Cavalier 4x4

[dieselnutjob]

The Freelander 1 system is simple.

The front wheels are permanently driven just like a front wheel drive and there is a take-off system that feeds the rear diff through a viscous coupling.

It is impossible to say what the torque allocation front / rear is because it depends on the conditions.

If you are driving on dry tarmac then the rears are just following along, so effectively 0% torque.

If you are driving on sheet ice with all four wheels spinning then it will be 50-50.

If you had the front on sheet ice and the back on tarmac then it will be near 0-100, but this is true of any 4WD or 4X4 isn't it?

 

Early ones had a slightly different ratio front to back with the viscous coupling permanently slightly slipping.  They said that this was to improve the handling or somesuch.

 

The problem with this was that if the viscous coupling became too viscous then you got axle wind up and it would blow the transfer box.

 

From I think late 2001 they had the same ration front and back which effectively solved the problem.

 

SWMBO has a Freelander TD4 and loves it to bits.  I think that they are quite underrated really.  They are quite pleasant and fun to drive and apparently reasonably capable off road.  It is rusting though.

[Pillock]

There was also a 4x4 Mk1 Capri, with Ferguson bits underneath. Otherwise just a stock GXL, not an especially sporty model.

 

 

 

[trigger]

My grandad owned a Vauxhall dealers in Ruthin, North Wales in the 80s and I remember him taking me to the Anglesey show in a brand new G reg Cavalier 2.0 4x4 in red which was being displayed.

[Timewaster]

I worked at a Peugeot dealership and then Vauxhall around 89 / 90.

We only ever saw one 405GLx4 which was in our showroom for a few weeks before being shipped off to another branch.

 

If two stupid apprentices open the boot and sit on the edge it would sink 6 inches then an electric pump cuts in and brings it level.

If they simultaneously jump off, the back end shoots up a foot and it looks like a 70s jacked up Cortina.

Then it sinks back level again.

 

If these two idiots do it 5 or 6 times, the battery goes flat and they get chased by the salesman.

 

Ask me how I know.

 

When I moved on to Vauxhall, the 4x4 cavalier had a recall due to failing transfer boxes.

 

The cure? Remove the famous fuse and send it on its way.

 

There were no transfer boxes available so that was it until the boxes came into stock.

I was there a year and I only saw 1 get replaced.

 

I wouldn't mind betting half of them never got done.

[Guest Hooli]

There was also a 4x4 Mk1 Capri, with Ferguson bits underneath. Otherwise just a stock GXL, not an especially sporty model.

 

download (1).jpg

 

Now what IS the point of a Capri that doesn't go everywhere sideways?

[dollywobbler]

A properly setup system gives you a better balance of grip though. Hence 4x4s don't understeer or go sideways as much as 2wd cars. Still doesn't make you able to stop though which I think is what you were getting at.

I still think grip and traction are different things. Top Gear proved that four-wheel drive won't let you get around a corner more quickly. It might let you accelerate out of a corner more quickly, buy cornering speed is still governed by tyres.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I reckon those cavalier transfer boxes must be one of the most poorly-developed and fragile bits of technology ever released by a major manufacturer. They were ALWAYS knackered.

[twosmoke300]

You are forgetting mk4 golf window regs and door locks !

[Lacquer Peel]

4X4 BX on ebay at the mo: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Citroen-BX-19-GTI-4x4-1-9L-very-rare-/182674313345?hash=item2a883cd081:g:a-kAAOSwxbtZblAq

 

 

 

What system do the old Justy's use?

 

These ones:

 

 

Part-time 4wd.

 

[Split_Pin]

There's a debate in the Vauxhall 'scene' (sorry) that lowering the 4x4 Cav can accelerate the demise of the transfer box.

[sierraman]

So it's not a new thing Vauxhall gearboxes being made out of Brie then. Having said that the old 1.6/1.8 Cavalier gearboxes used to rarely go bang.

[oldcars]

This is of no help but my Santa Fe ate two transfer boxes and cost me many pounds.

[Rusty_Rocket]

Nothing wrong with GM gearboxes from that era, they were bullet proof and rarely went wrong.  The Cavalier transfer box was weak.  As said, it needed equal tyre tread on all four corners and unless you were meticulous at swapping wheels front to back, the inevitable would happen.

Having said that, I had two ageing Calibra Turbos, neither were particularly loved but both had working 4x4.

[Snipes]

The Freelander 1 system is simple.

The front wheels are permanently driven just like a front wheel drive and there is a take-off system that feeds the rear diff through a viscous coupling.

It is impossible to say what the torque allocation front / rear is because it depends on the conditions.

If you are driving on dry tarmac then the rears are just following along, so effectively 0% torque.

If you are driving on sheet ice with all four wheels spinning then it will be 50-50.

If you had the front on sheet ice and the back on tarmac then it will be near 0-100, but this is true of any 4WD or 4X4 isn't it?

 

Early ones had a slightly different ratio front to back with the viscous coupling permanently slightly slipping. They said that this was to improve the handling or somesuch.

 

The problem with this was that if the viscous coupling became too viscous then you got axle wind up and it would blow the transfer box.

 

From I think late 2001 they had the same ration front and back which effectively solved the problem.

 

SWMBO has a Freelander TD4 and loves it to bits. I think that they are quite underrated really. They are quite pleasant and fun to drive and apparently reasonably capable off road. It is rusting though.

