Astra Mk1 in glorious poo-brown. SOLD

[Morgan84]

Sounds like this car needs a new set of plugs,clean out the carburettor with some spray carb cleaner,new fuel filter,clean or replace air filter as required and have someone check the engine CO emissions to make sure it's not running too weak ( If its needing choke to keep going,its too weak ),and if its too rich,it will choke itself up.Check the ignition timing,and points and you should have it ready for a few trouble free miles.For peace of mind,a new coil isn't a bad thing,and keep the old one as a suspect spare

[scaryoldcortina]

One of the first things you are taught when learning to tune carbs (or map injection..) is that the physical symptoms of lean and rich mixture are the same, and you cannot rely on them. A fuelly smell gives it away though, as does plug condition. I discounted ignition mainly because the car starts on full throttle and I've never seen an ignition fault do that!

[Louise2cv]

Cheers gang, what we're saying is, basically, that I have to pull my finger out and get on a do something with it!

 

Next time someone is around to look after Megan, I have a bash at what's been suggested and let you know how I get on

[Morgan84]

Older cars tell you when they need servicing,or tlc - they simply go on strike,and play games until you do it !

[Louise2cv]

So I got the shear head bolt undone. I failed to knock it round with the cold chisel yesterday so I rushed* out this afternoon and bought some bolt extractors. Having never used them before and having no instructions I set about using them very gingerly. After getting swarf in my eye and deafening myself with a screechy drill and generally getting nowhere, I turned back to the chisel and got the bolt undone in about 2mins. Whether the heat from drilling helped or if it was just one of those go away and come back to it things, I don't know.

 

Anyhoo the steering column actually looks straight much straighter than the one I bought so I'm a bit confused. The points of attachment on the car don't really look like they could have been deformed, there's nothing obvious and it looks pretty sturdy. I suppose the twist/bend on the column (if there is one) could be very subtle but with the two top bolts done up the bottom is a good inch out of alignment with its fixing . I'm increasingly worried I have a straight steering column and a bent car

 

Now for the stupidity. Yesterday I got the plugs out (eventually as they were well stuck) but one of the plug leads broke. I got a set of plug leads for a MK1 astra from halfords and on getting them home they look completely different to whats on the car.

 

I have 5 leads, the 3 longest have a big metal end with springs, and the other two have rubber ends. The rubber ended ones are way too short to reach the coil but I don't think the metal ended ones are meant for that either. Confused much? Me?

 

Also sprayed the carb with carb cleaner and this appears to have poured all over the floor and melted the road so I'm probably in trouble about that too .

[M'coli]

Take the leads back; they're for an OHC engine, not an OHV - it's Halfords' mistake!

[hairnet]

for the carb buy an ultrasonic cleaner bath from aldi/lidl

 

30 quid or so

 

carb comes out like it left the factory

[MrDuke]

Don't buy anything model-specific from Halfords, ever. It doesn't matter what the laminated catalogue-thingy says, or what their knowledgeable* staff advise, it's always Wrong.

Go to Siop Y Modur in Cofi, or PartCo in Bangor, take your leads in with you and ask them to match them with singles. If they're unable to do that (highly unlikely), it's actually not that hard to make up a set of leads yourself.

[Louise2cv]

Yeah I was just think about going to C&A Motor Factors tomorrow morning...

 

I suppose seeing as there isn't a steering wheel on the car at the mo I'm in no rush if they do have to order anything in!

[MrDuke]

Also:

 

The points of attachment on the car don't really look like they could have been deformed, there's nothing obvious and it looks pretty sturdy. I suppose the twist/bend on the column (if there is one) could be very subtle but with the two top bolts done up the bottom is a good inch out of alignment with its fixing . I'm increasingly worried I have a straight steering column and a bent car

 

 

For the car to be that bent, I'd expect some really obvious evidence of crash repair up front - at least some dodgy panel alignment and strange-looking welds in odd places...

[Louise2cv]

Also:

 

The points of attachment on the car don't really look like they could have been deformed, there's nothing obvious and it looks pretty sturdy. I suppose the twist/bend on the column (if there is one) could be very subtle but with the two top bolts done up the bottom is a good inch out of alignment with its fixing . I'm increasingly worried I have a straight steering column and a bent car

 

 

For the car to be that bent, I'd expect some really obvious evidence of crash repair up front - at least some dodgy panel alignment and strange-looking welds in odd places...

