James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

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James McGrath
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by James McGrath »

iangsi wrote:Try wrapping some plumbers PTFE tape or string around the threads it's worked for me in the past.
That's not a bad idea Ian. I'll give it a try next time I change the oil.
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by James McGrath »

Been out doing a few extra jobs before the nights draw in too much.

First of all I noticed that I was missing an exhaust mount rubber:

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So I ordered these from GPS:

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3 genuine parts and 3 OEM parts. I ordered 6 OEM ones but they gave me the 3 genuine ones as they only had 3 of the OEM ones in stock.
Thank you GPS! :cheers

OEM and genuine side by side. I was surprised by how much nicer the rubber was on the genuine ones:

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Fitted:

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The old one that was on there was a genuine part and still in good nick so I'll be keeping that in my spares.


These fine items arrived in the post:

A fully functional auxiliary cooling pump, alternator cooling hose and alternator cowling which thankfully I didn't need as the original cowling was still on the car.

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So for the third time the inlet manifold was removed...

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... and the hose fitted.

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This was a completely pointless job as the fan itself still isn't working but at least the hose is in place for when I manage to find a new fan.


Today I decided to treat her to some new rubber. I didn't like the idea of running with a rear tyre that was worn on the inside edge. It had also been an MOT advisory since 2010 so I think it was about time it was fixed.

Old nearside rear tyre worn on the inner edge:

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New Goodyear efficient grip performance tyres put on the front...

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...and the old front Kumho ecsta HM tyres still with decent tread put on the rear:

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Also managed to track these down on eBay for just £25 :D

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Unfortunately only 3 of them. I was hoping to be able to find a 4th at this years VBOA spares day but it was not to be.

I'm taking her on a trip up to Canterbury with an old friend of mine on Thursday. I'll be driving along some of my favourite country lanes that I used to drive along every day when I was at Uni so it should be a good test for the old girl.


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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by Lowrider Dave »

Good work James, the V6 is looking lovely. I'm currently doing battle with exhaust hangers on Archer - I really hate doing them.
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by James McGrath »

The 9th of April marked the 1 year anniversary of my ownership of this car.
Can't believe it's been so long already.

Anyway, I would like treat her to do major service this year including getting the cam belt changed along with all ancillaries, coil pack, water change, thermostat and lots more.
I'm beginning to get some parts together but I can't for the life of me find any HT leads.

Does anyone know if Bosch made a set for the C25XE and what the part number is for them?
Alternatively can anyone recommend a set?
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by Robsey »

Wow - I cannot find anything for Bosch C25XE "ignition wires".
Many other Bosch ignition parts such as ECUs and coils... but not leads.

I have looked at Ecat, who quote the following. (But no specific branding).
A challenge to find under Electrical> Cables.
(I used your VIN to ensure correct parts codes).

Full Set for C25XE - no longer available.
90444168.

Replaced by two separate sets of leads.
One set for leads 2, 4 and 6...
Part number - 90505765

And one set for leads 1, 3 and 5 plus king lead.
Part number - 90510379

GPS do not quote any stock for any C25XE leads.
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by Robsey »

Here you go.

These Bosch leads match the numbers listed above.

http://www.vauxcentre.co.uk/vauxhall-om ... 834639.php
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by James McGrath »

I found the part numbers on Ecat24 and EPC4 quite perplexing.
Very strange that they split the set up in two parts.

Robsey wrote:Here you go.

These Bosch leads match the numbers listed above.

http://www.vauxcentre.co.uk/vauxhall-om ... 834639.php

Jolly good find, Rob. :thumb

Part ordered.
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by Robsey »

A bit worrying as the website professes to be "Vauxhall Experts", but did not give a listing for the C25XE engined vehicles...
(Cavalier and Calibra).
Only the X25XE and X30XE Omega-B.

Hopefully they are the correct parts - fingers crossed.
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by Robsey »

Maybe one bank of leads is subject to more heat or wear damage in the engine.

So it may be a peculiar way to allow you to buy just the bank of leads that fail most often.

But in my experience, Vauxhall would normally prefer you to buy a complete assembly rather than a smaller and cheaper part of it.
Makes better sales / profitability sense.
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by James McGrath »

Indeed. It's all a bit odd.

