My Little 1.8LSi

[Robsey]

I cannot see a dog - lol.
Soon sorted.



Amazing how the ambient lighting changes the colour from green to Polar Sea Blue.

[thomas]

Onwards to the job I'd been putting off, as though I said I miss the warbler -simply because it wasn't working, I always turn the lights off before stopping the engine anyway -it does sound like an ambulance has come tearing up behind you on opening the door, and grates a bit.

Looks like the deluxe (noisy) version.





I did have the switch out when doing that part of the sill, so switch was first suspect, must've I thought pushed or pulled one of the spades off on stuffing it back in the hole -the interior light had always kept shining through, but both spades seemed attached.

Till the single-wire one was given a tug and the spade came away.



Thinking this was an easy canter to coffee and bun time, fitted new spade, put it all back in, still no warbler.

Having already removed and refitted the warbler itself to see if reseating the whitish looking lucar connectors would be all it required, I removed it again took it indoors and it passed all tests, giving me quite a fright at its racket at close quarters.
Then thoughts on what it could be? Fried loom? Will this become an engine out job ...

Turned out the original fault was simply dirty contacts, oxidised copper, dirt on the door-switch. The warbler current is probably negligible, interior light current maybe formed a pip or something such that one side connected and the other did not. Whatever, it's working. Happy days.

[Robsey]

Cool - we like a cheap fix.

Happy days indeed.

[thomas]

You got the dog, Robsey, but not the dog-walker, who also blundered into the picture, in front of the tree.
Though I never noticed anyone there till later.

[Robsey]

Hmmm - are you sure? - lol

I am sure he blundered away again...
Hopefully he picked up the poop and took it away with him.

He was well camourflaged in amongst the trees, but I still zapped him.

[thomas]

What are the chances of obtaining a front sub-frame, new, preferably, but used or whatever, might have to be considered?

[Robsey]

I cannot see any at the moment, not even used.

I thought that I had found one because MegaVaux listed it, but then there was a red cross nearby, saying 'no stock'.

[thomas]

I'll have to consider used, with the possibility of getting it powder-coated first, but I have to get one first, will know better tomorrow, if really needed, or repair possible. It's getting the bottom arms and track-rod ends replaced at present, which was going well.

[thomas]

Track-rod ends fitted, told it took some heat, they'd been wire-brushed and penetrant sprayed a week or so back.
Realised afterwards you can get, still, steering-arms with TR ends attached.




Slathered in thick grease, feel-good rather than help much, hope they'll not need to come off ever again anyway.


New ARB links, fitted (I didn't even know these were replaced). Nice-one. This means with bottom-arms, springs, TR-ends and these links replaced the whole front suspension except the strut and shock inserts are new.



Floor and mountings for the subframe/bottom arms are sound, these areas were for me a greater worry than the sub-frame itself.








I'm calling it aggressive, downright belligerent, surface-rust. Have a grainy picture from the Haynes manual of this area, but it shows the o/s better than the n/s I want to see. Would really like a nice picture of a clean, or new or any, subframe, to see what shape/size that hole if it's meant to be there should be. I had noticed this area of the subframe scraped bare to clean metal on first looking under the car, in 2019, thought it had maybe grounded on a rock, speed-hump or something. Repair will be something like a heavy skid-plate over it. Keeping an eye and ear open for a replacement.

[chrisp]

"Slathered in thick grease, feel-good rather than help much, hope they'll not need to come off ever again anyway"

I slathered the trackrod end adjusters with Hammerite underseal when I first got my Cav V6 with a few thousand miles on it, and these adjusters have remained movable ever since - now 115,000 miles

[3cav3]

I remember snapping the locking bolt on my 2nd cav when trying to adjust the steering. Never did manage to get it sorted before I sold the car.

Had the same problem as you on the track rod arms with my Astra. To the extent I removed the complete arms, put them in the vice and used lots of heat and diesel. Two new adjuster arms and track rods later, plus lots of copper slip hopefully means they should be easier next time.

[thomas]

Keeping those adjusters corrosion free, well worth the trouble, we need to keep re-using, re-furbing the parts we have, or there'll be none left.
Car though is driving beautifully, silently, not a thump or bump to be heard, sharp.

All work and worry and no play though.

So ...
It's Name That Lamp time again.
A while back identified these lamps as Vectra-B front foglight pair.


I've come across these two others, both for the same side, right I now think, part numbers, on sticker 90569966, Valeo one, and 90464684 Britax one.
What on earth are they? Vectra-B indicators?

[Robsey]

I put all the numbers through EPC
Sadly, none of the numbers were recognised.

[thomas]

They are definitely now in the category: could be thrown out without a qualm. But not the C18NZ ECU in the bottom of the box.
If they're Vectra-B lamps too then they're not much use to anyone. Vectra-B survival is surely worse than the A.

[Sean986]

Just read your whole thread from the start, massive journey you have been on with the rust on this! Are you now on top of it?

Will need to do front wishbones etc on mines at some point too.

Glad to see you kept it as I saw half way through it you were having doubts

[thomas]

I've re-instated some of the earlier pictures, temporarily. It hasn't been too bad, it was a good one, rust just getting started, in the usual places.

I've found the best subframe underside pic, in my own thread, it's of my own car in 2019.
Freshly Dinitroled, didn't help the subframe much, or if it's scraped off, can't figure what's happened to that bit, four years on.

[cavalier1990]

What are the chances of obtaining a front sub-frame, new, preferably, but used or whatever, might have to be considered?

