A newbie from Orpington

[maz_r]

Hi Ian,

Glad you got your car at last - good luck with it.

Ref. the CTS, the table is here (unless I have the wrong sender??)

[Ian T]

Ian, 99.9% sure mine is USB. My car is at my mechanics having a service, driveshaft Gators and a wheel bearing being done but should have it back by the middle of the week. Let me know when you are free
David

Hi David,

Within reason, I'm free most nights from about 8:30pm (once the boys are in their beds), so I'd fit in around your availability really.


In other news, I had a useful day today and ticked a few items off the 'to do before MOT' list:

Wiper stalk replaced - it's a hatch stalk so has the 'push forward for rear wipe' function, but at least the new stalk operates the wipers correctly.

Handbrake and NSR wheel bearing sorted - it was only just holding the car at full extension, so I suspected the automatic adjusters in the rear calipers. Looking at the cable compensator, it was clear that the drivers side was releasing very little compared to the near side, (the cable was going very very slack). Jacked it up, wheel off and yup, the lever was seized. A combination of some 'working' and a spot of 3in1 oil got it operating correctly. I actuated it a few times and heard the self adjuster working, which brought some feel to the lever, which I reconnected. Near side was fine, but I took the opportunity to have the hub cap off, removed the split pin and tightened up the rear hub nut to take the slack out of the bearing. The pads on the drivers side are more worn than the passenger side, so this caliper has probably been stuck for a little while. I will order a new set and the take the opportunity to completely overhaul the caliper so I can forget it for a while afterwards.

Passenger seat base tidied up - simple really, the leather had become disengaged from the retaining rail under the seat meaning that the sides were all floppy and untidy - a little stretching and it was back as intended. Not perfect as the bolsters are a little soft but tidy enough for now.

Ian.

[Ian T]

Hi Ian,

Glad you got your car at last - good luck with it.

Ref. the CTS, the table is here (unless I have the wrong sender??)

Thanks, a useful table, but it is for the gauge sensor, rather than the engine management one.

All being well, I will be able to borrow David's interface and I can create a table for the sensor I have - if faulty and I buy a new one I will repeat it and post it as a reference for others. I have an optical thermometer, so I can get close to the temperature of the coolant flowing within the thermostat housing, or, perhaps warm it up in a pan of water and do it that way.

That link is great though, I just don't get the apparent mismatch between the desired operating temperature of the engine and the gauge. I nearly bought a Cavalier gauge set yesterday to plug in for a comparison, as that article suggests, the Vauxhall gauge might be mismatched to the sensor.

Ian.

[maz_r]

This one then...

[Ian T]

This one then...

Thanks - yeah, that's the fella. OK, so from what I have measured, it would appear to be OK - 200 Ohms at (I guess 90-95 degrees C).

I'll have to spend some more time on the Wiki, won't I?

I did notice that there are two drillings in the top of the throttle body, both have what look to be grub screws in them, the larger one slowly pulls a vacuum if I put my finger over it at idle, so either it is there to provide a controlled bleed of air, or it's got a very small leak.

Ian.

[Enright]

I did notice that there are two drillings in the top of the throttle body, both have what look to be grub screws in them, the larger one slowly pulls a vacuum if I put my finger over it at idle, so either it is there to provide a controlled bleed of air, or it's got a very small leak.

Ah, that sounds like the idle speed adjustment screw. It should be sealed with an O-ring. If it's leaking your idle speed will go up.
Over time the O-ring stops doing its job. It also allows the screw to come loose, and then turbo pressure fires it out.
The first you know about it is when your idle speed goes out of control, and by then it's too late.
You may have been really lucky there and just found it in time.
There should be an anti-tamper plug that stops it getting launched, but they often go missing too.

By the way have you done the base timing yet? I'd say if you have any running issues to start with that.

[Ian T]

Hi Neil,

Thanks for the reply (and very much for the PM - will reply to that separately).

I will start a project thread, but want to do it in a considered way, so for the moment, here is what I have done to the old girl.

