Warch's Back to the Future Astraargh experience!

[warch]

32 minutes ago, JMotor said:

It should barf any air out on its own. Unless there is another issue.

I'm glad this car serving you well and you like it. Astras are good cars. Simple, tough and not too bad looking things either.

Strange to say, but it's almost fun to own something (by today's standards) brutally basic.  No pretence, just car.

What more do you actually need? 

Yeah I’m sure it’ll do that, I thought it would take quite a bit more coolant than it did. 

I can’t see me buying a newish car again for a while (notwithstanding that we own a modern family car). I just love the driver involvement it’s much more visceral, you do feel much more connected to the road. I also spend much more time actually looking where I’m going, there’s nothing else in the cabin to distract you. 

[warch]

Had my first temporary FTP yesterday thanks to flood water. I had driven down a road to go to martial arts at about 10 am then returned via the same road two and a half hours later. Unfortunately the road had flooded in the interval, and I failed to keep my exhaust clear (should have been in 1st not 2nd). 

Happily the road was quite flat so it was dead easy to push the car (c. 850kg) the 40 metres required to clear the water, whereupon it immediately restarted. There were about three flooded sections in the three miles between me and home but I managed these in 1st gear (very tall gearing on this). 

Not really the nicest way to treat a forty year old car to be honest, but it didn't actually cause any damage to the car so apart from wet feet I was none the worse. 

[warch]

Update; managed to do my first 1000miles in this car. I took my old car to the scrapyard on Friday so I’m committed now. 

Also managed to attain 40.2 (actual) mpg in normal driving conditions which is bloody good for any 80s carbed petrol car, especially in this cold weather and bearing in mind how hilly it is where I am. 

There are a few foibles, the heating system is odd, the central vents only blow cold air and the side vents only warm air regardless of what the temperature setting is on. The exhaust needs looking at (slight blow) and the gas struts for the hatch need changing but I’m still happy with it. 
 
Pictured with an impressive road/rail Unimog earlier in the week.

[warch]

Decided to do some range calculations. Based on a 52 litre tank size it should be good for 400-450miles per tank. 

Managed slightly over 43mpg off my last tank, which was a mixture of long and short journeys including quite a lot of very steep lanes in Monmouthshire. This is bloody brilliant to be honest. 
 

I’ve fitted some new gas struts for the hatch so I no longer need a broom stick to prop it open. One good thing about this car is most parts I’ve ordered seem to be quality old stock, there are no chinesium parts on the market for cars of this age. 
 

I do need to find and fix the blow on the exhaust, preferably with a new section.

[warch]

The poor old Astra has been piling on the miles lately. 

I've fixed the blow on the exhaust, which turned out to be nothing worse than a tiny hole in the centre silencer box.

I'm considering fitting new suspension, as the sheer weight of my kit tends to weigh the rear end down a bit. On the suspension front, it has successfully managed to withstand several trips to Gloucester along the English version of the Bolivian Highway of Death (massive potholes everywhere, broken up tarmac etc). Light kerbweight, soft suspension and titchy little steel wheels and high profile tyres are an obvious advantage here. 

I'm a little concerned about the potential for issues caused by E10 fuel (none of my fleet were designed to run on it). Are there any particular warning signs or dangers to watch out for. I've heard of issues with fuel lines corroding or deteriorating due to the ethanol content, are there any additives to prevent this? 

 

 

[Matty]

2 hours ago, warch said:

The poor old Astra has been piling on the miles lately. 

I've fixed the blow on the exhaust, which turned out to be nothing worse than a tiny hole in the centre silencer box.

I'm considering fitting new suspension, as the sheer weight of my kit tends to weigh the rear end down a bit. On the suspension front, it has successfully managed to withstand several trips to Gloucester along the English version of the Bolivian Highway of Death (massive potholes everywhere, broken up tarmac etc). Light kerbweight, soft suspension and titchy little steel wheels and high profile tyres are an obvious advantage here. 

I'm a little concerned about the potential for issues caused by E10 fuel (none of my fleet were designed to run on it). Are there any particular warning signs or dangers to watch out for. I've heard of issues with fuel lines corroding or deteriorating due to the ethanol content, are there any additives to prevent this? 

