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Shes looking good!
I'm louder than gods own revolver and twice as shiney.
GTE Fail!
Well, not really, but as some of you know (from my constant whining) that my GTE didn't make Billing this year.
The full story is that I was driving along on the A43, the last of our eight car convoy (as usual). The traffic got quite thick, as did the pelting rain. I had the rear quarter windows open and I was vaguely aware of a funny schreeching noise that I thought was one of the many lorries around me. 10 mins later in slightly freer moving traffic I was just thinking about how I could still hear this noise that the guy next to me was making a motion for me to undo the window. "I think you thrust bearing has gone mate!" he exclaimed. "Oh, well she's going ok, all my gagues are good!" I replied. "Yeah **** it, just keep going!" he shouted. So I booted it off and the noise sort of quietened down. As I got in front of the van, there was a clear bit of road and a layby, so I thought I'd pull in for a look. Sure enough, the nearer the engine got to idle, the louder the noise got until it was almost painful. Popping the bonnet didn't really help me locate the noise. My worst fear was a cam belt roller starting to seize so I switched off (see page 2 onwards for problems I had with cam belt rollers).
So I admitted defeat, and in the first time in 12 years of mostly Vauxhall ownership, I called the recovery. Whilst waiting I took the airbox off and both belts so I could run the engine again. The noise had gone. Hmm. Not quite so bad then. So I gave the alternator pulley a flick, but it didn't move. Then I realsed what had happened, but I don't know why.
Anyway, I got the GTE recovered home whilst Sharon cowered under the gazebow as, typically, I had the tent and bedding in the GTE. Got back, swapped the bits into the Scania and set off again. So I've spent £70 on fuel before even arriving at Billing! I got there at about 9PM in the dark and rain. The Saab, though, is an absolute mile muncher. I didn't feel like I'd just done a 125 miles trip at all. Such a well built car. Didn't really get over 35MPG though.
Pics and a vid:
Then, I spotted the problem:
Annoying, as I had the brushes and bearings replaced by a guy at work who does them quite often just after I bought the car. In retrospect, I wish I'd just pushed on and fitted a replacement at the show. There were loads for sale, although fitting is a pain as it has to come out from underneath.
Shame, as I'd just fitted this awesome period option, thanks to pitsoppete:
Superb chunky Irmscher wheel with cool touch sensitive horn pushes. Was a dealer option of the time.
They're there, in their room.
Damn the french! But theres a plastic curclip holding the bar in with garlic as lube thats snaped.
Streering wheels sexy!
I'm louder than gods own revolver and twice as shiney.
Could have just bent the blades back with a screwdriver? Removal from underneath, really?Can get the one in my corsa out through the top...
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was just thinking that. am sure it was the same on my mk3 gsi too. easy enough to get fro the topOriginally Posted by DaveB
Could have just bent the blades back with a screwdriver? Removal from underneath, really?
Nah there's too much crap in the way, brake master cylinder etc.
Surprisingly, there's much more room at the cam belt end in a Corsa than an Astra.
Did try the screwdriver method, but it's every single one, ie. the shaft has moved so chances are it would have just moved again.
They're there, in their room.
bloody hell what actually happened then, the bearing move in the casing?
Being the inquisitive soul I am, I took the buggered alternator into work so the guy who rebuilt it could have a look (he's just moved house so I didn't expect him to rebuild it again).
He said the Delco ones aren't as good as the Bosch ones (no surprise) as the collar bearing behind the fan is simply an interference fit and this is all that controls endfloat. The bearing at the other end is just a roller bearing. Bosch ones have a disc that holds the shaft and bolts to the case, a bit like a camshaft, to control endfloat.
So I took it to bits, simply 3 bolts. The bearing had slipped in the front case, so I pushed it back using a socket in the vice. Then to keep it there I tried to peen the edges over. Being cast aluminium, the smaller bits just broke, but a few will do the job I think.
Once you pop the back off, the brushes spring out, so you have to stuff them back in then slide a 2.5mm drill bit in through a hole in the case to hold them there (just to the left of the rear roller bearing):
Then once the two halves are back together simply pull the drill bit out.
Now we have clearance again!
And it rotates freely and is good to go again I reckon.
So I might swap the alternators back again, then fit new bearings and brushes to the manky one currently on the car and keep as a spare.
They're there, in their room.
Good work.
I'm louder than gods own revolver and twice as shiney.
jesus, i remember trying to take a bosch one before, theyre all bolted together but **** me you wont undo most of it, that looks a right piece of piss to work on.
good job
Shame about the no show Dan. I wondered why you were driving the Saab (pics)..
All is well that ends well though, I hate that sinking feeling when you get a noise & admit defeat & pull over, I also hate the wait for recovery too.
it's a C20XE not a fookin Redtop FFS
Only a small update.
I drove myself to my wedding on Sunday 27th July:
You can also see Dave (GTE16v)'s behind.
The 1.3 Mk2 was Sharon's choice for her bridal car:
Our cake!
The poor Saab (which did most of the running about for the wedding) stayed at home.
The bridemaids made do with a Mk2 Jag.
Also the GTE passed it's MOT Tuesday with one small advisory which was n/s headlamp aim low. Probably due to it being shoved up the other Mk2's arse at some point...! :s
They're there, in their room.
nice
The cake is a lie :(
Cool cake!
I can't believe Sharon arrived at the church in an Astra. You shouldv'e treated her to a Lotus Carlton.
Congrats btw.
it's a C20XE not a fookin Redtop FFS
Here's a pic of the Saab roaring home from Billing too. Awesome credit to Benn:
They're there, in their room.
We couldn't find a LC locally for hire. Anyway, it's not "an" Astra, it's our Astra, like one of the family!
They're there, in their room.
When you took the car, I never mentioned I had this did I:
The models on the cake reminded me
Ooo gimmie!
Today, thanks to Grak off of AstraMk2.com, I collected possibly one of the hardest to find peices of 16V kit:
It's in pretty good nick. I would have had a go at fitting by now, but we fell victim to the SatNav trap on the way, and ended up down the muddiest lane I've ever seen, whilst our SatNav actually directed us to the middle of a field! We didn't remeber to actually get pics of the bad bits, this is was the easy part:
I've just spent an hour with the jetwash to get the worst off, obviously I don't want to trap any muck on the cat when I fit the undertray.
The things left I'd still like are the 15" star alloys (TonyK on Mk2 had them) and a trip computer.
They're there, in their room.
Looks like its needs a good snow foam...
I'm louder than gods own revolver and twice as shiney.
nuvi i bet, bastard satnav did that to me in cormwall, so i bought a map lmao
Good find with the undertray! I have one of those
get ben on the cleaning asap! lmao
The cake is a lie :(
Had a trial fitment today:
No idea what the scoop on the right is for.
Offering up like this helped me indentify what holes are for securing the undertray.
I noticed one of the bolts was still in it's clip. In fact it was rusted solid so I had to cut the head off. The factory method is spire clips with a M6x1.5 thread in. I've used ones that use a self-tapping style thread instead, simply as I bought a box randomly from eBay a while ago:
I found some suitable bolts in the good old tin of random.
This is how is stands now. I slapped loads of copperslip around, slipped the clips in and did the bolts up.
There's STILL loads of damp mud stuck all round the fuel lines and wheelarches so it needs another good wash before I fit the tray proper.
They're there, in their room.
well done mate my uncle had a black gte on a h plate as fcuk that was when i was 18 10 yrs ago i would love to own 1 also but i do like the mk3 gsi
seriously nice MK2 mate, keep up the good work
DJ
20SEH powered Corsa B
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