 

I can't see anything that would suggest it but it would be just about my luck!

 

PartCo can get me the leads by tomorrow, and none of the stuff I got from ebay has arrivedso I'm a bit stuck now, busy baby day tomorrow, can't let trivial stuff like this get in the way of Megan's social life!

 

I'm going to put the steering stuff back together for now. I'm still waiting for a price and/or successful removal of replacement parts from a car someone is breaking. This way I won't loose anything and at least now I just have to undo three bolts to change it rather than fanny about with the security bolt!

 

I'm sure the column must be bent, it just doesn't look it, and really I have no way to check.

 

Wish I had all my service parts .

[Louise2cv]

Right well, I've got the steering column and steering wheel back on. After some "creative hammering" to the bracket type part of the column it's a lot straighter than it was. I only smacked myself in the teeth with the steering wheel once too, thick top lips are soooooooo attractive don't you think?

 

The only prob I have now is a lot of back and forth movement if you pull up and push down on the steering wheel. I have redone the pinch bolt twice but no joy. Any ideas what I've done wrong?

 

I still hope to replace the column if I do get hold of a straight one, but I'm hacked off and worried that I've done something to introduce this in and out play...

 

I'm sorry there aren't photos but I'm like a bull in china shop and have usually finished by the time I think to take any pics It doesn't help that Matt wasn't back 'til gone 7 and I was trying to finish before it fell dark (I put the final bits on by the light of of a lego keyring ).

[Pete-M]

Right well, I've got the steering column and steering wheel back on. After some "creative hammering" to the bracket type part of the column it's a lot straighter than it was. I only smacked myself in the teeth with the steering wheel once too, thick top lips are soooooooo attractive don't you think?

 

The only prob I have now is a lot of back and forth movement if you pull up and push down on the steering wheel. I have redone the pinch bolt twice but no joy. Any ideas what I've done wrong?

 

I still hope to replace the column if I do get hold of a straight one, but I'm hacked off and worried that I've done something to introduce this in and out play...

 

There's a bush at the top of the column. It's probably been mullahed by whoever has screwed with the lock. Shouldn't be any real play there.

[Louise2cv]

I've undone and re-tightened the pinch bolts either side of the coupling, seems to have taken up all but the slightest bit of movement.

 

Hopefully we're done until the new straight (please be straight) column arrives.

 

I've got new plugs, as specified in the Haynes Manual, but they are a completely different reach to the ones that came off the car, the new ones are about 1/2cm shorter Is it just me being thick?

[Cavcraft]

Quite likely someone's fitted the wrong or different plugs at some point, Louise. You may find the car runs better when you fit the new ones if the old ones are wrong or knackered.

[Louise2cv]

Yeah I've just found a crossreference chart online and the old NGK ones don't match the champion ones recommended.

 

I'll go and try it out!

[Louise2cv]

Well it's back up and running, still got the idle issue but I've only sprayed the carb with some carb cleaner while on the car, I guess I'll need to take it off for a proper job.

 

Someone else has suggested point and condenser too...

 

The other thing thats happening is that sometimes after stalling turning the key brings nothing but silence. Something isn't switching, I don't know if thats just the ignition switch starting to go after its rough treatment since the AA man or if it indicates something else.

 

 

On the plus side the steering wheel seemed to do the job, it went in all the directions it was pointed and was much lighter too. In your face to all the neighbours who've been taking the mick over the last couple of days

[Cavcraft]

If it's not a daft question how have you used the choke and carb cleaner so far? In my experience it's best to remove the airbox and spray the cleaner into the carb whilst someone else revs the engine up as it'll stall as you're doing it otherwise. Obviously the best thing is to remove the carb altogether but decent choke/carb should shift a fair amount of crud.

 

The silence does sound like a dirty/worn ignition switch, it's certainly the first thing I'd try. Incidentally Jacksons Car Breakers in Ewloe (not far from Mold if you know it) are probably worth asking for parts as they had loads of old cars in stock.

[alf892]

The silence could also be the switch wire connection at the starter solenoid...........its the small wire to the solenoid (from ign switch). A good clean a pinch up (if its a spade connector) will do

[Louise2cv]

Yeah that's what I did with the carb cleaner.

