March 2008
I've done this job a couple of times already in the past but have had real difficulty fitting the replacement arm. I now have to do the job again due to the common de-bonding of the rear bush. I'm told that speed humps accelerate this problem.
Haynes suggest dismantling in the order of: 1) hub carrier pinch bolt 2) anti roll bar 3) front bush pivot bolt 4) rear bush bolt and suggest re-assembling in the reverse order.
I've found it very difficult to get the hub carrier back on to the ball joint due to the angles involved and would be grateful for any tips.
I've also tried just about every other order of re-assembly but whichever stage is left until last is very diifcult to re-fit.
I'm a reasonably experienced DIYer but have found this to be very frustrating - has anyone else struggled with this one?
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Hi,
Earlier on today, I removed the drivers side front alloy wheel to give it a good clean as I noticed that the inner side of the alloy was covered in grease. I had assumed that it was just road grime, however upon closer inspection I have found that the clip on the end of the CV Boot has broken and that the grease on the alloy has leaked from the CV Boot. The grease was also over the caliper, the sensor for the ABS etc, of which most I have now cleaned up.
Is this a case of just purchasing a new clip and fitting it? or because some grease has leaked out will the CV Boot need replacing or repacking with grease? I personally, would prefer that the CV Boot is repacked with grease just to be sure, but as i'm only your average DIY mechanic, I don't want to start it, get half way through and then find it's more awkward than it looked, as I need the car back on the road ASAP for work.
For the time being, I have temporarily attached 2 tie wraps to the CV Boot as it is all I have to hand, I don't intend driving it far in this condition, as i doubt it will last long, only to my local Vauxhall garage if need be.
Can anyone advise please?
Thank you
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Can you buy the clips & grease without the full CV joint kit?
Yes, you can buy the clips and grease separately. It is vital that the mating surface between the boot and cv joint is free of grease.
Don't be tempted to use cable ties on the GM plastic boot. As you've already discovered the boot is quite stiff and cable ties aren't man enough to hold the boot in place for very long.
ps, unless you have the proper pliers, getting the metal clip on tight can be a nightmare. Like you I resorted to a pair of blunt pinchers (so they wouldn't cut into the metal) and squeezed the handles together with a small vice.
My windscreen washer electric pump is working but no water is coming out of the jets. What should I look for?
Regards
Peter Read more
Sorry for the late reply.
But still no reply to the email that I sent you (9th March) asking for the year so that I could edit it into the subject line.
I am forever irritated by drivers who indicate badly or not at all, but after driving an Astra pool car for a number of weeks I am wondering whether some of this is down to poor car design.
I can not get used to the new Astra's indicator stalk which doesn't rest up/down when indicating right/respectively. I have no problems with my own car, which paradoxically is a Zafira. But registered in 2000, my Zafira does have an indicator stalk that parks in the up/down position when signalling.
When leaving roundabouts in the Astra, having indicated left, I never know whether the indicator has cancelled itself or not. On several occasions I though it had not cancelled, then inadvertently found myself indicating right because in fact it had cancelled itself (the audio indicator clicking level is very dim so that doesn't help when road noise is added in). On other occasions I thought the indicator had cancelled, then noticed that it hadn't and I was still signalling left. A similar problem arises when changing lanes on motorways, which must also annoy the drivers around me - and my worst fear is that it could prove to be dangerous.
So now, when driving the Astra, I find myself continuously taking my eyes off the road after I've indicated, having to look down to see if the indicator is still on or not. My old Zafira allows me to feel whether the indicator is still engaged without taking my eyes of the road.
Why has Vauxhall adopted this style of indicator stalk? There seems to be nothing to gain by it and everything to lose. When I eventually replace my Zafira this is one thing that would put me off buying another. Read more
Hi, totally agree with the thread.
I admit I've only had my Astra 3 days but I feel like a total idiot with the indicators. Sure, I'll figure it out and get used to them but the issue is that surely someone else has to drive my ca they'll be going through the same thing. I'm finding myself looking down to check if I operated the stalk to the correct position or if I overshot.
Why fix what isn't broke? My last car was a Golf and they have it spot on. It's a conventional stalk operation but if the stick isn't move the the retention point only three flashes are given. Simple and effective. Friends driving the car commented how clever they though it was. I now fear that the same friends will be using harsh language at me if I ask them to drive us! How am I supposed to have a drink?