I can only think it's for compatibility with other cars and to keep the total number of parts to a minimum.

Maybe one of the sets is used in one of Vauxhalls 3 cylinder engines.


I have now got a Bosch ignition coil, Bosch HT leads and Genuine Vauxhall spark plugs on order.
I will be changing the oil, oil filter, air filter, thermostat and coolant all with genuine items which I already have ready to go on.

I will need a cam cover gasket as the one on the front bank has a slight oil leak and a GM fuel filter and then I'll be ready.

I may also take it in to my local garage for a brake fluid change and get the hand brake cable tightened up.
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by James McGrath »

I've not had to do very much to this car since it's MOT, hence the lack of updates.

Only a couple of small tings:

I swapped the fuel filler cap over with one from my spares as the original was looking a bit worse for wear:

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New GM air temperature sensor:

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Needed a couple of these a few weeks ago:

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Before:

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Ta-dah!

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Finally, the check strap has been very noisy since I got the car, making a very loud click on every notch.

New GM part ordered from Genuine Parts Search, a new GM connecting pin from eBay along with a couple of new bolts from my local hardware shop:

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One of the old bolts was completely knackered, you may not be able to see but the thread on the right bolt has worn down.
This made it very difficult to remove as it would just turn and turn and not come out:

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Fitting:

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Hammer time!

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Finished it off with a bit of grease to help it on it's way:

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Much better now with no nasty loud noises. :cheers

I've bought a full set of twin electrode GM plugs, Bosch HT leads, Bosch coil pack, GM thermostat (not pictured) and a set of wipers all ready to go on:

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I'd like to change the cam cover gaskets as the front one is weeping slightly.
Once I've got those I'll fit everything at the same time and give the old girl a good service.
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by Mk3alan »

Nice work, good to fit real parts!
Hope you wiped the grease off the knife before evening meal!

Alan
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by Lowrider Dave »

Good work Lord McGrath!
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by James McGrath »

After what happened with the Diplomat, I decided I needed to make some progress with my cars in order to cheer myself up a bit.
So, I set aside the whole weekend and, following Dan's How 2 guide here, I got to work on the V6!


These were the parts I was hoping to fit; complete Elring cam cover gasket set with all 4 seals and 16 O-rings, GM sealing compound and a GM thermostat:

This was in addition to the wipers, coil pack, HT leads and plugs pictured in my last post.

After a trip to Halfords to pick up some essentials, mainly some carb cleaner spray and a set of Torx socket bits, I was ready to start:

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Air intake removed:

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I took this photo in a vein attempt to help me remember how to put it back together correctly again:

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Doing all this was a good opportunity to give the ICV a clean:

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Front cam cover removed. This was a bit of a mess, obviously the gasket had been changed at some point and too much sealant was applied:

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To remove all the gunk, I used a flat head screwdriver and a cloth soaked in white sprit:

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4 years later:

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Applying sealant to the new gaskets:

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The gasket sealant dries pretty quickly so from here I quickly flipped it over and mounted it, hoping that none of the O-rings had moved in the process.

Cam cover bolts tightened to 8NM:

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Spark plugs, old and new. These ones weren't too bad as I only recently took them out and cleaned them up:

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Remember to always use plenty of lube:

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The day was drawing to a close and I knew I didn't have enough time to do the rear bank so I turned my attention to the coil pack and HT leads.

Upon removing the leads I was faced with this from number 3 cylinder:

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Yep, that gasket defiantly needs replacing!


Old coil pack removed:

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New coil pack and leads (above) ready to go on:

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Fitted:

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Last job for the day was to give the crank case breather system a clean:

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Day 2

The rear cam cover was a little more stubborn to remove than the front one was. I had to resort to hitting it with a rubber mallet to get the thing off.
I suspect that the gasket has not been changed before.