 

 

I'd run it on e5. Obvs there's a cost differance but better mpg off e5 (something to do with ethanol releasing less energy when burnt). The placebo effect also tells me it makes my cars quicker 😀 

[warch]

My Astra is the base model (not even a Merit) so lacks basic stuff like rubbing strips on the doors. It does have the OE radio (which I may press back into service when I remember to fit a new aerial) and a rather sad but completely functional analogue clock. One thing it does have which I've never had on any of my cars before (Landrover excepted) is a towbar. It's a reassuringly heavy duty design featuring a sodding great brace incorporated into the boot floor and twin plugs for trailer and caravan electrics. 

Anyway, this week I have provisionally arranged purchase of a Rover 80 engine (same engine as they used in the Series II/III Landrover) so needing a trailer to retrieve it I popped round to my dad's and attached his single axle plant trailer to a) see if my car would pull it ok and b) to see if the trailer electrics still worked. 

If I'm honest a 0.85 ton car with a 1300 engine probably wouldn't be the first thing I'd go looking for to tow anything, but it didn't seem to have any issue towing quite a hefty trailer at any reasonable speed. The amazing visibility out the back thanks to thin roof pillars and low bodyline was handy for reversing as was the great steering lock. The lights all worked perfectly once I'd jiggled the plug a bit, and had the added bonus of a buzzer in the cabin for the indicators. 

One issue with the car I hadn't previously mentioned was that the gearshift was quite obstructive. I've inadvertently cured this by increasing the tickover speed, which has also cured a tendency to 'kangaroo' slightly when driving in slow traffic. 

Next job I will be doing is the clutch, the actual clutch is ok but the release bearing is quite loud, so it would probably make sense to change the whole lot at some point. Happily the design on this allows the clutch to be changed without removing the gearbox, you just withdraw the input shaft then remove the clutch plate etc via an aperture under the bellhousing.  

[warch]

Had my first FTP yesterday.

I was a bit concerned about using such an old car without a bit of preventative maintenance. In fairness it has shown every sign of having been well cared for mechanically, but a bit of decidedly unsympathetic treatment (towing a trailer with a 1100kg  water filled IBC on it) caused the bottom coolant hose to fail spectacularly (the entire front of the car disappeared under a cloud of steam). Happily the engine was off when this happened and I was parked on the cricket pitch about a mile from my house (the water was to wet the wicket down for a game at the weekend), so I was able to bodge it back together with a hose pinched off my Land Rover. 

I was able to find a correct replacement hose on ebay for about a tenner so hopefully I can nurse it along for a few days until it arrives. 

[AnnoyingPentium]

Liked for the quick repair, not the FTP.

[warch]

14 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Liked for the quick repair, not the FTP.

I just accept it as part of the rich and varied tapestry of shit old car ownership, drivers of moderns probably won't appreciate the feeling of relief that people who drive ropey old bangers experience at the end of every long journey/pulling off the motorway/hearing the engine burst into life.

Having said that, Mrs warch's nearly new X Trail had a similar failure when the plastic thermostat housing failed, that would have probably lunched the engine if it had happened anywhere other than the service ramp at the main dealers where it was in having an MoT, so it can happen to anything.

[New POD]

On 13/04/2025 at 13:08, warch said:

My Astra is the base model (not even a Merit) so lacks basic stuff like rubbing strips on the doors. It does have the OE radio (which I may press back into service when I remember to fit a new aerial) and a rather sad but completely functional analogue clock. One thing it does have which I've never had on any of my cars before (Landrover excepted) is a towbar. It's a reassuringly heavy duty design featuring a sodding great brace incorporated into the boot floor and twin plugs for trailer and caravan electrics. 

Anyway, this week I have provisionally arranged purchase of a Rover 80 engine (same engine as they used in the Series II/III Landrover) so needing a trailer to retrieve it I popped round to my dad's and attached his single axle plant trailer to a) see if my car would pull it ok and b) to see if the trailer electrics still worked. 