I know I'm not alone because I see many other Astra driving looking equally frustrated as they drive around in the disco.
hi can any one explain wheres my idle contol valve is and airflow meter and throttle boddy???????ive had my vectra x reg 1.8 ls on a comp to see why engine man light is on and its come up with these faults,i want to clean them etc to hopefully save some cash.thanks.
{year + engine added to subject header as per the 3 separate requests!} Read more
I seem to recall older Vauxhalls like Cavaliers seemed to be notorious for idle solenoid problems.
In a complete change of direction, the misses and I by chance stopped at the Subaru dealer and have fallen big time for a 2004 2.0 X All Weather auto for £8450 with 30k.
I know there are plenty of owners here so before we sign on dotted line, what should we know and what price should we pay?
Cars really can be an emotional thing, theres something about these Subarus that even my new driver misses who thought a 207 Pug was a bit big can somehow get on with so easily :-) Read more
Here is the story as far as I see it regarding alarm fitment on early-to-mid 00's UK Subarus:
Subarus for the UK market were factory fitted in Japan with an engine immobiliser (information about the immobiliser is included in the Driver's handbook). Local Japanese market RHD cars had no alarm. When Subarus got to UK they were all upgraded to an integrated Cat 1 Alarm/ immobiliser based on a Sigma alarm. (Hence separate booklet).
Prior to 1999 all alarms were dealer fitted,
1999 Model Years /2000 the alarms were fitted by International Motors/ IM Group (the UK importers) at their centre in Quedgeley, Gloucestershire.
2001 MY/ onward: only the alarm wiring was factory installed but the rest of the assembly continues to be physically fitted in Gloucestershire (with the possible exception of Imprezas from Sept 2007 on).
Sources: subaruforester.org, scoobynet.com, thatcham.org
Below is a detailed post I found on scoobynet.com dated 25 jan 2005 by Sigma Sam (a top engineer working with Sigma alarms and Subaru):
QUOTE
The standard UK security system on earlier vehicles was refered to as Sigma M30 security systems - these security systems were fitted to all vehicles at the import centre in the UK, but the system was categorised as an "aftermarket installation" and relied on the Sigma M30's product evaluation number (see below).
As this was classed as an "aftermarket installation" a certificate of installation may be required by your insurance company.
Quick identification - the siren is visable under the bonnet & ultrasonic sensors on the A-pillar are of the "canon type".
On later vehicles & Imprezas from 2001 MY, the same Sigma M30 alarm system is used, however the security systems wiring loom was integrated into the vehicles wirng harness during production. This was now classed as an "factory installation" and the vehicle was assesed as a whole, to obtain a lower insurance grouping, and the vehicle given it?s own unique ?Thatcham Evaluation Number?. The combined "factory" security system was now refered to as the "Subaru Category One Alarm System".
As this was classed as a "factory installation" a certificate of installation is not required by your insurance company as it is a standard item - just the evaluation number for the vehicle.
Quick identification - the siren is not visable under the bonnet & ultrasonic sensors on the A-pillar are of the "sphere type" and colour matched to the trim.
The following evaluation numbers are given as a guide only. Please consult your dealer for the correct evaluation number for your vehicle:
:
Impreza:
1999 & 2000 MY (Sigma M30) TC2-808/0198
2001 & 2002 MY (Subaru Category One Alarm System) TC2-1199/0501
2003, 2004 & 2005 MY (Subaru Category One Alarm System) TC2-1265/1002
Forester:
1999, 2000 & Early 2001 MY (Sigma M30) TC2-808/0198
Late 2001 & 2002 MY (Subaru Category One Alarm System) TC2-1202/0501
2003, 2004 & 2005 MY (Subaru Category One Alarm System) TC2- 1265/1002
Legacy:
1999, 2000 & Early 2001 MY (Sigm M30) TC2-808/0198
Late 2001, 2002 & 2003 MY (Subaru Category One Alarm System) TC2-1203/0501
2004 & 2005 MY (Subaru Category One Alarm System) TC2-1265/0803
END QUOTE
For an update of this list see: www.thatcham.org/security/pdfs/categories/Passenge...f
Hi all,
A few weeks ago SWMBO started a new job in south London to which she's been commuting every day. Yesterday, a couple of envelopes from TfL dropped on the doomat showing she'd been flashed in a bus lane, by the same camera on successive nights over a week ago. It was an honest mistake on her part, it is near a left filter and she thought the bus lane ran out there - obviously not! The thing that scares me is that she's evidently been doing this habitually (she's obviously stopped now!) so I don't know how many more identical notices are in the post. Sure enough another one turned today, same time, same place, and now I'm dreading the postman.