The hole area arrond the middle spark plug was full of orange coloured oil. I thought the head gasket or oil cooler had gone but it's just where oil had collected and burnt off.
At least this one had the sealant applied correctly:

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These plugs were well and truly past it:

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Rear bank cleaned up:

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Cam cover cleaned up and ready for fitting:

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All done:

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As for the thermostat, I declined.
For those of you who don't know, the stat on the V6 is right in the middle of the two banks, on the left hand side.
To replace it, I either have to remove the fuel rail and upper inlet divider, or take the cam belt housing and belt off.
As I'm planning to get the belt changed soon anyway, I thought it would be best left to the professionals.

Reattaching the ICV:

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New plugs and leads on the rear bank:

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Now to put it all back together again...

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...and clean up this mess:

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Oh, and fit these:

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Time for a clean:

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After that I saw a BMW 635 CSI at my local petrol station, which was a surprise:

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I also made a quick video of the first start up after putting the engine back together:



Link


I have to say it's done something. Engine is an awful lot quieter and smother. I suspect the oil contamination on the HT leads and spark plugs had put allot of stress on the coil pack, which was starting to fail.

After I finally get paid, I'll take her in for a cam belt change and get the thermostat changed at the same time along with some fresh coolant.

Upwards and onwards!
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by ilovedmymantas »

The cams look unscored in the photos, none of mine have ever looked that good !
Good progress and nice write-up :thumb
" It's not rust. It's age-related patina " ;)

1980 vauxhall cavalier MK1 1.6L, 1982 opel manta berlinetta 1.8s, 1985 opel manta 2.0 gte, 1990 cavalier 2.0 gl ,1994 cavalier sri x20xev

-1995 cdx x20xev

---------------
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by Mk3alan »

Blimey James that's one hell of a post - could turn it into a workshop manual!
Nice job, all the better for your attention, didn't realise the cam covers were plastic?

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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by James McGrath »

Mk3alan wrote:Blimey James that's one hell of a post - could turn it into a workshop manual!
Nice job, all the better for your attention, didn't realise the cam covers were plastic?

Alan
Thanks. I've always tried to write my WIP thread posts like long continuous How 2's.
I know I've been adding allot more photos recently, apologies to those with slow internet, I just can't help myself.

Yeah, all the cam covers for the C25XE were plastic. The X25XE fitted to the Vectra and later Omega had metal ones.
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by Robsey »

For a relative newbie to the V6, you seem to have embraced it well.

Nice and clear, and very informative.

I do like the fact that the ICV is actually clamped in place, rather than suspended on rubber hoses as they are on the 2 litre 8 valve engines.

Regarding the fan for the alternator - would it be worth getting it re-wound if the current one is dead?
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by James McGrath »

Robsey wrote:For a relative newbie to the V6, you seem to have embraced it well.

Nice and clear, and very informative.

I do like the fact that the ICV is actually clamped in place, rather than suspended on rubber hoses as they are on the 2 litre 8 valve engines.

Regarding the fan for the alternator - would it be worth getting it re-wound if the current one is dead?

Thanks Rob.

The V6 looks daunting at first but it's really quite simple and well designed.
Compared to a C20NE, doing jobs on the V6 is just more time consuming rather than more difficult.

Yes I was quite surprised when I found out that the C25XE and (C)20NE share the same ICV part.
As elegant as the V6's mounting system is, you've got to admit that it's allot easier to get to on the 2.0!

I've been searching for a new fan for a long time now and can't find one, so I may have to resort to getting it refurbished. Not sure how the bushes are going to be repaired though as they are on plastic mountings that have melted.
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by cavalier1990 »

Just been stripping my rocker gaskets, in combo with timing belt change, from my 2.6 omega so interesting to see the slight differences (apart from engine orientation) in the cavy 2.5 v6. Yours used the 6 point coil pack and leads, the later omega engine uses a 3 pack coil each side with a multi-plug, no leads.

Did you concentrate the sealant mainly on the corners and the cam indents or did you go right round with it? I see you had the proper GM black stuff, just ordered some! Incidentally my plug holes at the back were full of oil, to the top of the plug at least, and the N/S coil pack was starting to rust due to water dripping from the bulkhead (drain blocked, a common omega problem.) so new bosch pack on order.
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by James McGrath »

I didn't know you owned an Omega, how long have you had it?

