Holden Barina Problems

It honestly doesn’t sound too bad given the average dealership labour rate is usually something like $160 or even $200 per hour to the customer. Also, genuine Holden parts for this type of job will always be preferable to aftermarket parts, and if the quote is to drive the car in and drive it out again with a brand new turbocharger working perfectly, then the price is probably pretty good.

If you want to save money, you can always try to find an independent workshop, but make sure you use one that knows this type of car and this type of repair. And don’t be afraid to ask about where the new parts are coming from.

Is the engine turning but not starting, slow to start or not turning over at all? The answer to this question will determine where you look first. Hitting something lying on the road is more common than you might think. And it can cause absolute chaos, even causing enough damage to write the vehicle off in some cases.

If the car won’t turn over at all, your suspicions should first turn to the starter motor and its wiring. The wiring is pretty easily dislodged after an impact, so it could be something as simple as reconnecting that wiring.

If the engine is slow to turn you could have damaged the charging system that has allowed the car’s electrical system to stop charging properly, gradually flattening the battery which now struggles to turn the engine over. And if the engine turns over but won’t start, you could have any combination of wiring or mechanical damage that is preventing the thing firing.

The best advice is to get the vehicle on a hoist where you can safely and easily examine its underside with a torch. Look for any freshly exposed metal (which could indicate where the impact occurred) and take note of any oil, fuel or coolant leaks. From above, check the battery connections and other wiring and see if there’s anything loose, dented or smashed that could be cutting off the supply of fuel. Even a smashed-in or crushed exhaust system that is preventing the flow of gasses can cause problems like this. The problem could even be something as simple as a high-tension lead or crank-angle sensor wire that has come adrift from its proper attachment point as a result of the impact.

The brakes shouldn’t be applied at all if you’re trying to accelerate. What’s probably happening is that the brakes (likely the front calipers) are not releasing as you stop and take your foot off the brake pedal. Then, when you try to take off, the brakes are still applied somewhat and only break free once you hit the accelerator and convince the car to move.

Rebuilding the calipers should do the trick, but you may also have brake pads that are worn beyond their serviceable limit and need to be replaced. You should also check the rear brakes and the parking brake for poor adjustment and dragging.

This is important stuff, too, as driving with dragging or sticking brakes can overheat (and actually boil) the brake fluid, leaving you with no brakes when you need them most. And this sort of problem will only get worse over time, not better.

The answer to this will depend on exactly which model Barina you have. In some models (typically earlier ones) the code is simply a servicing reminder to make sure the owner knows maintenance is due.

But in some versions of the Barina of this era, fault code 89 usually relates to a problem with the car’s thermostat. So don’t drive it any farther as the faulty thermostat could cause the engine to overheat with catastrophic results. Have a mechanic check things out and see if the thermostat is indeed faulty. If it is, it’s a relatively cheap fix, certainly compared with the cost of a new engine.

Sometimes the code relates to a switch in the thermostat that is responsible for switching on the car’s electric fans, but either way, it could lead to overheating. Don’t ignore it in any case.

Since you’ve been driving manual cars for many years now, you’ll be aware that some gearshifts are just better than others. However, none should be causing you to apply lots of force just to select a gear.

You could be dealing with a worn clutch which is making selection difficult, or a selector mechanism (cables, linkages and pivots) that are worn or have run out of lubricant. Even the adjustment of the shift cables can cause a problem like this.

I’d start with lubricating everything that connects the gearstick to the transmission and work the lever through the gears a few times to see if the lubricant makes any difference. If not, you might have to dig a bit deeper, checking for frayed shift cables of frozen joints. If you’re really unlucky, you may have wear or damage inside the gearbox that is making it difficult to select first gear.

But in the meantime, you can try this trick. When you’re stopped at the lights and ready to select first, instead of going straight for that gear, slip the lever into second for a brief moment and then try for first. Sometimes, this can assist selecting first, as you’re using the synchromesh on second to help with engaging first. This is often a great trick for a worn transmission.

It sounds like the new head gasket isn’t working properly and the car is still overheating. Or, the root problem wasn’t the head gasket in the first place, or that the mechanic missed something crucial that allowed the new head gasket to fail almost straight away.

Was the cylinder head checked for straightness? Was the cylinder block checked for cracks? A warped cylinder head or cracked block or bore can give symptoms just like a failed head gasket, but replacing the gasket won’t fix them. I think you need to have a deep and meaningful conversation with your mechanic and work out a plan to either dig further into the engine or replace it with a second-hand unit that’s been tested. The latter is probably the smarter, cheaper way to go. Either way, though, you risk spending more on the car than it’s actually worth. Maybe it’s time for something newer, more efficient and safer, not to mention more reliable.

This could simply be a case of the engine’s idle speed being set too low. If that’s the case, even though it’s firing on all four cylinders, it can feel rough and lumpy as though there’s something major wrong. Then, as you increase the revs, the engine smooths out and feels normal again. Even a worn or broken engine mount can amplify vibrations at idle, as can an exhaust leak.

A good mechanic will be able to tell you quickly whether this is the case or if, in fact, the engine really is dropping a cylinder at idle. If the latter is the case, you may have a dud spark plug, ignition wire, sensor or even a blocked or dirty fuel filter. Again, most mechanics won’t have a problem tracking this one down.

In most cars, a red dashboard light suggests a serious problem that needs addressing now. An orange light, meanwhile, is trying to tell you that something slightly less important is going on. But something that still needs attention sooner rather than later. In a Barina, the orange light could be indicating anything from a check-engine warning to low fuel level.

The blue light, meanwhile, is more likely to be indicating that the coolant temperature is still low and you should drive gently until it is warmed up.

The fact that the scan doesn’t throw up a fault code could be an indication that it’s something pretty fundamental at fault here. Have you checked the car’s earth points and the tightness and cleanliness of the battery terminals? Apparently simple things like this can easily cause a random misfire. How is the condition of the battery and the charging rate? Modern engines hate low operating voltages.

But don’t rule out a problem with the fuel system, either. You might have a faulty fuel pump or a dirty fuel filter or even a dud injector that’s causing the glitch. Don’t forget to check the wiring to these components, either as a simple loose wire could be the problem.

If you do need to dig deeper, you could try checking the engine’s compression and the clearances of the engine valves. Even something like a cracked cylinder head or faulty head gasket can cause a misfire that shows up at, say, a particular engine temperature, but not at other times.

The only real way to properly overcome a dashboard – or a 'check engine’ – warning light is to fix the problem that caused it to light up in the first place. Cars like yours have lots of sensors dotted around them to keep an eye on things like the emissions controls and a small glitch in one of these can cause the warning light to illuminate.

The best way forward is to have the car electronically scanned at a workshop equipped to do so. From there, the car can tell the mechanic what’s wrong and you can pinpoint the exact problem. Otherwise you’ll be stabbing in the dark, as these systems can be very complex and made up by lots of different sensors and triggers, all of which can give the same warning light.

Beyond that, a car’s oxygen sensor (which lives in the exhaust system and sniffs the engine’s emissions) is a likely culprit. But don’t guess: scan the car’s computer and find out for sure.