Depends on the system. Subaru have a permanent 50/50 split, hence the "full time symmetrical 4WD" stickers (or variations) they have. Sierra Cosworths were IIRC permanent 34% rear. Skylines with ATESSA arw RWD with power being slowly diverted to the front.

[Sloth in a bowl]

Anybody else remember the Alfa 33 4x4?

I rode in one in 1995 and it was hideously rusty and knackered then so I can't imagine that any have survived unless they are cowering in a barn somewhere.

[sierraman]

Probably extinct outside Italy, can't imagine they were popular at the time.

[Pillock]

VW made the Golf Ralleye which was the 4x4 OMG BALLZOUT hologmation jobbie, but also a boring MK2 Syncro in both pre- and post-facelift.

 

Look at this, little wheels and hubcaps.

 

Also a Jetta version

 

 

[Guest Hooli]

I still think grip and traction are different things. Top Gear proved that four-wheel drive won't let you get around a corner more quickly. It might let you accelerate out of a corner more quickly, buy cornering speed is still governed by tyres.

 

True.

 

I was referring to handling though. If you corner too fast & start to drift then in a 4wd it's much more likely to continue around the bend under control than in a 2wd when the driven end suddenly slides hedgewards.

[fordperv]

Don't forget the Granada 4x4

[Cheezey]

I watched this a few days ago but it just popped back into my head. I thought the handbrake operated on the front wheels of a BX. I have no real world experience of a BX but I remember one of the magazines suggesting years ago they were a useful donor for rear disk conversions.

[yellowperil]

Anybody remember the Mazda 323 4x4?

I had forgotten all about them until I saw one sitting unloved on a bit of grass on the side of the road the other day.

One of the perks of driving for the Council is I get to see lots of cars that aren't being used.

Unfortunately I would get into trouble if I took photos of someone's garden.

[kinkersaab]

The 405 4x4 had a wee button botched into the the side boot trim to allow for the suspension to be raised, I think it lowered again on start up...

 

I had a Mitsubishi lancer 1,8 4x4 on a G plate, never seen another in the flesh., also a mazda 626 estate 4x4 on an F. That  was a funny one, the rear headroom was crap presumably the rear seat sat higher to accommodate the 4x4 bits... 

[bramz7]

I love weird oddball 4x4 stuff, probably because my family had around a 8 or 9 80s and 90s Subarus between them.

 

Here's some I've seen during my travels:

 

1993 Citroen AX 4x4. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1996 Ford Escort RS2000 4x4. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1988 Ford Granada Scorpio 4x4. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1994 Vauxhall Calibra Turbo 4x4. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1989 Alfa Romeo 33 1.5 Sportswagon 4x4. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1990 Citroen BX GTi 4WD. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1990 Nissan Prairie SLX 4WD. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1990 Renault Espace Quadra. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

 

1995 Toyota Corolla II 1.3 4WD Hatchback. by Sam Osbon, on Flickr

[Guest Hooli]

I'd forgotten half of these existed until this thread came up.

[adw1977]

Anybody else remember the Alfa 33 4x4?

I rode in one in 1995 and it was hideously rusty and knackered then so I can't imagine that any have survived unless they are cowering in a barn somewhere.

 

Found one!  Well, I did in 2014 anyway. Last MOT did expire in 2006, though, just after the current owner acquired it.  Still SORN according to DVLA.

 

[adw1977]

Also, brochure pages for the Cavalier 4x4 when it was first launched:

 

 

https:[email protected]<script data-cfhash='f9e31' type="text/javascript">/* */</script>/13550162053/

https:[email protected]<script data-cfhash='f9e31' type="text/javascript">/* */</script>/13550380144/

 

EDIT: Just noticed that Pillock already posted the first one in page 1 of this thread.

[adw1977]

And did somebody mention Granada 4x4?

 

May 1986:

 

https:[email protected]<script data-cfhash='f9e31' type="text/javascript">/* */</script>/7539004232/

[paulscavalier]

I reckon those cavalier transfer boxes must be one of the most poorly-developed and fragile bits of technology ever released by a major manufacturer. They were ALWAYS knackered.

They were poor. I had a cavalier turbo not a particularly bad car but not that good either plagued with faults on the transfer box or the accumulator bulb. Both parts very expensive to replace if you can find them. A lot of people locked the box into 4 wheel drive only using a kit someone produced,as standard the 4x4 worked out the ratio between front and back. The cars were quite a bit heavier than standard which is why the cavalier got the turbo fitted on the facelift as the weight and the 4x4 took quite a bit of the power. The gsi 4x4 sold alongside the standard gsi never did as well as it was perceived to be a bit of a plodder. I had heard that if they were lowered to much it did put a lot of additional stress on the 4x4.

[mk2_craig]

My father still has an 850 AWD that he bought twenty years ago, I think that was Volvo's first 4 wheel drive effort and the back axle owes something to the 900 series? It too apparently is cursed with this need to regularly carry out 5 wheel rotations to equalise tread depths and therefore tyre circumference, although dads never bothered and nothing's locked up beyond repair yet.

[kirton]

BX 4x4 hatch came as GTi, I know from the bill I got from the local Bosch specialist for taking a long time to sort out a problem - I think it turned out to be a weak spring

 

BX 4x4 estate was carb