Astra mk3 collection ,Home home !

[Parky]

It would be interesting to see what's gone wrong for sure - get the head off at some point and whack some pics up so we can pass learned comments!

[Christine]

Yes, as said above, any messing with the engine in those and you must (must) do the valve stem seals.  I had one which made colossal clouds of blue smoke in the morning and also got through huge amounts of oil, but once the seals were done, it was basically ok.  I did it with one of those tools that allow you to do the job without taking the head off, and it did actually work.

 

Er, I do actually have a wing in that colour, was planning using it but perhaps.......have a nearside door too, not the same colour.

 

And come to think of it, I might have a bumper.  

The colours are different . In sunlight the damaged one is like a peacock blue pearl   ( L reg GLS  .)

The arctic is Nautilus blue , more of a purple colour   (R reg Arctic colour)

 

I'd be interested if they are available, but will have a look down the breakers first 

[lisbon_road]

My wing is the later colour and the door is a totally different colour.  They are available but as I was planning using them, they won't be bargains so fine plan to look down breakers.  You can look at some on line and see their stocks now as you prob know.

[lisbon_road]

By the way, these wings are a slight arse to fit but it isn't too bad if you take the front bumper off first.  The back of it and so on is very straightforward.  Want to rust proof where the wing covers over the sill as they always go there.  Either mastic the joint, as many other cars do, or at minimum bung a load of waxoyl or equivalent in there.  

[Hendry]

The colours are different . In sunlight the damaged one is like a peacock blue pearl ( L reg GLS .)

The arctic is Nautilus blue , more of a purple colour (R reg Arctic colour)

 

I'd be interested if they are available, but will have a look down the breakers first

Your Arctic definitely isn’t Nautilus Blue mate, my mk3 was that colour and it looked emerald green. Colour code Z283 14L

 

Possibly it’s polar sea blue.

 

This is Nautilus blue (my old one):

bb8e2b5c by Greg Hendry, on Flickr

[Christine]

Your Arctic definitely isn’t Nautilus Blue mate, my mk3 was that colour and it looked emerald green. Colour code Z283 14L

 

Possibly it’s polar sea blue.

 

This is Nautilus blue (my old one):

bb8e2b5c by Greg Hendry, on Flickr

You are right !  Mine is 13L Polar sea blue.. I thought it must be  Nautilus as the Arctic brochure says" owners are free to select from 3 colours  Flame red , or one of two optional  pearlecent finishes,   Nautilus blue or Champagne "  So , could you choose from the normal Astra colours too?

[Jams]

I used to have a brother to your car hendry with eca on the end of the plate!

 

Was originally a 1.6 but had been to mark wale performance in Chester and had a 2.0 16v red top put in! 5 door in red stealth as hell! Well it would of been but it wasn’t that fast!! I swapped my r5 turbo for it! Going back some years now mind!

[Hendry]

You are right !  Mine is 13L Polar sea blue.. I thought it must be  Nautilus as the Arctic brochure says" owners are free to select from 3 colours  Flame red , or one of two optional  pearlecent finishes,   Nautilus blue or Champagne "  So , could you choose from the normal Astra colours too?

 

I dont really remember seeing any Arctic ones in nautilus blue, however there were 2 Arctic models, Arctic I and Arctic II. If my memory serves me right Arctic I didnt have electric front windows whereas Arctic II did. And the Arctic I was the 1.6 8v SPI engine, not the 1.6 16v like yours. 

 

I dont know that you could choose from all the colours the rest of the Astra range came in, i can only remember them in polar sea blue, flame red, champagne as you said, and some silver ones too. 

 

I used to have a brother to your car hendry with eca on the end of the plate!

 

Was originally a 1.6 but had been to mark wale performance in Chester and had a 2.0 16v red top put in! 5 door in red stealth as hell! Well it would of been but it wasn’t that fast!! I swapped my r5 turbo for it! Going back some years now mind!

 

Do you mean eGa? Glasgow registered. what was your reg?

 

I remember a guy up here in the Glasgow area who around 10-12years ago who had a red 5 door which had started out as a 1.6 but had been a 2litre redtop conversion, black wheels if I remember right, but possibly not the same car.

