1994 Cavalier LSi C20NE (was C18NZ) Work-horse

[Robsey]

Well I got the wheel off, and my brakes are cleaned and refitted and adjusted up.

It is so nice to have brakes

So how did I get the wheel off....

Well I added some more plus gas, gave the wheel another wallop from behind (ooh er missus), and still nothing.. beginning to ripple the inner rim of the wheel by this time..

So I took the car for a spin........ with the wheel bolts backed off by about 4 or 5 threads... still plenty of bolt thread still in the hub.

Went for a drive around the block. Got about 100 yards, when the back end began to make a really odd noise...
I had vibrated / shaken the wheel loose on its studs.

So I tightened them up again and headed back to my house.

Jacked the car up, removed the bolts and hey presto, the wheel came off easily.

First job was to hammer the rim edges straight again with my 5lb aluminium faced mallet - looks spot on, now.

Driving with the bolts loose had allowed the rim to rub the hub smooth of corrosion

So that said, the driver's side rear brake assembly was duly done and dusted.

Of course I coated all the contact flanges with coppa-slip... including the drum-hub to wheel contact surfaces.

Next time the wheel should come off a lot more easily.

BTW - The tighteneing torque of the wheel bolts is 81 lb

[Kevwaggy]

I would never have thought of that

[Envoy CDX]

All sorted now though Rob

[planetc]

Get a lot stuck at roadside, the intelligent ones I tell to loosen and roll the car back and forth if I'm a long way away. I stopped telling them all after a muppet didn't listen properly and did it with all the bolts on the floor!

[Robsey]

Well - a long time since I last posted about the old girl.

Anyway, had a pleasant surprise..

It was the MOT today

I was expecting the car to bomb out on the following..

a) Hole on the box section at the rear of the boot floor.

b) Very crumbly feeling floor near to two of the fuel line mounts

c) Hole in the off-side rear wheel arch

d) Excessive play in the nearside track-rod end.

e) possible play in the off-side wishbone.

and the results are..............................





Just needed the track rod end doing for a pass... "faints in shock"

Aparently all the other rust patches / holes, were not within 12" (30cm) of a suspension or safety related component...

Wowsers !!!

So the old girl has another 12 months ticket - yay.

Going to pick her up from the garage after work tomorrow

[btcctroy]

Well - a long time since I last posted about the old girl.

Anyway, had a pleasant surprise..

It was the MOT today

I was expecting the car to bomb out on the following..

a) Hole on the box section at the rear of the boot floor.

b) Very crumbly feeling floor near to two of the fuel line mounts

c) Hole in the off-side rear wheel arch

d) Excessive play in the nearside track-rod end.

e) possible play in the off-side wishbone.

and the results are..............................





Just needed the track rod end doing for a pass... "faints in shock"

Aparently all the other rust patches / holes, were not within 12" (30cm) of a suspension or safety related component...

Wowsers !!!

So the old girl has another 12 months ticket - yay.

Going to pick her up from the garage after work tomorrow

if you need any welding doing come and see me pal

[btcctroy]

well thats great news.

mine went straight through 2 weeks ago which i was pleased.

wheel bearing has gone now lol

[Robsey]

if you need any welding doing come and see me pal

I will bear this in mind, however I will have to save up first... planning on full set of sills and both rear arches...
Oh and the box section at the rear of the boot.

Sounds like a job for the summer

[jazzfunkster]

The digi-dash looks awesome and a fantastic modification, the Blue one looks out of this work, cheers for the pictures mate.

[Robsey]

The digi-dash looks awesome and a fantastic modification, the Blue one looks out of this work, cheers for the pictures mate.

Thanks for the kind comments.

Cav is back off the road until the weekend

Was driving home from Bromborough tonight, when the red oil "fluid" warning light came on... intermittently from about 20 miles from home.

when I parked up at home, I checked the pedal, and noticed that it was slowly sinking to the floor

after my check, the fluid light stayed lit... pah!! must have pumped the fluid below the minimum level.

it was too dark to see anything tonight, so it will have to wait til weekend.

so I am assuming it is a dis-lodged / worn seal due to still having full braking effect all the way home...

I assume a failed brake pipe or hose would cause a complete or substantial loss of brake pedal effect.

(It is an ABS equipped vehicle).

[planetc]

The digi-dash looks awesome and a fantastic modification, the Blue one looks out of this work, cheers for the pictures mate.

Thanks for the kind comments.

Cav is back off the road until the weekend

Was driving home from Bromborough tonight, when the red oil "fluid" warning light came on... intermittently from about 20 miles from home.

when I parked up at home, I checked the pedal, and noticed that it was slowly sinking to the floor

after my check, the fluid light stayed lit... pah!! must have pumped the fluid below the minimum level.

it was too dark to see anything tonight, so it will have to wait til weekend.

so I am assuming it is a dis-lodged / worn seal due to still having full braking effect all the way home...

I assume a failed brake pipe or hose would cause a complete or substantial loss of brake pedal effect.

(It is an ABS equipped vehicle).

