Dull Astra TD (now with PIX)

[Milford Cubicle]

I've just bought an Astra TD, exciting eh! I wonder if they'll let me into Old Japanese Car since it has an Isuzu engine nicked from a wood-chipper or cement mixer.It had a replacement auxiliary drive belt just before I bought it and it's pretty loose - it's barely driving the power steering pump, but is still driving the alternator fine luckily. It doesn't look complex at all, but any ideas about tightening it before I attack it with my spanner set and break something?Also, does anybody have a load cover, jack and tools kicking about for one of these?

[Cavcraft]

Answer number four (I think) should help as your engine will be the same as found in Mk3 Cav...

 

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/ ... tm?t=63240

 

I may have a manual for a Mk3 Astra kicking about and will have a look in it. It probably only diesels with petrol ones but I'll see if I can find it and look it up.

[Milford Cubicle]

A workshop manual would be good, I looked the Haynes version up but they don't cover the diesels - a bit mental considering the diesels were so popular.Thanks for the link, it sounds piss easy.

[AXrescuer]

Nowt wrong with the Isuzu 1.7TD. Had a couple of Astra estates with that motor and both served me very well.

 

For a load cover try http://www.247spares.co.uk.

[Milford Cubicle]

I like the engine, it sounds quite sweet for an old diesel and looks easy to work on.It does feel a bit gutless compared with the 405 TD, but I've been reading about simple pump/turbo mods which are supposed to help a lot.

[AXrescuer]

They last well if looked after too. One of mine was an ex NHS Trust OAP Ambulance/Taxi and had done 240k when I got it and over 270k when I sold it on!

[Station]

Alternator has an oil pump in it, prepare for spillage if you feel like taking it off.

[Milford Cubicle]

I had a look today, it has two seperate belts - one running the alternator, the other the PAS pump - I like this engine, no serpentine belt bollocks. Shame the adjuster nut is seized solid.

 

 

 

I've racked up a fair few miles since I bought it and I'm starting to like it.

It does seem very sluggish sometimes though, but it is possible to catch it by surprise and go quite quickly.

The ride/handling isn't that bad either, it feels very planted with its monster 195/55/15 tyres which would need another 50bhp to break traction.

It's nice to have today's date beaming at you from the dashboard too.

[Lukas]

No, we wont let you on OJC.com with this... this... thing!

[Milford Cubicle]

I wish I could afford to run something more interesting alongside it...

[M'coli]

I like that! One of the best looking estate cars out there.Is that the state of the snow up there still? Coming up to the central belt tomorrow and hope to head into the Highlands (Cannich to be exact - Mullardoch dam).

[AXrescuer]

That's identical to one of my old ones except mine was a 97 model. I really love that colour.

[Station]

Quality, they're well built those mk3's, but seem to randomly rust, some do, some don't, obviously down to neglect.

[Station]

A workshop manual would be good, I looked the Haynes version up but they don't cover the diesels - a bit mental considering the diesels were so popular.Thanks for the link, it sounds piss easy.

Do a search on here for haynes workshop, I posted up a PDF a few weeks ago.

[Milford Cubicle]

Aye I like the colour too. I was dead keen to get something other than a white or silver car. It looks almost purple in some lights.The pic was taken halfway up a mountain, you should be ok at Cannich though there will still be patches of snow on the ground.Above 1500ft it's still almost completely white. At the top station of Cairngorm ski centre there is a level 7 feet of snow.

[Albert Ross]

I had one of these... A total piece of shit(e) that I sold to greenvanman, it carried on for at least another 12 months and never did get the slipping clutch attended to, nor a cambelt change, and still kept going...... Bloody awesome car, best stealth machine EVAR, due to the tweaked pump etc.....! Mine was Flame Pink, and had latest spec (at the time) Astra 6.5JJ Steels with Pirelli P6000 on it, Vectra front brakes, lowered front springs, Van rear springs and brakes, new rear shocks, bottom arms, ARB links, a CV joint etc..... Just kept on trucking. And rusting!! Top car. Look after it.

