Opel Corsa D engine issue?

Question

I have a 2011 1.4 petrol Corsa D.

When accelerating the car lurches. This doesn't happen all the time and is seemingly random. It may happen when I accelerate from 60 on the motorway back to 70 or 30 to 40 etc. It feels like it loses power for a split second then regains power and loses it again until stabilising.

Another potential symptom is that the engine ticks. This again isn't constant but seems to happen after driving for a couple of minutes. It isn't noticeable when driving. The tick stays constant and does not change when applying any throttle (the sound just fades into the background).

No warning lights present.

Does anyone have any idea what the cause of this is? If you need any more information let me know!

Answer 1

My first thought, having owned 3 Opels/Vauxhalls (including two Corsas), is the coil pack. When it starts to die, you get the symptoms you are describing. Your #2 cylinder's spark plug isn't firing properly, so under load conditions the spark may be too weak to ignite the air/fuel mix, causing a misfire. If I'm right, the problem should get progressively worse until it starts doing it even when not accelerating. In the end it either won't start, or won't keep running. Also, when it finally stops firing completely on one of more cylinders, there should be a horrible sound very similar to serious rod knock (don't worry, it's just the engine idling in a weird sequence).

Have your coil pack, plug leads and spark plugs tested. They're fairly cheap to replace. And replace all those things. When the coilpack goes, it takes a spark plug and/or plug lead with it.