This is going to cost us an absolute fortune - £120 per offence with a bargain 50% discount for prompt payment, so we could easily be shelling out over £300-400 if she's offended every day since.
Naive question perhaps, but does anyone seriously think it worthwhile appealing to TfL for clemency, and perhaps escape SOME of the penalties? Right now I'm feeling very poor and a seething resentment of that nice Mr Livingstone.
Thanks Read more
The editing is irrelevant. Undertaking is no justification. You were in the bus lane for 5 metres. The road was quiet; you needed a bit of patience, that's all.
We can argue for a long time about the use of bus lane cameras, speed cameras, yellow box cameras and so on. They are all there because, without them, enough people drive in such a way as to be a PITA for others. Of course they are blunt instruments, but they are a fact of life and only an unobservant or careless driver gets caught.
Hi All,
My '05 primera 2.0 started misfiring after it was serviced about 8 months ago. The symptom is the rev needle kicking down at idle - I can feel the engine sort of "kicking", intermittent loss of power when pulling off, accelerating etc. It sometimes feels like the engine is "stuttering". Before the service there was no problem. The problem was only slight at first but it's getting worse. Trying to crawl along on the M25 this evening was a nightmare as the problem seems more acute at lower revs.
I'm assuming it's gonna be an electrical thing - faulty coil, spark plug or HV lead. Is this a reasonable assumption or are there other things that could cause these symptoms?
What's my best way to diagnose the fault?
I'm not a mechanic, but I can manage a basic service (better than nissan can judging by the loose, leaking oil filter I found), so any help much appreciated!
Thanks,
Matt Read more
For anyone interested, there was a crack in the ceramic of one spark plug! New spark plugs fixed the problem.
The \'official\' fuel consumption (and CO2) figures for vehicles are about as useful as a luminous sundial. Real-world mpg is much lower than implied, and because the relationship between \'official\' and real-world varies from marque to marque/model to model, the published figures can\'t even be used as a reference for comparison purposes.
Trying to get a fix on likely fuel consumption is made even more difficult by test reports\' preoccupation with the official mpg and CO2 figures and not bothering to record their own. I keep being told by Whattiresomecar? that \"a tankful will take you 700 miles\" or some other such inter-galactic distance. Yeah, right.
Underlying the official figures lists is a fun, intra-industry game in which one firm\'s boffins try to outsmart another\'s by ECU tweaks and other arcane manoeuvres. Intellectually satisfying to them, results in league-table positioning for their bosses, but of no consequence to the rest of us - apart from how the resulting VED hits our wallets.
As official fuel consumptions have fallen dramatically, my own fuel consumption has risen. Funny that. Read more
I entirely agree with the sentiments you express here, cjehuk, though I suspect that we lost awareness of the true cost of motoring when we started paying for insurance etc by reading out numbers over the phone and using a bit of plastic instead of fivers at the petrol pumps!
Could anyone please explain how to tell the difference between the 70bhp 1.3 ka engines from the less powerful 1.3 engines? Is the difference stated on the cylinder head or is their another way of telling? Did one version come out after the other or at different times to the other? The reason I ask is I have test drove a view and some seem faster than others. Is there a few checks I can do so I get a good one. Any help is most appreciated. Read more
Permission to hijack thread?
Is changing a clutch on the later type "similar" to the earlier one.
I ask because little brother wants help changing his clutch but all the usual Haynes manuals only seem to have the earlier engine in them. Seems straight forward enough at first glance.
Browse
Thanks guys, this sounds like what I tried to do last time.
It's coming back to me now. I just couldn't get the suspension arm low enough to get the ball joint into the hole on the hub carrier, even after setting the ball joint with the correct 'angle of approach'.
I ended up putting a coil spring compressor on the strut to try to 'shorten' it. I don't think it helped much and I seem to remember wrestling with it for ages until I somehow got it back together.
I'm really not looking forward to doing it again.
pmh - if you do your pair before I do mine, post how you get on, I'll do the same!