 

I'll order and new switch now and tighten up my connections eslewhere, cheers guys!

 

PartCo have sold me the exact same leads as halfords

 

I'll see if the plug leads fit and then just buy a single for the coil to dizzy. I wonder if someone's moved the coil or something, both companies were adamant that the computer is always right.

[M'coli]

Does this look like your engine bay, Louise?

If it is, it's the OHV engine, and Partco's computer is wrong about the leads.

 

If, however, it looks something like this:

it's the OHC engine and the new sparkplugs are of the incorrect length!

 

The shorter plugs will be correct for the tougher cast iron of the OHV engine's cylinder head , but the longer plugs are needed for the softer aluminium head of OHC engine. I hope that it wasn't Partco that sold you the plugs as something's confusing their computer!

[Louise2cv]

Edit, plug leads are wrong, both from halfords and PartCo.

Sparkplugs are what's recommended for the 1.2 as per Haynes.

 

 

The first pic is mine. I even said to the PartCo man, "it's the OHV engine not the OHC" to which he replied "the computer is generally accurate about these things".

 

Of course the bag they're in says "once opened, not returnable". I've used the plug leads anyway, my only worry about that is the big metal tubes are touching on plug 1 and 2, will this hurt anything?

[Cavcraft]

Shouldn't do Louise as they are insulated. I'd still taken back though (you can clean them up easily enough) as you'd not know they were wrongly supplied until you opened the box and checked them!

 

Halfords definately get things wrong incidentally, they kept telling us the oil filter we got for the Corsa was the right and only one for the car when it wouldn't fit! Eventually we worked out ourselves it was an Opel one we needed as Halfords system was wrong.

[Pillock]

I would suspect if you go back to Partco and use words like "OHV" and "OHC" they'll give you a refund just to save looking stupid at the hands of an OMGWOMAN

[Louise2cv]

I would suspect if you go back to Partco and use words like "OHV" and "OHC" they'll give you a refund just to save looking stupid at the hands of an OMGWOMAN

 

I did say that though... he just said "computer say yes"

[Timewaster]

Take the leads back to pratco and mention sale of goods act - not fit for purpose.

[MrDuke]

Try and talk to one of the older guys there - last time there was some confusion about brake pads, he ended up thumping a gigantic olde-fashioned reference catalogue (actually made of paper) on the counter, and searched through it until he found some diagrams which cleared up the confusion.

Seriously, go back and actually explain to them the difference between OHV and OHC engines, so they know you're not just repeating what you've read in Haynes. Try and do it in a really patronising tone of voice, preferably while there are several other customers in there. Also, get somone to film it for us

[Parky]

Louise,

 

My old Chevette had a similar starting problem in that sometimes there would be nothing when you turned the key.

 

After changing battery, starter, and ignition switch, I discovered the earth lead connection to the body was loose and rusted. Once cleaned and tightened it was fine. Pity I spent £200 on bits discovering this. Might be worth looking at just to eliminate it as a potential issue.......

[Louise2cv]

Well I defo need a new ig-switch so I'll get one of those anyway.

 

I'm being dead chicken about taking the carb off. Is this going to require loads of setting stuff and whatnot? Turns out I might have access to an airline (friendly neighbours!) so what do you reckon, whip the carb off and give it a blast?

 

I replaced the points and set the timing, as the points were a bit of a mess. Predictably the distributor has be bodged, the set screw(?) has been replaced with a massive self-tapper that has a been pretty mullered, I had to just get on and use it for now as I don't have an alternative. Add dizzy to the shopping list I suppose

 

PartCo didn't have a condenser so I need to find one of those next.

 

I was I could get the fecker to run

[eddyramrod]

Try and talk to one of the older guys there - last time there was some confusion about brake pads, he ended up thumping a gigantic olde-fashioned reference catalogue (actually made of paper) on the counter, and searched through it until he found some diagrams which cleared up the confusion.

Seriously, go back and actually explain to them the difference between OHV and OHC engines, so they know you're not just repeating what you've read in Haynes. Try and do it in a really patronising tone of voice, preferably while there are several other customers in there. Also, get somone to film it for us

 

+1!