[Astra Dan]

top job on the paint. takes some balls to spray the arches the colour the car should be and hope to cut/polish the rest back to match. turned out great.

standard is the new modified !

I'm well pleased will the colour match .

 

[Astra Dan]

Right on.

 

[Astra Dan]

You found the orange blobs in the ashtray then? lmao

Yeah. No offence, but I thought the clear ones looked bloody awful, very out of place. I don't find the orange too offensive on a bright red car anyway, so back to standard it went!

I do, however, love the later spec headlight warning chime and the VW wiper relay, that's the only sort of 'behind the scenes' mod I'll allow, like the central locking remote and uprated dampers.

 

[Astra Dan]

Thanks for all the replies and positive remarks. Just to make it clear, only the rear wings have been resprayed, I wouldn't hope (or want, probably) a full re-spray for £400. The rest is, as far as we can tell, original paint, so some credit to the previous owners I guess!

Um, I've not owned a Starmist, but obviously it flies compared to my mk2 (1.3) and my mk3 (2.0i 8V).

Been driving it quite a bit today. It's only managed 95 miles to £20,although the plugs are nice and light brown, so I don't think it's over-fuelling. Will monitor the MPG, I would expect to get near 30MPG.
Also one of the track rod ends broke the other day, so replaced both today and got the tracking reset, much better.

Next on the list is to re-wire the brake pad senders with the new items I got from Billing as this is the only part of the check control that doens't work. Then I need to dismantle the exhaust and replace the centre section and salvage the back box somehow. They're £110+VAT from Vaux!

 

[Astra Dan]

Yesterday I replaced the brake pad warning sensors. I got a pair of new Mk3 Cav ones at Billing for £
3 each. They're about 200mm shorter than the GTE ones.
So I cut the broken ends off the old ones and found two of the right female sockets, on from an old Vectra sensor I had lying about and another was from the oil level sensor connection from a XE engine loom I randomly found.
Now the pad warning light goes out and I have a 100% working check control.

Also went to a local exhaust place and found Bosal still make the standard 16V back box, which sells for £
56, less than half the Vauxhall price. It comes in tomorrow, but I made sure they know that if I don't like the look of it I won't buy it.

 

[Astra Dan]

My current GM one has a silver end...

 

[Astra Dan]

So Dan you made some little extensions, not cutting the original loom?

Of course! No wires cut on the whole car except for the immobiliser as far as I know.

 

[Astra Dan]

Engine is getting some treatment soon. First an oil leak to fix (dizzy I think) which I've just re-sealed. Then a general clean up and a re-spray for the rocker cover and (metal) spark plug cover in as close to original colours as possible.

 

[Astra Dan]

Hey John! Thank you.

 

[Astra Dan]

Why thankyou

Today I got to see what a £56 +vat Bosal replacement back box is like:

To be frank, utter ****e. My hopes weren't high, but that takes the piss. To not even bother putting the outer trim on straight must mean the quality control is total crap. Looks far more restrictive than the GM box too. Makes me feel much better about paying £110 for a genuine item if I can't get a decent 2nd had one.

 

[Astra Dan]

Yep. I took one look at it and told them to send it back. I wouldn't have accepted it off the delivery lorry myself.

 

[Astra Dan]

RANDOM DRIVE REPORT

Had a bit if time this afternoon and was going to replace the tank to pump pipe on the GTE, but realised it'd be easier if there was less fuel in the tank. And I've not really driven the GTE properly yet. So out I went to some national limit roads.

My WORD I've never overtaken that many people in one afternoon. I'm not the most 'sportiest' of drivers, as some will know, and I've not driven many fast-ish standard cars either, mainly engine conversions. But I do like a good blat and I'll overtake almost whenever possible and safe.
The GTE LOVES it. The pull from the car from almost any revs is nothing I've experienced in any standard car. Not as fast as a LET Mk3 Astra or a Nova obviously, but for something straight out of the box (it still has the cat, too) I'm amazed. Much quicker than the Leon Cupra R I drove (most dissapointing, frankly).
I actually started laughing to myself as I scudded a line of 3 cars and a van and noticed I changed UP into 5th whilst doing it, such was the ease. No wheel wobble or brake juddder, brakes felt firm and responsive. Her ass got a bit light around some corners and under heavy breaking, but black Bilsteins at the minimum are on the cards. No plans to lower, though. I think I've blown out some of the insulation in the exhaust somewhere, too. Whilst not making a classic blowing/ farting noise, it's got a real mean rasp to it now, which is actually fun.
Oil pressure seemed perfect to me, 4 straight bars (full) when thrashing, three bars when cruising in 5th and 2, sometimes 1 straight bar on hot idle. Temperature constant on 2 yellow bars. Engine sounds OK, no tapping or knocking, but there's been a funny sort of harsh noise from the bottom pulley area for a while, but I've fitted a new belt and rollers and pump, and had it apart again to check and everything seems OK to me. Belt is a smidgen tight, you can just hear it whining when hot. Well happy.