[Christine]

Bah..Arctic donated its wing this afternoon to the GLS  , colour match looked ok in the shade, but then i'm colour blind anyway ! Doing the door tomorrow, bumper was only scuffed ,that went back on . I'll keep the Arctic for a while and see if another wing and door turn up . 

[Christine]

Right update . I'm keeping the Arctic .   It's a good low miler rust free car ,but the engine has this bloody misfire , apparently due to no compression . Tested by the garage who serviced it last . I previously  pulled  the plug and looked with bore scope , the piston was wet . I couldn't look upwards at the valves , as i didn't have the mirror bit to go on the end at the time . Today I did !  But of course , that only lets you view at 90 degrees , not 180 !Bollocks .  So the state of the valves are still unknown .

However the cylinder hone marks are like new   

Question   

Now this engine was garage serviced in December ,and the invoice states 15 / 40 oil was used ..Mistake ?? The service book has been filled in stating 5 / 30 oil was used . All the previous stamps say 5/30 too ...It might have looked odd if  suddenly it had 15/ 40in the book so perhaps they just wrote 5/30 when actually it has 15 40  in it ??? The other thing is...the oil is red , like transmission fluid ?? Who makes red oil?

Could 15/ 40   stick  just  1 or 2  tappets  open slightly ? 

 

 

Don' dump that  x16xel engine you have just yet , i might need a head !

[Tadhg Tiogar]

....The other thing is...the oil is red , like transmission fluid ?? Who makes red oil?...

Castrol Dexron TQD-II or III. Did someone pour auto trans fluid into the wrong bit? 

 

That would be like putting a nail into the wrong part of the hoof.

[wuvvum]

 

That would be like putting a nail into the wrong part of the hoof.

But perhaps less likely to result in you being kicked across the yard?

[Tadhg Tiogar]

But perhaps less likely to result in you being kicked across the yard?

 

You still end up with something that'll be lame for a while.

[Christine]

Had that today sort of with my daughters horse .    Pig to shoe behind,, really the worst I do.   It's out to try and  kill you . Anything else its fine .. Just about to nail the back shoe on,  and it snatches away , shoe hits the floor and it  slams its foot  on it.. clip punctures the sole like a knife, and it stands there hanging its leg with the shoe impaled in it ..... Poultice on tonight 

[vaughant]

No it should not be that colour at all!!!

 

Do a full oil change first before anything and see what comes out, it certainly won't do any harm and truthfully won't cost you £30 all in using an Euro car parts code or asda special oil etc.

 

Certainly sounds as though the wrong oil has been put in, but how the hell did that happen? Must have cost a fortune to put gearbox type oil in?

[Christine]

I wonder if the garage tried putting an additive in ,that happens to be red ,  to unseize  a suspect tappet ? 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

I wonder if the garage tried putting an additive in ,that happens to be red , to unseize a suspect tappet ?

I don't know of any additives that are red, except basic Redex.

[Christine]

Fixed Grandads GLS  Astra this afternoon

 

( Wing off of the Arctic is now back on the Arctic,  just gotta fix the misfire on that one! Probably needs  a X16XEL head)

   

His GLS now has another wing , another door , arch liner,  leccy mirror..CD wheeltrimz    , bumper ,   just needs the  2mm silver coach line now .. Bonnets a bit bent at the edge  but he'll live with it ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

^

Invisible mending.

[Christine]

 Oh dear , due to dementure , DVLA  have taken  Grandads   driving licence away.  . I think it'll finish him off . He's 93...

 His  Astra GLS 1600 auto may be up for grabs , or mrs. christine  might have it . Is it normal for it to pull a bit when stationary at the lights , in Drive? She didn't like the feeling, so put it in N  until she wanted to pull away ..

 

I still haven't looked at the Astra Arctic with the misfire...

[Cavcraft]

I thought all autos tried to pull slightly with handbrake off? It's what makes them nice to drive round town when stuck in slow traffic.

 

£50 tonight though, just in case.

[Noel Tidybeard]

yes automatics pull creep when in gear (either fwd or bckwd) which makes them ace in a car park!

[New POD]

I thought all autos tried to pull slightly with handbrake off? It's what makes them nice to drive round town when stuck in slow traffic.

 

£50 tonight though, just in case.

How to test torque converter. Stop on hill. With no brakes in drive. It should hold or even move forward.