How annoying … cam and crank angle sensors fritzed

Back in 2000 we acquired a new Holden Vectra JS-II (automatic) via a novated lease. All has been fine with it until late last year when we noticed that there was an issue with the traction control coming on at inconvenient times, and one day (when the rain was, of course, bucketing down) it just refused to start at all. The NRMA bloke reckoned it was the alternator since there was absolutely no charge in the battery, and when he was jump starting the car there was a completely insufficient trickle charge heading to the battery.So … $560 for a reconditioned alternator and we figured we’d be ok.Not so.The traction control has still been coming on randomly (the workaround, incidentally, is to take the shift out of Drive and into 3rd before putting it back in drive), so I booked it in with our mechanics to get it looked at for yesterday.Last Friday I was coming back from the office and the engine management system warning light came on and stayed on. There’s a big scary warning message in the car’s handbook about this, so I didn’t drive it again until yesterday morning when I took it to the mechanic. The damn thing stalled on me and had a bit of a rough idle.It turns out that the cam and crank angle sensors are r00ted. The mechanics had to get a specialist from Holden involved to determine what the computer was telling them, since all the published materials they had said that the particular combination of information from the computer system was bogus.Guess where those sensors are inside the engine bay? Yes, you in the back row?That’s right, behind the timing belt! Ouch!In order to fix this properly, the mechanics are going to replace the timing belt, the timing belt tensioners and both sensors… and then they’re going to get a specialist out from Holden to come and re-certify the computer system innards.Expected cost starts at around AUD1200 … which is a most unwanted Spring Festival present.This morning I spent a few minutes using Google to see whether this has happened to others and of course, it has. The “IAC Valve” or Idle Air Control Valve also shows up as being a problem. Fortunately for me and J, our mechanics are not only on the ball, they’re thorough and reliable as well. So when I rang up to tell them what I’d found they told me that they’d done their homework too and had all of this info in hand to address.Could take a few days though, so it’ll be taxis if we need to get anywhere by car. .. image:: /images/smilies/icon_sad.gif

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