Vectra whining

[Bren]

Not me whining about the car - the car itself developed a whine - a cross between mad max 's V8 interceptor and having your missus living under the bonnet.

A bit of investigation ruled out turbo and boost leaks - the whine was from the belt end of the engine. A new one of these, along with a belt, was obtained (£65) -

The original one ( pictured) was removed along with the belt. However it became apparent that the idler pulley above the crank pulley was tired. There is an idler wheel next to the air con compressor - in for a penny etc. So I forked out another £50 for these.

Unfortunately the bolt for the idler wheel was of inferior quality to the original - it started to round off so I had to swap it for the original bolt. The new tensioner was fitted - you will need a 15 mm spanner to release the tension enough to get the locking pin out - there is not enough room for an average sized socket.

Access is better from underneath with the tray off - I had the car on ramps - without them I would'nt have started the job. You simply don't have enough room.

I started the car - no more whine.

One alarming thing I discovered was the condition of the subframe - not galvanised like the body. In fact I reckon another winter would have meant breaking the welder out next spring. You cannot see the subframe with the undertray on - a lot choose to bin them however I choose to keep mine as they stop oil getting on the drive and all the ancilleries getting crusty. I attacked it with a wire brush and some kurust.

I then sprayed some stone guard on it and finished with a coat of black spray. The car is 13 years old and worthless, however I don't want it going the same way as our passat - it started to look untidy before I moved it on.

I did the job over a couple of mornings due to biblical rain - cost £115 for parts.

If you have a vectra C get that undertray off and have a look - you may be in for an unpleasant surprise.

[theshadow]

good job,all astras,meriva,zafifras,etc are all like that..

[Bren]

1 hour ago, theshadow said:

good job,all astras,meriva,zafifras,etc are all like that..

Zafiras are worse apparently - everybody associates Zafiras with the word " fire" when really it should be " subframe rot."

[Mrcento]

Yeah mine doesn't have the undertray and is looking a bit like that too, it's on my list of things to be getting done.

[theshadow]

tensioner, etc the bolts always seem shite,round off.