Pic:

 

[Astra Dan]

lol No, it's actually a public footpath...

 

[Astra Dan]

Nah. It looks good, yeah.

But I want standard.

 

[Astra Dan]

Hmm.
Some already know I've had a right headache trying to get the cam belt the correct tension for ages now.
Shortly after I got the car I did the lot, water pump, belt and rollers, pukka kit from Vauxhall. It was OK for a week, then it started humming like it was too tight. OK I thought, I'll lossen it off a bit. I did, then it started flapping far too much for my liking. After a bit of messing about I took the cam belt off again, and pitstoppete noticed the back of the belt had melted sections of belt on it! Took the rollers off and they'd nearly seized! they were about twice as stiff as new ones, normally they loosen up quie a bit. Is was possible to see the grease had spun out of one of them.
So tried to exchange the kit for a new one at Vauxhall (Evans Halshaw in Pompey) but their warranty proceedure isn't straight forward. You either buy a new kit and send the old one away for examination then get a refund, or book the car in to get a new kit fitted, BUT, I'd have to fit the old kit to the car. Obviously, if I do this I can't get the car back to Vauxhall. So I had a chat to the workshop guy and showed him the rollers he then tried to make out I'd overtightned the belt and damaged the rollers as a result. I don't agree. For those not familiar with early 20XEs it has two metal rollers, not much smaller than wheel bearings! I argued my case and said there's no way a canvas and rubber belt will damage a massive metal bearing. It also didn't help my case that my ratchet doesn't quite fit the adjuster and had slipped out, looking as if I'd rounded the square bit in the adjuster. He went off to get a second opinion. Came back, and said to the service guy to get it booked in to change it. I asked why, and he said it just wasn't worth arguing over a cam belt kit. It is when it's a £95 cam belt kit. But I think he saw my side or his other mechanic did. Anyway, it's going in Thursday for a new cambelt kit, fitted by Vauxhall themselves. I bet it's been a whole since a GTE 16V has been in there.
To be honest, I'm not too keen as I don't really trust garages, but I'll have paperwork once they've fitted it so it'll be their problem if it lets go...

I've done several cambelts and kits on 20XEs, not to mention the Ecotecs and 8Vs and not had a problem yet. I've refitted the belts and rollers that were on the car when I got it and it's fine now, quiet as anything.

 

[Astra Dan]

lol no.

It's a warranty thing, so it's free of charge.
I had the same thing with a rub strip on the mk3. It peeled off, leaving the sticky on the car, proving 100% it wasn't my fault. They still insisted on booking the car in and fitting the new one themselves. Which still peeled off.
If they want to waste time and money, that's their beef. I would have been perfectly happy with a new cam belt kit.

I'll ask about a warranty for the work. As far as I'm concerend (as I have already fitted a new water pump) if I have ANY cambelt related issues in the next three years or 36k miles, it's their problem, not mine.

 

[Astra Dan]

No I can see your point. But also, I don't want to be throwing it around too much. I have the other two for that. Alright they're not nearly as quick, but they're more.... I wanna say disposable but that's not quite what I mean as I'd really hate to stack either car. I've waited so long for a GTE 16V I don't want to be encouraged to throw it into bends. If you see what I mean.
We'll see.
As an aside I did quite a few miles in the mk2 yesterday, which has got mongrel suspension. It's got worn out GTE shocks up front, new GM shocks at the back, unknown lowering springs from tuning.co.uk, GTE 8V front ARB and a complete Mk3 GSi rear beam (so loads of negative camber) minus the external ARB and all new bushes and joints up front. The bloody thing is amazing. I'm seriously coinsidering taking it to Combe in September instead of the GTE. I was taking roundabouts and corners at motorway speeds, the thing just sticks, even on poverty tyres. I'd like to see how well it'll do on a track. The other bonus is I have infinite confidence on the engine being able to take a pounding, 7 years of abuse have not made a dent in it. I also half want it to blow, I'd love to see a 1.4 16V engine in there and Joe who lives round the corner has a spare engine....


And yes, the head mechanic dude at Vaux made sure the service guy got the number for the belt kit, I heard him tell they guy to make sure he didn't get an Ecotec kit.

 

[Astra Dan]

I've already wasted an almost mint Mk2 SRi 5 door by landing it on it's roof. It wasn't as bad as that, but I'd lost faith in the car as I bought it cheap as it spun out on the previous owner, too.

 

[Astra Dan]

No by unkown I mean I was sent them when I ordered -40mm springs for the mk3. It slammed it about 80mm! It drove awfully as well, with massive camber on the front. So I obviously called to complain and they sent me some -40 Pi springs which worked a treat. I stuck the unkown springs on the mk2 and it's lowered it about 50mm I think.