Yeah, you only need to apply the sealant to the weak areas of the gasket, so around the corners and in the half moon cut outs on the gearbox side of the engine.
Just remember the more sealant you apply, the harder it will be to remove the cam cover next time.
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by cavalier1990 »

James McGrath wrote:I didn't know you owned an Omega, how long have you had it?

Yeah, you only need to apply the sealant to the weak areas of the gasket, so around the corners and in the half moon cut outs on the gearbox side of the engine.
Just remember the more sealant you apply, the harder it will be to remove the cam cover next time.
Hi James

Yes, I got an omega at the start of the year. quite a nice one, low miles, FSH from VX dealer up till about 50k. Only on 70k now. Feel free to read the post on it here:

http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index. ... c=137966.0

Done quite a few wee jobs on it now, mostly typical omega things like front bushes, and now timing belt and rocker gaskets (plus all the usual little other things that crop up). Nice big bus it is.

I will be sparing with the gasket sealer I promise :)
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by James McGrath »

Well there is still no word on the Diplomat, looks like it's not going to be a quick turnaround after all.

So to cheer myself up a bit I've turned my attention to the V6.

Just a few niggly jobs I've been meaning to do, first of all these two items:

Image


New GM water bottle cap and a new seal for the oil filler cap.

I've been meaning to get the water bottle cap replaced since I got the car. I noticed a hissing noise coming from the cap when the engine was hot indicating that it didn't hold pressure very well. As you can see, the seal ring on the old cap is pretty knackered compared to the new one on the left:

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The oil filler seal I've only just noticed, I thought for one horrible moment that the cam cover gasket was leaking already. Then I saw the oil was sitting above the gasket on the lip of the cam cover. Now that I've replaced this seal it's bone dry thank God! I didn't want to have to do that job again!
The old seal on the left doesn't look too bad, but it's just a bit flatter than the new one; just enough to weep oil:

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This broke totally on it's own accord the other day, just popped off while I was driving:

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I thought I had one in my spares but I had to buy a new one in the end.
Fixed:

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I have been getting a bit of, what felt like, a misfire at steady cruising speeds under light throttle. It feels great when accelerating but it's just not running very smoothly at low RPMs. I thought I'd try replacing the throttle position sensor as I had a new BOSCH item already in my spares, hopefully it will do something. I only fitted it today and haven't tested it yet.

Old on the right, new on the left:

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Fitted:

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One of the nicest tings I've done is the trip computer.

This it what it was looking like before, a few dead pixels and a great big scratch:

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Luckily I found this on eBay, a brand new item originally for a Carlton GSi:

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All I had to do was swap the facia round and change over the program chip, which looks like this:

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Fitted:

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I'm looking at it all the time so it has made the interior look and feel much better to me.


Finally, I managed to find a complete set of alloy centre caps on eBay. I already had 3 of these but I thought I'd buy the complete set for the hell of it.
Looks like they were sold through a third party as they arrived with a Vauxhall invoice sheet from Kerr & Smith, a Vauxhall dealer biased at Cumnock, Scotland:

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Cuffed to bits with these as they weren't that expensive.

Here are all the old caps for comparison:

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Before:

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After:

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They have done wonders for the external appearance.
Great weather for photos at the moment:

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With the Diplomat out of action, I've been using the V6 and the LS as my daily drivers.
In all honesty, the LS still wins it for me.
Unless you want to instantly break the speed limit the V6 isn't quite as fun to drive.
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by Mk3alan »

Nice one James! be back like a new one before you know it!
You did well with those wheel caps, are the Vauxhall badges stuck on? My Astra has same caps but the badges are '3D' and located/stuck in holes in the cap.
I also (on the Astra, same oil cap) had an oil leak and found the O ring split - about 6mm gap between the ends! It also leaked!

Alan
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Re: James' 1995 Manual CDX V6 Saloon

Post by James McGrath »

Mk3alan wrote:Nice one James! be back like a new one before you know it!
You did well with those wheel caps, are the Vauxhall badges stuck on?
Thanks mate. :thumb

Yeah the badges are made of thin aluminum and stuck on with some sort of heavy duty adhesive.
Annoying really as you can't refurbish them like you can with the alloy cap itself and if you try to remove them they bend out of shape really easily.
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