Mk3 Cavalier Owners Club | Vauxhall Cavalier Dot Com

Hi there,
I've looked into all the possibilities with the gearbox as to why the car was struggling uphill etc, after speaking to a gearbox specialist he basically said the only possibility with it would be the selector. However I feel that it might be something engine related or something, we thought maybe the exhaust was blocked as if you rev it up it struggles a bit, however after removing the lot and checking for blockages, the system is clear.
Does anyone have any thoughts as to what the issue could be? as the car is no longer enjoyable to drive it just feels like it's holding back all of the time and the mpg is rubbish, getting the car up to 70 can be horrible at times.

Your help will be much appreciated.

Ronnie

Well I can tell you straight away that a gearbox will not make you struggle up hill.

It could be a number of problems. Is the ecu light on?

TurboDan wrote:Well I can tell you straight away that a gearbox will not make you struggle up hill.

It could be a number of problems. Is the ecu light on?

The thing is it changes gears harshly sometimes and sometimes goes up and down gears as it struggles.

The ECU light is not on.

If it is struggling, then I would suggest fuel or ignition problems with the engine.

First port of call is a good service, making sure that all your plugs, leads, etc are all okay.

Is the timing okay - one or two teeth out would cause rubbish running and economy.

Any vacuum pipe leaks.

The only way the gearbox could be at fault, (assuming by your description is that it is an auto) is maybe the selector mechanisms are out of adjustment causing the car to change up through the gears too early or inappropriately...

Plenty there to go at, but look at the basics first... plugs, leads, air leaks etc.......

Go through the things that Rob has suggested. The gearbox reacts to engine torque, and if the engine is not running right then it's not unusual to have some weird gear changes on the auto

Ye I'd definitely go through the service parts first, as Rob said. The gearbox would only cause a problem if the torque converter was shot.

Check your plugs aren't oily, if the cam cover gasket is leaking that is, wouldn't harm to replace the HT leads if they haven't been changed for ages, also what about the fuel filter?

Hi there,
Just thought i'd let you know that on monday I fitted a new fuel filter, the old one was full of gunk.
It drives great now, sounds a lot healthier too and much more pleasurable to drive. Plus it has hit over 36,000 miles, so is due for its major service (plus some of the full service bits) according the the haynes manual.

Thanks for your help in troubleshooting the problem, probably didn't help that I kept running the fuel tank low so all the rust and dirt would have been getting through.

ronnie1995 wrote:Hi there,
Just thought i'd let you know that on monday I fitted a new fuel filter, the old one was full of gunk.
It drives great now, sounds a lot healthier too and much more pleasurable to drive. Plus it has hit over 36,000 miles, so is due for its major service (plus some of the full service bits) according the the haynes manual.

Thanks for your help in troubleshooting the problem, probably didn't help that I kept running the fuel tank low so all the rust and dirt would have been getting through.

Excellent news.

The pick up pipe is above the bottom of the tank, and there's a filter on the pump itself, so not a lot would have got through. But over the years, if it hasn't been changed then the older dirtier fuels would have probably left more deposits in the tank. Good to hear it was a simple fix though.

Good news, but I tend to disagree on running with low fuel causing the pick up pipe to suck debris up.

Regardless of how much fuel you have in your tank, its sucked up from the same place, so it should be pulling crap through all the time.

The gunk is probably down to the internals of the filter breaking down over time, more common with paper elements.