February 2003
I have a 1997 Astra TD. 1.7 GM SOHC engine. 36,000 miles. Vauxhall suggest 8 year/80,000 mile cam belt renewal, which seems a bit ambitious to me.
Naturally reluctant to a) part with the best part of £200 to let the main dealer renew the belt and b)have somebody else wreck my engine (I can do that!), I consulted the Haynes manual.
Haynes describe a procedure involving special Vauxhall tools, and a Dial Test Indicator to time the camshaft and fuel injector.
Has anybody done this job themselves? If so, is it not possible to carefully mark the old belt prior to removal (at crank, injector and cam), transfer these marks to the new belt, fitting it so that they all line up with no slack?
I've changed cam belts before, but would I be better coughing up the cash this time, can I do it as outlined above, or should I buy the special tools?
Has anybody known of belt failure in these engines? If so, at what mileage/under what conditions?
Could I get away with leaving it a bit longer?
The car has been well looked after and is driven sensibly - but mainly for shortish journeys.
Should the water pump be renewed at the same time as a matter of course?
Thank you for reading this, and please help if you can.
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I've recently purchased an N-reg Peugeot 306 XSi. I find the handling in general excellent, but do find that the front wheels have a tendency to spin very easily - i think that the cheap and nasty tyres on the front are the cause. Does anyone have any tyre recommendations to give better grip, without being too soft and wearing rapidly? I'm loathed to change the cheap tyres as there's plenty of tread left, but it seems a waste to have such well balanced car and to use crap tyres.
TIA. Read more
Thanks for all the advice, i'm tempted for the Goodyears since i had them on my previous car and they were very good, not sure if i want to spend that much on this car though! I'll phone around to see if i can find any good deals. Ta!
Too hung over to go biking yesterday so decided to tackle a 3 inch long patch of surface rust on the Rover driver door sill. [1]
Wire brushed it off, painted with rust killing gel then painted with one coat of anti rust primer.
That's all I intend to do.
Should I have done more?
Should I put a second coat of primer on?
[1] Right now it's purely superficial - in two years time I'm worried it might become a weak spot.
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads. Read more
Toad,
Get a Zip wheel on an angle grinder, clears away rust like you would not believe.
www.millsindustrial.com/catalog/cat13_1.htm
You can find them at most DIY stores and motor factors under varying descriptions, but I always knew them as Zip wheels.
And I'd also agree with everyone else about a proper topcoat of paint!
Dave.
Hi all,
I have an N reg mondeo and it seems the fuel pump has stopped.Apparently this could be down to the PATS system immobiliser.Problem is the immobiliser is behid a metal plate. Does anyone know how to bypass this immobiliser???
Keiron Read more
The shaft generally shears through poor maintenance of the inline fuel filter, water and fine sludge get into the inner chamber of the injection pump and pick up on the driveshaft which eventually fail through " believe it or not rust".A large proportion of people think it unneccary to change this filter at regular intervals.
My R Reg Scenic 1.9 DT has real trouble starting in the cold weather. It was OK last winter, but this winter it has took up to 10 minutes to get the car started.
I had the car serviced on Saturday and this has improved things but it still doesn't seem right.
any ideas?
Cheers
Matty Read more
Just a thought - there's lot's of old threads on difficult to start diesels in cold weather, a couple of search's should bring up loads of info.
Steve.
I currently in the process of transplanting a 206 hdi 90bhp into a Citron zx.
I have the engine and its wiring loom bolted up to a test bed every thing is pluged in except for the display panel (i cant find where to plug it in!).
When i turn the key to full ignition the fuel pump on the engine starts to buzz(it also stays buzzing for a few secounds after even after i rempve the key) is this normal?
I turn the key to start the engine and the engine turns over but does not fire, is there any sensors for water depth or something like that that stops the engine from starting?
Is it possible to get something to plug the engine managment into a laptop or computer?
somebody help me please.
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Easy - but a turbo-diesel ZX - that should make things a little 'livelier'
HDI engine transplant is surely an electronic nightmare?
MG-Rover Problems? forums.mg-rover.org
Can't stop fiddling with this car (1995 1.9 td lx)...
The brakes are driving me insane, I can't decide if they're playing up or not. When braking firmly (from say 30+mph) the brakes cut in and out, kinda brake hard, roll, brake hard, roll... which is really unnerving. Gentler braking does not exhibit this but it takes forever in terms of distance to stop in both cases.
Being an lx model I don't think it has ABS, but even if it did I'd expect ABS to cut in and out more rapidly than this (around a second for braking then one second for rolling, repeat until stop or hit something).
