Daewoo Problems

There’s not a lot of good news here for the home mechanic, I’m afraid. No doubt some of the code-readers you can buy online will do the job, but it’s all a bit of a lottery. In many cases, you’re buying a code-reader from overseas, and while it might cover the car you own, it might be loaded with the software for a different version of the same model. Also, you can’t update the reader with new software as it becomes available and, in many cases, you’ll need more than one code-reader to cover all of the car’s systems.

According to a lot of workshops, generic code-readers aren’t worth the bother and will often only give you the fault code-number, rather than an explanation of what the fault actually is. Sometimes, they’ll just flash up a message that you should refer the problem to a dealership. Not very helpful.

I spoke to a Daewoo specialist workshop about this and was told that the code-readers worth bothering with start at about $8000 and go all the way to $12,000. Which, I imagine, is more than you wanted to spend.

Is it using oil? Does it blow smoke from the exhaust? If the answer to those questions is no, then I would be looking for an oil leak from the engine.

The idle stepper motor would seem to be an obvious cause of the problem, but look at doing things like cleaning the throttle body and making sure there are no vacuum leaks, which can sometimes cause a high idle speed. If you want to get it checked take it to a mechanic, the problem is more likely to be mechanical than electrical.

Changing oil and filters regularly is good insurance for ensuring the longevity of your engine, and 5000 km is a good interval. I wouldn't change it.

That's a long time to be sitting without being started. Drain the fuel tank and put fresh fuel in it, and check that you're getting spark at the spark plug.

It is common for cars running E10 fuel to be a little more difficult to start than they are on regular unleaded. Try unleaded and see if the problem persists. A rotten egg smell is usually a sign of a problem with the catalytic converter.

I assume it’s stalling on start-up and not stalling once it’s up and going. I would be checking the cold enrichment system, which seems fine in cold conditions, but not doing the job on warmer days.