SRi 16v W.I.P. (lots of pics)

[Greig Sri]

Been busy collecting parts. For doing up the rear axle and a brake over haul all round.


More parts to get then I can strip the axle and the brakes front /rear.

Greig

[Greig Sri]

I dug the car out of the garage today. My plan was to find out why the charge light on the dash is coming on when I turn on a few things.

With car running and things turned off. I'm getting 14.4volts tested across the battery terminals.
Once I turn on things like heated seats and rear screen. The change light comes on. And the voltage across the battery drops to 13.8 volts. At that voltage the charge light should stay off.
So I tested the voltage inside across the fag lighter socket wiring plug. I'm only getting just under 12 volts.
So between the battery and inside I've lost approx 2 volts. Tomorrow I'll try and find them some how.

Greig

[Greig Sri]

Well I found a volt and a bit. Think it was a fuse in the fuse box. I had the car apart checking things then it started to give me more voltage and last thing to be fiddled with was a fuse. So time will tell if I've fixed it.
While I had car apart I fitted the vectra central locking ecu. It locks and unlocks the car, when first testing it the dead locking worked except on drivers door. But now it's not dead locking at all. The windows wouldn't go up from the remote. But If I used the key in the door and dead locked the car the windows went up. Since the dead locking stopped working now the key won't even dead lock the car or put up the windows . So I've got more work to find the problem or just put the cavalier ecu back in.
Also fitted my vauxhall auto wiper kit. Very easy to fit and working perfectly.





Greig

[Greig Sri]

I've been busy again. Tonight I replaced the carbon fibre look vinyl on drivers side.



Might find time in the week to strip and fit the new vinyl on the passanger side too.

Greig

[Greig Sri]

Went shopping to day and got this lot. Will have to go back next week and pick up some other bits.

I also got the vectra remote locking to dead lock again. I unplugged it and plugged it back in and it works again. Just need to fit the passanger door lock motor i removed from the diplomat in to the drivers door. Then it will dead lock too.
Greig

[Greig Sri]

Been busy last couple of days.
The vectra remote locking is playing up again. It won't dead lock again.

Been fitting in a sports cat on to the ehaust.


Pic shows it ready to be tack welded. Before removal for welding all the way round the pipe.

When under the car I found a oil leak. It was the power steering pump. So removed it and fitted one from my supply of spair parts. The fluid that came out was black. Been in about 10 years.





2nd pic is how a flushed out the black old fluid. The pipe down at the pump was removed from the pump and the old fluid ran out in to a basin


Up next was replacing old rubber brake flexys with stainless steel ones. Removing the discs to get them skimed (rear of discs rusting with lack of use) and fitting new pads. Since the car has v6 vectra brakes I bought vectra pad sensors as the cavalier ones don't fit on the pad very well. Then I found there's a difference between the vectra and cavalier sensors. The plugs are the same but the other way around. I.E. on the vectra sensor it's the male part of the plug and on the cavalier sensor it's the female end. So I'm now left with 2 male ends to plug together. I'll have to come up with a plan to fix this.



When doing the passanger side brake I olso had to replace the brake pipe as the car got an advisory on last year's mot.
I noticed a rusty scab that turned in to a hole.

So I got myself some sheet metal today and got the hole patched up.



I also dropped the discs off to get skimed hopefully get them back tomorrow. Then refit the front brakes. This week I've still to do an oil and filter change. Been 23 months since it was last done and covered just 526 miles. Refit lower engine cover. Turn car around in the garage to remove and strip the rear axle. To get it blast cleaned before I fit the new calipers, pads, hand brake shoes , fitting kits, stainless steel flexy etc.
Hope to have it all done by end of the week but that depends on machine shop and blast cleaners doing there jobs quickly.
Greig

[Lowrider Dave]

Good work Greig!

[James McGrath]

Sweet!

Should notice the difference with the sports cat.

Nice pile of genuine parts there too!

[Greig Sri]

Not much happening on the cavalier today. Front discs not ready be picked up yet. Getting them tomorrow morning .Only fixed my brake sensor plug problem. Went to a local breakers yard and got the female end of the plug from 2 vectra B's. Looking around the vauxhalls in the yard that had the sensors. The vectra b was the only model with the plugs the other way round. Astra s , Omegas. Etc were the same as the cavalier.
Got them soldered on to the cavalier wires under the arches. Job done

Greig

[Greig Sri]

Today the cavalier got an oil and filter change. Then I helped out a neighbour by fixing there 2nd car ,a corsa 1.0l 3 cylinder. Needed a new water pump. Had it off , went to pick up new one and new fitted with in an hour. Very easy engine to work on. Late in the day I got a call from engineering shop. So I picked up the skimed discs and the new spring seats for the back axle.



