Three problems
I have recently bought a 2000 Vauxhall Vectra B 2.0 petrol with automatic transmission and the four-door saloon body style. I have three problems for which I need your help: 1) The temperature gauge on the dash has stopped working. When this happened, the engine management light came on for about nine seconds, then went out. The radiator fan in the engine bay still comes on when the vehicle has warmed up and cold starts are still fine. I believe the likely cause is failure of the sensor which sends information to the temperature gauge. Can you advise me where this is located on this model? 2) My EOBDII code reader will not read any fault codes with this car. Is there a
suitable alternative device? 3) The car has climate control, but the fan speed only works on the ‘very fast’ setting.
Where is the control pack located, so I can replace it? Steven Jones I concur that the temperature sender may need replacing. It can be found at the end of the engine and is hidden under the DIS ignition module. Once the ignition module is removed, you should be able to clearly see the temperature sender.
The codes can be read after ensuring the ignition is off and bridging terminal 6 in the diagnostic plug to earth. With the wide section of the plug at the top, the terminals are counted from left to right; this means terminal 6 is third from the right in the top row. Switch on the ignition and the fault codes should be displayed in flashes of the engine management light. The fault code will consist of four groups of one or more flashes: the first flash or flashes being the first digit of the trouble code, followed by a short pause before the second digit is flashed out, then the third and fourth. Ten flashes = zero. So one flash followed by a short pause, followed by one flash and another short pause, followed by three flashes and a short pause, followed by two flashes, would indicate the code 1132. This is followed by a longer pause before the next code is started or the same code is repeated. Codes can only be fully cleared using suitable diagnostic equipment. The Foxwell NT414 Pro at £199 – http://bit.ly/1mwdymb – should be suitable, but I would confirm this with the retailer before purchasing.
The heater fan speed control pack is located within the fan housing. This can be accessed by removing the wipers, scuttle panel and pollen filter housing, then releasing the bolts from the fan housing cover and extracting the fan. The series resistor should now be visible. Disconnect the wiring and the resistor can be pulled out. This does not apply to vehicles with ECC.
Vehicles with electronic climate control have the control unit under the centre of the dash, low down near the driver’s pedals. The unit is about the size of a pack of playing cards and has two multiplugs connecting it.