 5 mins
then stick it on an old cb power supply (or something with low current
output NOT A BATTERY!!!)
after giving the surfaces a good scrap / brush to get the hardened black
deposits off.

its quite a hardy bit so dont be afraid to scrap hard.
if it dont move still.
twist a driver infront/behind and work it back and forth from both access
holes
when it is clean it should rotate very freely with just a light push
it will be a pig to do the first time but very well worth it.

it makes the motor pull like new once done.

there is a guide on the net

http://82.34.50.33/sytemsandsoftwar...automotive/How_to/General/ecotecidlevalve.htm

one tip:
watch the rubber membrane, make sure it either sticks and stays to its
housing or comes off with the valve.
else it will split if it sticks to both surfaces, use a blade to easy it off
..

however. i doubt this is your only problem by the sounds of your description
but it is a start.

let me know

mike