Holden Captiva Engine Problems

Check the fuel pump and the turbocharger.

It is worth fixing, you will only have more trouble if you don’t. Cost depends on the engine. If it’s a V6 it could cost as much as $3000, a 4-cylinder less.

The computer is getting a message that the engine is overheating. You have replaced the temperature sensor, so check the connections, and the wiring looking for a wire that might have shorted out.

If you’re referring to the little light in the shape of an engine, or a `check-engine’ light, then you have at least one problem that the computer is identifying and warning you about. It’s the vehicle’s way of letting you know that something needs to be attended to.

But what exactly? Well, the best way to find out what’s wrong is to have the vehicle scanned electronically, at which point the computer should give up all the car’s dirty little secrets. Sometimes the fix will be very simple, at other times it can be a result of a major system failures. Either way, it needs to be checked before the damage becomes more extensive and/or the car becomes unroadworthy.

It needs to be fixed, it’s worth very little if you don’t repair it. There’s no reason to believe that you won’t get many more years out of it if you do have it repaired.

It sounds like the entire car is shutting down. And if that happens at speed, or just as you’re preparing to pull out into moving traffic, that’s an incredibly dangerous thing to be happening. The best advice is to have the car scanned electronically, at which point the real problem might raise its head.

Beyond that, you’re clutching at straws, because whatever is going on is a fairly serious problem. Scanning the on-board computer doesn’t take long, and diagnosing the problem this way will save you time and money in the long run. It might even save you from a crash.

The cost including a new alternator should be $1000 to $1200.

The cap has a hex nut on it and you can unscrew it using a regular hex socket. It’s a regular right hand thread. If it’s really tight just go easy, don’t apply too much force.

It’s hard to diagnose from a distance. As the engine appears to be running ok, the noise and black smoke might well be a particulate filter burn-off event, but you wouldn’t normally expect to see smoke or hear what sounds like an explosion. The dealer can check the filter and the burn-off history, so they should be able to see if there has been an event. I would think the transmission problem is a separate issue, and the transmission might need servicing.

Never let things slide if you feel your car has a problem. Pursue a solution until you are satisfied you have the answer. It’s not a good idea to miss services, particularly on cars with turbochargers. Keeping a fresh supply of oil is the key to trouble-free motoring with turbos. There’s every chance the turbo was faulty when you first noticed it, and having missed a service you probably contributed to the failure. There’s probably not a lot you can do, except to pay for the repairs.