Holden Vectra Problems

You haven’t given me much to go on here, Rebecca. There are plenty of warning lights on a dashboard these days, and even a 2005 model will have a variety of lights that illuminate to tell you something’s not right.

There are also a host of reasons for the car not starting, so it’s all a bit hit and miss at this stage. To gain a better idea of what’s happening, you could grab the owner’s manual and try to identify what symbol has lit up and which of the car’s systems it represents. From there, you can start to narrow down the causes, but an electronic scan of the car at a workshop sounds like a pretty wise investment. The warning light might even be a by-product of the engine’s refusal to start, and may go out when the engine is finally running.

I’d check both the throttle body, which could need a clean, and the throttle-position sensor (TPS) which can fail or send incorrect information back to the computer. Both these components have a major effect on how a car idles and both can require maintenance or even replacement. Other possible causes could be worn fuel-injectors, a vacuum leak and a huge range of other possibilities. But those are the two I’d investigate first. Once I’d had the car scanned for fault codes, that is.

I’d love to know what a “certain distance” is. That would give me a much better chance of offering a sensible answer. If we’re talking 100km before the car loses drive, I’d be thinking that it’s something electrical perhaps or something to do with the on-board computer.

But if the loss of drive happens within the first 10 kilometres or so of each drive, then I’d be suspecting the transmission itself. Have you checked the level of the transmission fluid? Too much or not enough fluid in the gearbox can cause it to run hot enough to lose drive. Perhaps it’s the transmission cooler not behaving properly and maintaining things at the correct temperature.

Automatic gearboxes hate high temperatures and if you continue to drive it like this, there’s a good chance you’ll cook something.

Jump-starting a modern, computer-controlled car is fraught with dangers. Get it wrong and you can fry the electronics and that’s bound to cost plenty if you damage – and need to replace - the on-board brain. The conventional advice is to connect the positive lead of the jump-start kit to the positive terminal of your car, but attach the negative lead of the jump-pack to a solid, metal part of the car. As in, not the actual negative battery terminal. That reduces the chance of sparks that could ignite the flammable gasses batteries give off. Make sure the ignition is switched off when you connect, too.

The best advice is to also make sure you’re using a set of surge-protected jumper leads ort a jump-pack that’s similarly protected as it’s the power surge (or spike) that kills electronics. The other piece of advice is; if you’re unsure about jump-starting, leave it to somebody who knows.

I assume it won’t unlock using the remote, but guessing it probably would with the key. It could be an issue with the key, perhaps replace the battery, or with the sensor on the boot release.

Try wriggling the steering wheel; that can often free it. If it is really stuck or broken you are probably going to have to replace it.

You need to remove the timing cover on the engine, remove the old belt and fit the new one, it’s not terribly difficult. Costwise I would expect to be around $400-$600.

Clean the throttle body and check the throttle position sensor.

There could be a number of reasons it won’t start, from a battery that’s down, a problematic starter or starter solenoid, a poor electrical connection in the starter circuit, or a problem with the ignition switch.

It sounds like it's not running as it should, and is perhaps in need of a tune-up.