If I'm honest a 0.85 ton car with a 1300 engine probably wouldn't be the first thing I'd go looking for to tow anything, but it didn't seem to have any issue towing quite a hefty trailer at any reasonable speed. The amazing visibility out the back thanks to thin roof pillars and low bodyline was handy for reversing as was the great steering lock. The lights all worked perfectly once I'd jiggled the plug a bit, and had the added bonus of a buzzer in the cabin for the indicators. 

One issue with the car I hadn't previously mentioned was that the gearshift was quite obstructive. I've inadvertently cured this by increasing the tickover speed, which has also cured a tendency to 'kangaroo' slightly when driving in slow traffic. 

Next job I will be doing is the clutch, the actual clutch is ok but the release bearing is quite loud, so it would probably make sense to change the whole lot at some point. Happily the design on this allows the clutch to be changed without removing the gearbox, you just withdraw the input shaft then remove the clutch plate etc via an aperture under the bellhousing.  

F16.5 ?  

Back in the day, a good mechanic could do one in 30 minutes. (Apparently) 

[bezzabsa]

with regards to mpg, had an old astra 1.4 High Torque that used to regularly top 50mpg, on a trip to Aberystwyth it managed 65mpg, owned nothing petrol that came even close to this

[warch]

My car (registered in December 1985) is now eligible for historic status and MoT exemption (have to wait until next April for free road tax). It went straight through its last MoT in October.

Its been really good, a proper testament to the original quality and design of these cars. 12k miles done, needed two water hoses, a replacement tyre valve and a thermostat (I think). I did buy a new cambelt and head gasket set/bolts but as I'm not experiencing any significant water/oil loss nor any loss of performance I'm inclined to leave any possible major work required until next spring. 

Incidentally it is in regular daily use, but I've put a proper coating of spray applied old engine oil all over the underside and under the arches so I'm hoping to prevent any corrosion setting in. 

 

[Matty]

19 hours ago, warch said:

My car (registered in December 1985) is now eligible for historic status and MoT exemption (have to wait until next April for free road tax). It went straight through its last MoT in October.

Its been really good, a proper testament to the original quality and design of these cars. 12k miles done, needed two water hoses, a replacement tyre valve and a thermostat (I think). I did buy a new cambelt and head gasket set/bolts but as I'm not experiencing any significant water/oil loss nor any loss of performance I'm inclined to leave any possible major work required until next spring. 

Incidentally it is in regular daily use, but I've put a proper coating of spray applied old engine oil all over the underside and under the arches so I'm hoping to prevent any corrosion setting in. 

 

Id be too scared to use it this time of the year due to rot worries but then im a right fanny. I think its bloody wonderful you are though. And agree entirely that they are such a well thought out and useable thing that doing so is no hardship.

[grogee]

22 minutes ago, Matty said:

Id be too scared to use it this time of the year due to rot worries but then im a right fanny. I think its bloody wonderful you are though. And agree entirely that they are such a well thought out and useable thing that doing so is no hardship.

I'm the same, I used my Maestro through gritted teeth last week but luckily it wasn't cold enough for salt, it was just really wet. 

My intention is to have a look and clean underneath in the Spring, and do something similar to @warch with oil/sheep grot/black paint or whatever. 

I did do this a few years back but it doesn't hurt to do it twice. 

Hats off to Warch for using this through winter. I love this car and spent many hours of childhood in a Mk2 Astra. If this is the 1300 then it's a brilliant engine and non-interference. As @New POD says, it's the "quick release" clutch which is a piece of cake to change. 

[warch]

Two extra things.

In the 80s I think these were considered to be Britain's most stolen car. I can't verify this, but my car has got a non existent steering lock and different locks on each door suggesting it may have been broken into or nicked at some point in the past. I got a chance to see how hard it is to break into one when I locked my keys in the boot a few weeks ago. I opted for the passenger side lock which really needs changing anyway as it is very stiff. It literally took me about ten seconds to break in, plus I didn't actually damage the components (I do need to retrieve some of them out of the door frame though). I was quite lucky because about ten seconds later it started absolutely pissing it down.

Also around a week ago one of the front brakes started grinding horribly. I diagnosed a knackered brake pad, which was correct, but a bit surprising considering it had only done 12k miles since new pads and calipers. It was the outer pad which, due to the design of the wheels on this is hidden so the MoT man didn't see it and it had failed because the sliding pins on the caliper had stuck. Luckily I had a rebuild kit so I replaced and regreased the pins, seals and caps and stuck it back together. The only real issue I had was extracting the roll pins which retained the pads/anti rattle clips but nice and easy really compared to quite a few calipers I've worked on. 