Could be a leak anywhere on the system dropped the level rob, hoses and pipes don't always result in a total loss of the circuit, if the leak is not a big one.

[Envoy CDX]

Rear brake cylinders would be my guess, thinking back to the issues you had when you were removing the rear drums.

[Robsey]

Rear brake cylinders would be my guess, thinking back to the issues you had when you were removing the rear drums.

I have a niggling feeling it is the off-side rear cylinder... just didn't seem right on the day.

so you could well be right... another job for the pressure bleader...

[Envoy CDX]

Rear brake cylinders would be my guess, thinking back to the issues you had when you were removing the rear drums.

I have a niggling feeling it is the off-side rear cylinder... just didn't seem right on the day.

so you could well be right... another job for the pressure bleader...

Do em in pairs...

[Robsey]

Did a really anal quick fix today..

I bought a bulb and battery from e-bay for my door key with the light.
(Not for alarm / transponder / immobiliser).

From here: -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/250914923449? ... 1497.l2649

20 seconds later - light is now working.

I can now lock / unlock the car or put the key in the ignition without fishing about in the dark.

[Envoy CDX]

Did a really anal quick fix today..

I bought a bulb and battery from e-bay for my door key with the light.
(Not for alarm / transponder / immobiliser).

From here: -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/250914923449? ... 1497.l2649

20 seconds later - light is now working.

I can now lock / unlock the car or put the key in the ignition without fishing about in the dark.

Oh go on then bought one

[Robsey]

Okay, got the Cav back from getting the brakes sorted...

I wasn't being lazy giving the Cav to my garage mechanic to do, I have just been run off my feet for the last few weeks - so no time for crawling around on the floor, under the car fixing the brakes in the gail force winds and driving rain.

It turns out, that it wasn't a rear cyclinder, but in fact a metal brake line that runs along the near side of the floor pan, up behind the fuel tank, and back out to the near side rear wheel hub / brake back-plate.

There was a pin-prick size hole in the metal pipe just tucked up behind the fuel tank.

Another new piece now fitted to the Cav.


Continuing on from last night, here are piccies of the key and the working light.

Let there be light... apologies for mucky fingers, Ihad just been working on the wife's friend Aprillia motorcycle..

[Envoy CDX]

Alll good, nice cheap fix then

[Robsey]

No real progress at the moment...

Just a bit of tatting about.

On Tuesday last week I ordered some bits for my Cavalier from Lookers Vauxhall in Ellesmere Port, of Junction 8 M53.

I picked them up this Tuesday.

The order included a CD70 Navi sat-nav unit firmware update disk for my head-unit.

A bulb for my Omega one touch sunroof knob.

And a Clutch cable circlip, as I lost the original one a few months ago.


So On Tesday I ran the CD in the Navi slot.. took about 15 minutes to do, whilst I was still in the dealer's car park.

This is all part of a cunning plan that will allow me to fit an aux-in connection.
I just need to fit a few SMD components to the main head-unit circuit board.
Then a quick code index change, to bring up the correct "audio source" folders on the display.
Strangely Vauxhall Headunits have never been very - well modern.. they still had a cassette player available on 2005 Corsas. (Model CC20 or even basic radio R10 )
So until late 2007, it was not possible to have an external (aux-in) connection.

Today between visits I decided to do the sunroof illumination bulb
... 5 minutes of hassle, and it was soon fitted and working.

I was going to do the circlip today, but my bonnet release cable has stretched, and so I couldn't pop the bonnet today... will have another go tomorrow.

Not much done, but all progress.

[Envoy CDX]

All good progress Rob, more than I managed today - think I managed to remove the steering wheel and half a dozen screws.

[Robsey]

Thanks dude..

Just a thought, do you still want me to order a sunroof bulb for you, or do you have a local dealership / trade card.?
If you do have a card, then it may be slightly cheaper for you to order your own...

Normal retail price for the bulb is approx £3 including vat.

Oh - and managed to get the bonnet open today, so fitted the circlip, (or washer as Vauxhall call it)

[Envoy CDX]

Excellent, whack the part number in a PM I have to go back tomorrow to hand over a wadge of cash anyhow

[Robsey]

It's in the picture above...

90 512 802

[Robsey]

As per another one of my recent threads,

I have fallen for the idea of fitting Cruise control to my Cavalier.

Unlike Haynes and the famous "Total Vauxhall" article, where only eight of the pins are used,

All the pins on the cruise control module socket are populated.
so following a bit of TIS research, I found out this information...

The pin-out according to TIS2000, is as follows..

Also on TIS, there is no pin I, instead it quotes pin J

The extra two wires are
Pin H = Diagnostic Link
Pin J = Instrument panel Tell Tale

I will put up a how 2 when I finally get it all in...

I will be connecting up all the wires, including H and J

I already have a 16 pin EOBD 2 connector fitted for my Vectra-C components which I can program for adaptations with my OpCom unit.
The module will link via pin 8 of the EOBD 2 plug.

I will also fit the tell tale into my digi dash, as I would like to be able to see when it is active.

[Envoy CDX]

Excellent Rob, sounds like it's going to be a bit of fun for you soon then