Thomas, I got one a reconditioned / powdercoated one from achse24.de it's like a new frame. Pic is in the cavalier thread here:

http://www.vauxhallcavalier.com/forum/v ... 91#p177091

Cheers

Andy

[thomas]

That looks very promising Andy, cheers! I think I'll ring them tomorrow. Though it's a lot of metal to ship.
Nearly bought a faulty auto-box LSi with 11 months MoT and likely nascent rust issues, not too far away, the other night.
Still expecting to weld this one meantime, at least as good as it was or stronger, and still find another as well.

Didn't know or think the subframe was the same as Astra-F.
Seen a picture of a DOHC Calibra and noticed its subframe has the long arms that run to the front of the car closed below, fully boxed in.

[cavalier1990]

That looks very promising Andy, cheers! I think I'll ring them tomorrow. Though it's a lot of metal to ship.
Nearly bought a faulty auto-box LSi with 11 months MoT and likely nascent rust issues, not too far away, the other night.
Still expecting to weld this one meantime, at least as good as it was or stronger, and still find another as well.

Didn't know or think the subframe was the same as Astra-F.
Seen a picture of a DOHC Calibra and noticed its subframe has the long arms that run to the front of the car closed below, fully boxed in.

I can't remember if they shipped it right to me, but if I got anything big coming from Germany I usually use one of those shipping companies, some sellers don't like the hassle of sending to the UK.

Regarding the closed legs, yeah I don't know what that is, my 1.8 has the open one, the diplomat has the closed ones. It must be 2.0 and above ones, maybe for more strengthening. Otherwise they both look exactly the same unit. It's just a plate spot welded along the underneath of the leg.

I got an axle from them as well but was for an Astra F, I thought that wouldn't work, but everything apart from the handbrake mount and roll bar are different, but sure I can easily get round that by just fitting as astra roll bar and handbrake cable.

Cheers

Andy

[thomas]

That was brilliant Andy. I've got one raw, un-blasted, on its way from Germany. To be blasted, powder-coated, maybe dipped, to get inside it.

Did try to contact Achse24, by email, phone and have an account on their site, with the subframe in the basket (big basket), but stumped by how to include or add postage. They're on ebay with mainly big Merc axles, which they're happy enough to post so a little Vectra one should be no trouble. I'll still take both a prepped one as well as the raw one as at this stage they'd arrive at much the same time.

It was the extra-strengthening that convinced me they were not basically the same. Everyday you learn stuff, but forget much too.

[cavalier1990]

Thomas

I checked up my old emails, it is a crowd called mygermany I used for shipping. I think I paid Achse24 then sent the shipping details to Achse24 who then send to mygermany and they forward it on to me. Then they forward it to you. Achse site doesn't convert to English, so pretty hard to navigate around.

It arrived quite quickly and was pretty hassle free. I take it the one at 149 Euros is the bare one? For an extra 20 Euros it's a no brainer to get the powder coated one, but you've got 2 (Bare and a coated one) on order if I'm picking that up right? I don't think the bare one was on the site the time I looked anyway.

Cheers

Andy

[thomas]

The one on its way isn't from Achse as I couldn't complete the transaction, it's from a breakers: 'auto-teile-wolfen' and just off a car so not very clean and with some surface rust. Hope to get it powder-coated, but the place here that done the wheels for me only does wheels, but can put me in touch with somewhere else, also near Kelso that can do it. I seen that shiny one, don't know if that is blasted and coated clear or something it looked very clean.

Still wanted one ready-prepped and black preferably than red, from Achse if possible as time was of the essence and may have to take the car off the road. I had intended to SORN the bike at the end of September, but it remains taxed, just in case.

[thomas]

Quick update: had a little bit welding done at the rear end of the n/s sill, at the back of it, just rearward of the little bracket thing that projects inward.

It's well done, but temporary as the last foot, say of the n/s sill rear end is planned to be replaced in the same manner as the o/s sill was done last year, along with a greater piece of the arch than was needed on the o/s as well as a little bit of the inner arch there. When access to this area will be much better with part of the outer-sill removed.

The subframe meanwhile is on its way, to go straight to the powder-coaters on arrival, then to be swapped over.
Have a down-pipe fitting-kit, gasket, seal-ring, bolts, springs, as required.

Andy: achse24de messaged me to say, no problem posting to Scotland/rest of UK.
Think still though they would rather do it through their site than list them with their brand-new stuff on ebay.

[cavalier1990]

Hi Thomas

I couldn't remember how I paid them, but I'm sure it was directly off their site and then had to use the German shipping address etc. I think I probably just assumed it would be easier using the shipping fulfillment but good to hear they ship to UK ok. I think German/EU ebay sellers try and avoid selling bigger items to UK as they have to process shipping, which takes time, and if they do not post it quickly it goes against their rating or something.

Good to hear you got one anyway!

Cheers

Andy

[thomas]

Subframe would be a really awkward thing to parcel up, brown paper and string might not cut it.

I think we all appreciate the care that professional sellers take to package things safely for transit, the time, the materials, to protect the parts and make them safe for delivery agents to handle, carry safely. It's not just the bare postage costs or the cheapest. Don't mind a few extra days, few extra pounds/euros. Knowing it'll arrive safely and surely, is more important than quickly.

Had planned to do the end of the n/s sill and n/s/r arch in the spring next year, and with that as far as I can see there won't be much needing doing for a good while. He said, with confidence.

I've added the innermost anti-roll bar bushes to the parts list. Can't pass by an opportunity to replace them while the bar is off, they'll never be more accessible. Though I can't say if the new bushes will any improvement on thirty year-old original ones, but should be initially.