[warch]

After 40 years the Astraaargh’s finally gone around the clock (that’s an average of 2 and a half thousand miles a year). Like most old cars it doesn’t have a six digit gauge so it’s currently displaying delivery mileage.

[vaughant]

On 19/01/2025 at 08:24, warch said:

the central vents only blow cold air

I think this was the case with pretty much all Vauxhalls of that era, I think it followed onto the MK3 as well👍🏼👍🏼.

I can recall trying to get heat though on one of my old Astra's of this era and after about 40 mins of nothing through the vents I must have put it to feet where it warmed up in an instant 🤣🤣.

 

[warch]

It has averaged nearly a thousand miles a month since I got it and I’ve currently got it on a business policy so I can use it for site work, Bedford Astramax style. 
 

I’ve got the free road tax as of last month so that’s a useful saving of around £20 a month. I’ve also sent off the logbook to get it re registered as historic so it’ll be mot exempt as well. In practice I think I’ll either keep MoTing it, or ask my MoT bloke to assess it every year just to make sure it’s safe for use.

I’m still getting quite a few people wondering why the hell i drive such an old car. I did originally buy it out of sheer nostalgia plus I knew it would be a very cheap runaround (we do have a new BMW as a main family car). But it is quite good fun to drive, does well over 40mpg and I haven’t had any issues (touch wood). Unusually for such an old car parts are still fairly easy to come by too, my local factor has most service parts in stock plus there’s lots of commonality with later models.

[vaughant]

1 hour ago, warch said:

I’m still getting quite a few people, who I suspect are of a lower intelligence than I, wondering why the hell i drive such an old car.

EFA 🤣🤣

[vaughant]

Mate of mine had one EXACTLY like that, think his was D reg though but it was a fabulous car...... But of course it got stolen and all his stereo system nicked 😭😭😭. He still had it while afterwards but it got nicked again and badly crashed.

He then bought an Escort van from his uncle on a C reg, MK4 that turned out to be a ringer, it was actually a reg from C reg MK3 😬😬.  His uncle was in the trade as well but hadn't noticed it.

A bit of hassle but he did get to keep it and it went back onto a new D reg plate from the DVLA.

I think that got nicked as well 🤣🤣🤣.

90's Swansea, car crime capital at one point 😭😭😭.

I think because cars used to crumble away and the manufacturing industry was so busy in Britain back then, cars like these did still get bought every 3 or 4 years on favourable terms and just did the job they were supposed to. Basic technology, solid mechanicals, easy design and also made for the home mechanic.

People like yourself and @Peter Care using these cars for their exact intended purposes which does them the world of good rather than letting them sit around for 10 months of the year and wonder why they won't start/have issues.

[grogee]

14 hours ago, vaughant said:

I think this was the case with pretty much all Vauxhalls of that era, I think it followed onto the MK3 as well👍🏼👍🏼.

I can recall trying to get heat though on one of my old Astra's of this era and after about 40 mins of nothing through the vents I must have put it to feet where it warmed up in an instant 🤣🤣.

 

Same on my Maestro. Apparently nobody suffered with cold hands in the eighties. 

Seriously though I just don't get it, in the winter there is no greater relief than warm air onto cold hands, especially if you've just scraped the ice off the screen. Hence heated steering wheels, I suppose. 

I guess manufacturers were prioritising warm air onto screen for demist visibility rather than being able to feel ones' fingers. 

[PhilA]

Nova was the same. Not entirely sure why that was a design "feature", ho hum. 

Glad you've gotten to grips with the Astra, they were good cars. The engines are exceptionally torquey (hence the tall gears) which is why they return good economy and aren't really slouchy nor need thrashing to make progress. 

Floodwater is a good thing. You washed the salt off! 

 

Phil

[24vdiamond]

No reason why it won't do another 100,000 👍

They do like a head gasket around this sort of mileage I believe, absolute doddle to do though 

[Dan302]

Love the Astra. Great to see it being used 🙂