Black smoke and loss of power in a 2001 petrol Opel Vivaro: Possible fuel pump problems

Hey colleague, the same thing happened to me with my 2004 Astra. I recently had a similar problem, similar symptoms to your Vivaro. Blackout when accelerating, strong exhaust smell, jerky engine...all there. In my case, it turned out that it was actually the fuel pump module. The thing was broken and had to be replaced. The mechanics at the garage did a full service on my car and it's been running like clockwork ever since. Don't get me wrong, it certainly wasn't a minor jolt, had to leave the car in the garage for a few days. They had to remove the whole module and put a new one in. So yes, it may well be a serious problem showing up. The fuel pump module being faulty can cause a lot of trouble. But it's nothing you need to worry too much about. Just go to the mechanic, get it checked and replaced if necessary. Hope this helps you.

(Translated from German)

Hey, thanks for the reply, that does indeed sound like the symptoms my Vivaro is showing. Can you remember how much the repair cost you? And has anything else come up since then, or is your Astra now running smoothly?

(Translated from German)

Hey, yes of course! The repair was a bit expensive, it cost me 640€, but it was worth it. I haven't had any further problems with my Astra since then. After the mechanics fixed the faulty fuel pump, my car is running smoothly again. In the end, it was good to have replaced the fuel pump module. It can hurt to spend so much at once, but it's better to fix it now than have more problems and costs later. So if you're sure you have the same symptoms, I would definitely recommend getting it fixed. Stay tuned and let us know how it goes!

(Translated from German)

Thanks for sharing your experience with me. I wasn't sure what to do as I don't know much about cars. Now I feel like I have a better idea of what is going on. I'm going to take my Vivaro to the garage and have the fuel pump module checked. Whatever it takes, it's better to get the problem fixed early, otherwise this will mount up to an even bigger problem. I'll keep you posted as soon as I know more. Thanks again!

(Translated from German)