Tomorrow I'll get the discs on and turn the car around in the garage. Then back axle will be coming off and stripped down. Before going to blast cleaners.

Greig

[Greig Sri]

Today ive got the front brakes back on the car. Then turned the car around to work on the back of it. The back axle came off easily. Then stripped all the parts of it. Getting the bushes out was the hardest bit. Used a 50mm hole saw to drill out the middle of it. Then cut a slit in the outer plastic of bush and folded it in on its self.



The axle is ready to drop of at blast cleaners once I get hold of them.

I fitted the new hand brake shoes but turned in to an arse of a job. Took longer to change shoes than it did to remove and strip axle. Didn't help I was supplied wrong fitting kit for the shoes. Motor factors computer said I had correct kit. I said to look up vectra b parts. That got me the correct kit. There reply was your car has vectra bits. I said no your computer wrong. As vectra and cavalier hand brake shoes are the very same. They were trying to give me the fitting kit for shoes on a car with drum brakes.


More jobs to do tomorrow on the car.

Greig

[Envoy CDX]

Looking good!!

[Greig Sri]

Not much happening on the cavalier today again. Got the old rubber brake flexys off the car. Got rid and treated the rust on the fixing points for the flexys. Painted up the rear disc sheilds. Got axle dropped of at blast cleaners. Bloke hopefully have it done tomorrow. Then lastly I fitted the new stickers to the passanger side.



If I get the axle back tomorrow. Then I want to get the car back together and moving again this weekend.

Greig

[Envoy CDX]

It's all progress!

[Lowrider Dave]

Good progress. I hate fitting handbrake shoes, horrid things.

[Greig Sri]

Good progress. I hate fitting handbrake shoes, horrid things.

So do I. To make it a bit easier I bought the hook tool seen in the pic. When I was back at motor factors swapping the fitting kit. £10 well spent I thought.

Greig

[Greig Sri]

I got the axel back today.



I fitted the new power flex bushes. Had to make up a tool to fit them.



Tomorrow I'll start to fit it to the car.

Greig

[Greig Sri]

Not much to report from today.
I welded the new spring seats on to the axle and gave it a paint.



Hope it will dry overnight so I can refit to the car tomorrow.

Greig

[Envoy CDX]

Looking purdy, what paint are you using? Hammerite? POR15?
Probably better to leave it a couple of days no?

[Greig Sri]

I'm using hammerite paint. The axle was in a warm utility room for about 24 hours so dryed good.

I've got it refitted then got the roll bar, hubs , brakes, made up new brake pipes and new hand brake cable on.




Not the best pics as everything is black and under the car. Lol
Once all bolted back together I gave it another coat of paint. Tomorrow I'll adjust the hand brake ( a pain in the ass of an job to do) and pressure bleed the brakes.

Greig

[Lowrider Dave]

Good work, looks nice and clean. I hate handbrake cables.

[Greig Sri]

Good work, looks nice and clean. I hate handbrake cables.

Took me till 3rd try to get the hand brake working as it should today. I also got the brakes working used 2 litre of fluid bleeding them. Then I went looking for rust under the car. I found some at one of the plastic plugs on the floor. So got it ground off and painted up.

Greig

[Greig Sri]

Thinking a might tax the cavalier this weekend. It sits insured and mot ed all the time. Got to start using it more, had to recondition all the brakes because of lack of use. Been doing approx 250 miles a year for the last few years.

Greig

[Greig Sri]

Well today after my work I've refitted the mk4 Astra SRi alloy wheels. Then went on line and have taxed the cavalier. It's now legal for the road.
Tomorrow I'll take it out and check how the brakes work.

Greig

[Greig Sri]

I've put 60 miles on the car all good except steering wheel shaking. Start to feel it at 55 mph ish and by the time you get to 65 mph ish it's shaking quite bad. Speed up more and shake goes away.
Before I took the car off the road last year the shaking was there. I put it down to the wheels needing balanced but I've swapped to my other alloys and they were rebalanced a few weeks ago. Front discs skimed so not warped.
I'll have to start checking out other bits. What else could be causing the shaking?

Greig