Checked base timing - appears correct at 16 degrees BTDC with ECU in service mode.
Checked plugs - seem fine, a little bit sooty, less so on one side after a drive.
Checked compression - all 185psi when the engine is hot (initial puff was over 150psi)
Removed the old Sigma alarm (just in case it's immobiliser circuit was interfering, plus it's siren was faulty)

I also bought a Gunson digital gastester, but it appears to be made of chocolate, all it did was warm up, melt the hot glue sticking the pulse pump to the back of the unit and fall apart. It didn't calibrate in air, so it has gone back to Amazon today and I will have another one next week.

Without the gastester, I thought 'can't make it any worse' and adjusted the CO pot a bit. I can't find any reference to say whether increasing the Voltage to the ECU richness the mixture but it does appear to run more smoothly at idle when it is a couple of turns clockwise from the anticlockwise end.

The car drives fine, so this seems to be a starting issue more than anything else. Hopefully I will meet up with lansledj from here next week if he can spare the time so I can borrow his Elanscan interface and then I will have some data to go at, which should at least point me in some direction. I am slowly (as I find the tools I haven't used for years, like timing light etc) working through the 'hard start' section of the EMU manual, but have that feeling it will be something stupidly simple. It is consistent too, doesn't matter whether it is warm or cold, starting without throttle, or with a bit. No firing for perhaps the first 20 compressions and then occasional fires, and the engine will run on perhaps two cylinders for a bit, get 3 and then 4 a few seconds later, puffing out strong petrol smells and black smoke. It doesn't seem to small all that much once it has had a run, but switch it off and it is just the same even if started up again straight away. One fault I diagnosed on a friend's Zafira was a faulty starter motor, which cranked over just fine, but pulled massive current spikes that kept resetting the ECU (dragging the supply Voltage down) and meant it never attempted to fire. Can't help but wonder if that is what I have going on here.

Thanks for the pointer on that screw - it appears to have a mangled O-ring stuck down the side of the screw, as if to stop it rattling loose in the bore, but perhaps it is a seal that is trying to escape. I will have a search for whichever manual details that (didn't see it in the EMU manual, which is the only one I have so far). As far a tamper proof cap goes, it did have a square of dried out gaffa tape stuck over it, but if that was an attempt at sealing, it was woeful. . I have a good O-ring kit so when I know what to do with that screw (if it has an associated setup procedure) I will take it out and investigate. There seemed to be two drillings, the smaller one has some black goo in it and might be sealed.

Otherwise while delayed from sorting the starting problem I have been getting to the bottom of things like central locking, which was previously controlled by the alarm and the various rods were disconnected or had fallen off inside the drivers door. So that is now fixed and the car can for now be locked with the metal thing that people used to put into a slot in the door before remote controls... I am looking out for a new alarm, main choice parameters are a durable key fob and a low current demand in the set condition. One approach I have used before (on the Mk2 Astra) is to fit the Vauxhall stuff from a Vectra / Omega complete with deadlocks, which would be quite welcome on this car.

Of course everything I take apart reveals another job, so I will start a list once it has passed the MOT and give myself something to aim for.

I'd quite like to fit a wideband Lambda (HEGO) sensor and gauge as well, particularly if one with a matching bezel can be found to match the OE gauges in the dash.

Priorities:
1) MOT (expect the starting issue will also show up in high emissions, otherwise it should pass)
2) Alarm
2a)
3) Cambelt kit (it looks to have had one a couple of years ago, but didn't mention water pump or roller(s) so isn't urgent but I'd like to do it for peace of mind.
4) Full service - again lots already has been done, oil looks new, but will give me a known good starting point.

Ian.

[Ian T]

Hmmm... Didn't check plug gaps. Anyone know what they should be? I'll take myself off to the wiki to see if someone got there first and included it...

Ian.

[maz_r]

Errrrrrrrrr......

[Enright]

Good logical approach, like it.
Have you taken any pics of it that you can share with us?

[Ian T]

Good logical approach, like it.
Have you taken any pics of it that you can share with us?

Must admit I haven't taken many photos yet, but do have one here on my phone that shows off probably it's biggest cosmetic flaw - the fit of the front bumper - hopefully not hiding anything sinister as the parts don't look damaged and repaired.

It is a little tired in places, but ought to fettle up adequately. It won't ever be a show car I expect, but that doesn't mean it is too shabby either.

Ian.