2002 Vauxhall Zafira problem pulling away when cold starting

Car: Vauxhall Zafira
Year: 2002
Variant: 1.8 manual
Categories: Running Rough, Starting & Power Loss
When I start engine from cold without touching the the throttle the engine revs to just over 2000 rpm then drops instantly to 1000-1300 (idling when cold rpm which is normal ) but fluctuates slightly sounding like the engine is about to cut out if you know what I mean . I guess sounding rough is what I am trying to say.
Then within about 2mins it revs up to just before 2000 rpm drops down to idling normal . At that point you can drive away with no probs and it's fine , if you drive away without waiting for this to happen from a cold start you drive down the road with acceleration one second then no acceleration the next which annoys other drivers and looks like you can't drive . There was no fault light on And I got my friend to have a look as he has a machine to plug in. There was no fault according to the test he performed but he maybe thought that the lambda sensor needed replacing .

This has been happening for about 4-6 weeks now . At first we didn't get any lights on the dashboard but about a week ago(the day after the machine test) we got the engine shape light on . I asked my friend to plug it in again and it showed up fault "fuel trim malfunction bank 1" code p0170 . I don't know whether this is related to the cold start prob or I have another thing wrong but I started to remember about a year ago we got the engine shape light on the dashboard for about 2weeks then it went off but we didn't have an issue with starting engine from cold . Could it be I have 2 faults ? . On reading posts on here and the net I'm guessing the engine coolant temperature sensor but I am also reading it could be the mass air flow . Can't they make it simple (aaaaghhhh!) any ideas and rough prices for these parts . Please help ! !
Posted: Mar 2, 2011 (13 years ago)
Engine coolant temp sensor sounds favourite , usually about £10- £15.
Posted Mar 3, 2011 (13 years ago)
many thanks for the help but i changed the air flow and 2 weeks on touch wood its running fine .
Posted Mar 15, 2011 (13 years ago)
Hi David,

I have the exact same car and problem and as I live in a valley, driving out of it in the mornings can be very slow and embarassing if someone is following.

You say you changed the airflow, what exactly was that? Was it the intake air temp sensor?

Just got the Haynes manual, so hopefully get the spanners out at the weekend.
Posted Mar 22, 2011 (13 years ago)

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