At first I thought warped discs, but I'd expect to feel the effect under all braking conditions.
Is it air in the brakes, should I bleed them?
Is it me, should I change my driving habits to suit the car?
Any ideas?
Mike Read more
Hi Mike
Try having a look here autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Xantia-L/
These guys will sort you out! I had a 1993 Xantia.The brake pedal did sometimes 'pulse' below your foot, but I got used to it. This sounds like something a little more drastic, though.
Brilliant car the Xantia! I bought it new in 1993 and kept it for 9 years / 105,000 miles. Very few problems. Just give the suspension control rods and valves a good clean and oil now and then and you won't have many probs.
Graeme
anybody heard of any ignition problems with lagunas my was fine then just stopped like somebody had turned it off. there is power at the coil but it is not being switched
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hi,
thanks for your reply,
first thing i replaced was the crankshaft sensor,
no luck,
you then mentioned it may be the amplifier module,
i replaced it (motorolla module),
no luck,
when i try and start it, if i pump the throttle i can smell petrol,
i was gonna try the coil next,
but, bearing in mind you said not to throw much more into it until i had it properly checked out i was a bit reluctant,
will check tomorrow night and see if i can see the fuel being pumped into the carb,
many thanks
neil
ps. i opened up the ecu, there's 2 relays, one looks like it's had the wires cut and taped up, three of them,
they are 2 yellow and (i think) a green one, looks a bit suspicious, could the AA man have had a fiddle or should they be like this????
neil
My '99 2.0 VTEC Accord has been regularly serviced by the Honda franchised dealer up to it's last service at about 86,00 0 miles. At 90,000 I checked the oil and the dipstick was dry. Dealer said bring it in for a top up and consumption test. So it took 1.3 litres to bring it back up to level. I did a further 1,200 miles and after the consumption check they said it hasn't used any at all.
The car runs fine and doesn't leak and there are no obvious signs of smoke etc coming from the back. So what happened to 1.3 litres of synthetic (Mobil 1) oil in 4,000 miles?
Dealer is not prepared to admit that it wasn't done proerly at the service but says will allow a little on next service against this query. But after last service I had to call them out for a hissing noise, turns they had left the breather pipes on the rocker box off so I think they may have blundered.
All the experts say the engine is bulletproof and good for 200,000 miles.
I need the car for work so can't afford to have it blow up, I work out on the road alot, but don't want to change it for 5-6 months?
Any opinions about the car and the next service? Read more
I have to say I like the car and think they are good value but look a bit ordinary. It is a 2.0 LS 99T, now on 90k plus miles.
Likes: VTEC Engine goes well, mid range power excellent, cruise control I like, all elec windows & roof, robust and roomy interior, aircon, cavernous boot, build quality, handling is excellent via the wishbone suspension, comfortable multi adjust seats. Last tank averaged 32.3mpg.
Dislikes: Servicing costs at Honda garage (although not as bad as some and they seem to care) Bland appearance from rear, looks good from front. Ride is a trifle hard on potholes etc.
Faults; Rear wheel bearings replaced at £40k, common fault. Ignition switch recall - this is a pig - just cuts out anywhere, OK since done.
I just want mine to keep going till replaced then it will be a bargain for someone at about £3.5k (I think)
Please can anyone point me to the most likely cause of a misfire on my 1998 corsa breeze 5 door 1.4 hi-torque hatchback? It has done 36000 miles and is in generally good nick. The misfire is only noticeable when the engine is warm and when running on a partial throttle setting, eg poddling along at 30 or 40 on the flat, when the car seems to jiggle along.
Nothing drastic- no vibration is felt through the gear lever, it just doesn't feel smooth. Hard acceleration ( I know!) is clean without any trace of a misfire.
It passed its mot emissions test with flying colours last week and I asked for a diagnostic check while they were doing - no fault codes found. I have tested the leads for continuity- all more or less the same resistance- and replaced the plugs- which seemed to make things a little worse. I'm thinking TDC sensor, Coil or weak mixture- Any tips please? Read more
Lambda sensor is going to cost you around £40-£50 assuming it is a single wire unit £50-£60 for a 4 wire one. However as you are using the texaco all the time I would not think that the injectors are the problem. I would be surprised if the NGK plugs are giving a problem as I have used them almost exclusively for 16 years with few problems but in this particular instance OE plugs from GM may be worth a try (Bosch), as I have found that in a few situations, notably Ford and Renault/Volvo OE plugs are better in the long run as DD suggests.
Andrew
Browse
Just noticed yours is a different engine from mine. What a waste of time, sorry!