[Cavcraft]

They look like Astra Sport alloys and it'll ride much nicer with 196/6015s.

[pogweasel]

They look like Astra Sport alloys and it'll ride much nicer with 196/6015s.

Are they 'model specific'?Mrs_Pog had a '98 LS-spec one with those wheels, standard fit. Nice cars, though the later ones were less well built IMO, also we had an awesome '93 LS and I had an Isuzu-engined van as a company hack back in 2000-2001, I loved that thing and always picked it above the Mk4's they had on the fleet...

[Albert Ross]

I'd like to disagree with you Pogmeister. Mine drove bloody awfully on anything but the correct 55 series tyres. I tried 205/50s, and it was jittery, I tried 195/60s but it was like a jelly. 195/55/15V were the thing to beat. Especially the P6000 Pirellis. I reckon they must have been designed hand in hand. Seriously now!

[Milford Cubicle]

The handbook lists 55 and 60 profile tyres for those wheels. Confusing.

[Pete-M]

Much as I'm not a fan of these Astras... they do drive a lot better on 195/55/15s than on 195/60s. 195/60s makes the steering almost Vectra horrible.

[Richard]

55 series tyres on an estate car? What's the world coming to? Get some 165-13s on it.

[Milford Cubicle]

Get some 165-13s on it.

[Albert Ross]

Mine arrived with me wearing a bald set of 155-13 remoulds....... Soon replaced with 175/70-13s, and then some 195/60-14s............. Then came the real article 195/55/15s (On wide steels though). I almost plunged into a set of 16s for it..... but decided that I couldn't be arsed farting around.

[peter9000uk]

http://www.corsasport.co.uk/board/viewt ... ?tid=35931

 

The white ring mod seems to be the trick on these, the article in the above link is for the 1.5 lump but I am told the same applies to the 1.7

[Cavcraft]

Probably not model specific and would hazard a guess that the one your missus had might have been a deal breaker or something when it was new as the LS ones were always steels/trims that i remember but I do stand to be corrected.I had mine on 60 and 55 series tyres and much preferred the ride on 60s to be honest.The world is your oyster as regards wheels M.C, 4x100 with an offset of about 38 from memory.Those Isuzu engines are legendary, will last forever and take a fair deal of abuse too.

[M'coli]

Mine arrived with me wearing a bald set of 155-13 remoulds....... Soon replaced with 175/70-13s, and then some 195/60-14s............. Then came the real article 195/55/15s (On wide steels though). I almost plunged into a set of 16s for it..... but decided that I couldn't be arsed farting around.

I've had the Cav on a bald set of 165-13s, a set of 185/70-13s and 185/55-15s, and the 15s are the best. I've also driven the 185/70s and 185/55s on heilan roads and would go for the /55s all year long. Good shocks make such an improvement to ride over fatter tyres.

[Split_Pin]

Nice one, I was looking for one of these Isuzu jobs before I got the Vectra. I gave up as they were too thin on the ground. The engine is quite highly regarded on VX circles and is much favoured over the later VX job.M'Coli, my ex's parents lived in a house almost at the top of the road from Cannich to the Mullardoch Dam. In the winter when the taps were open on the Dam (excuse the thick technical description) the low bridge over the river to their house was submerged. Fancy opening it up for a few weeks again?

[Milford Cubicle]

Why is the later 'GM' engine so badly regarded? I've read that it's derived from their 1980s 1.6 diesel, so that might be why.

[Cavcraft]

Why is the later 'GM' engine so badly regarded? I've read that it's derived from their 1980s 1.6 diesel, so that might be why.

Wheezy/asthmatic and prone to head/headgasket FAIL. They just weren't in the same league.I don't know whether GM realised this eventually but it would appear some Mk4s had an Isuzu engine rebadged as 'Ecotec'.IIrc the earlier 1.7 n/a diesels (see Astramax, early Mk3 Astra and possibly others) were based on the 1.6 petrol block and although slow as you like they were incredibly reliable.Later GM (s)lowblow engines as found in 1995-ish onwards Mk3 Astras are the rubbish ones in my experience.