hi all hope someone can help thanks for reading. il start from the beginning. engine management light suddenly came on one morning the car seemed ok but wasnt liking uphills to the point i would start the bottom of the hill at 50mph in 4th gear and by the top of the hill im in 2nd going 25mph or less depending of the hill (this is with my right foot going thru the floor). after making it home called up my mechanic he came out with his diagnostic kit and told my its a missfire and id need to replace the spark plugs and coilpack after this it still didnt seem right so he replaced the air intake sensor it made a small difference to the sound of the car but driving it again it still wasnt going up hills very well. then the next thing i no it wont even start after a few attempts i wasnt even getting any lights nor was the engine even attempting to turn over so i went inside called my man and he said it was the battery so today i got a new battery and it works she starts but still struggles to go uphill. im now being told that it could be a problem with the starter motor and maybe that the new air intake sensor needs time to program with the ecu but im not sure any ideas please will help.
Since this is a US-based website, the first thing you should know is that none of us are familiar with Vauxhalls, which haven’t been sold in the US for over 4 decades. However, I would venture to say that most of us wouldn’t be surprised to hear that a car with a 1 liter engine has “no power”.
;-))
All joking aside, however, my best guess from across the pond would be that you should check the output pressure of the fuel pump. Another thought is…When was the last time (if ever) that the fuel filter was changed?
Or, this could be a case of a clogged catalytic converter–assuming that your mystery-vintage Vauxhall has a catalytic converter. Without any information regarding the model year of your car, we just wouldn’t know about that detail.
And without the actual Diagnostic Trouble Codes that were set when the Engine Management Light came on, everything is just speculation for us. Can you give us a bit more information about your car?
The starter motor effects engine power ? I don’t think so.
A gutless engine generally points to a fuel delivery issue, clogged converter, or worn engine.
My memory is a bit hazy but I seem to remember there was another gutless Vauxhall Corsa that won’t climb a hill complaint not too long ago on this forum.
So could this mean?
A. Same person, same complaint.
B. All Vauxhall Corsas are gutless and won’t climb a hill. (1 naturally aspirated Liter is grasping…)
C. Current owner bought the car from the person who complained about it here.
My suggestion would be a compression test and check for clogged converter.
Struggling over a hill sounds like my old 40 Horse VW Bug… 
What is a 52 Plate ?
Googled the 52 Plate. It means the car was first registered in the UK between Sept. 2002 and March 2003. So it is easily the age to suspect a clogged catalytic converter. Buy a vacuum gauge, the instructions should tell you how to diagnose a clogged cat. If not the instructions are available online.
Sounds like the engine can’t breathe, because of a clogged cat
I think this guy is in the UK, because Vauxhall is GM’s right hand drive line. I wonder if the check engine light on this car also flashes when the pcm detects a severe misfire
“im now being told that it could be a problem with the starter motor and maybe that the new air intake sensor needs time to program with the ecu”
That just don’t make any sense . . . I wonder who’s telling him this stuff
the starter motor is not a factor, once the engine’s running
if the pcm sees irrational values from the iat sensor, it’ll ignore it and switch to default values
I’m totally unfamiliar with the English versions of our emissions requirements/systems, but a motor is a motor, and I have to assume that a good diagnostician in any country would basically hook it up to a scope at this point and check the ignition system. If the cause isn’t found there, the next step would be to test the fuel delivery system and then check for blockage of the exhaust system. Checks like compression and vacuum would also be assumed, to assess the motor’s condition and find any vacuum leaks or valve problems.
I’m not going to criticize the mechanic, because it sounds like he just plugged an OBD reader into the ECU, read codes, and made some educated guesses, and it really needs the shop equipment. Besides that the posts are unclear to me, so I’m inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.
The bottom line is that it needs to go into the shop for a few hours to really dig into it.
I rented one of those Vauxhalls with auto and air, and it was adequately powered. However, I believe like others, that this car may have a plugged cat or a collapsed exhaust pipe due to some impact.