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211

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra 1.8 starter will not turn

« on: 11 May 2020, 19:36:21 »

The key needs holding to crank, leaving it in position 2 ain't gonna cut it...

Presumably you have checked the fuses?

Thanks Doc. Yes, assistant did hold it to crank, but no volts appeared.
Just checked fuse 26 luggage compartment, 'Terminal 15 (starter switch) Twin Audio',  25 amp fuse in place and OK. I cannot see any other fuse listed worthy of attention.
I am tempted to check that lead on my other Vectra tomorrow.

212

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra 1.8 starter will not turn

« on: 11 May 2020, 18:38:56 »

Did you try rocking it in gear with the ignition OFF? 

That will often free them up as DG mentioned earlier. 

Yes, tried that.Sadly, no joy.

213

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra 1.8 starter will not turn

« on: 11 May 2020, 18:01:52 »

Today I tried hitting the solenoid with a soft nosed hammer with ignition switch in 'crank' mode, no joy.
I explored further with a multimeter. The heavy lead in middle of picture is, as DG thought, earthy, probably the main engine earth lead. There is a 2 lead bundle to the solenoid, the light lead on the terminal to the solenoid, and the heavy lead to the right, at constant +12v, also attached to the solenoid.
I expected the lighter lead to become +12v when key is turned to crank position, but it does not. I wonder why.

214

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra 1.8 starter will not turn

« on: 10 May 2020, 21:17:52 »

That wire to the left looks like a ground

The solenoid makes throws a lever inside the starter making contact to spin it over.

A smack with a soft faced mallet whilst cranking (in neutral) should free it.

Looks pretty hefty for a ground. I thought all starters were earthed to the metal engines and the earth strap. That lead is in a handy place for installation, if not the live lead, where is it? I thought all modern starters, like on the Omega, had solenoids that engaged the pulled the pinion into mesh with the flywheel gear, then pulled the switch points together to power the starter motor. Older starters used inertial engagement.
Obviously I cannot crank the starter. Do you mean I should have an assistant turn the key to start position while I hit the starter with a hammer? Where should I hit it?
 

215

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra 1.8 starter will not turn

« on: 10 May 2020, 17:01:36 »

Here is the starter. I expected to find 12 volts on the power cable at left of pic, but I do not. I assume the cable goes direct to the battery positive terminal. I imagine if I put the key in and turn it against the spring I should gain 12v at the cable end to the solenoid too, but one thing at a time.

216

General Car Chat / Vectra 1.8 starter will not turn

« on: 09 May 2020, 15:19:21 »

2008 Vectra 1,8 petrol manual saloon
This car has been off the road for 2 months with a minor coolant leak. all is now reassembled, ready to test start, but the starter does not crank. It may well be a faulty starter or solenoid, but it was starting fine before the strip down.
Battery has been recharged, showing 12.55 volts across the terminals. Turning the ignition key to start position, nothing happens, and the voltage at battery remains at 12.55. Similarly, headlights on are not dimmed on turning the key, and I hear no click from the starter.
Might it be an immobiliser problem, or a fuse?

217

General Car Chat / Re: Anyone know about Astras?

« on: 09 May 2020, 08:54:49 »

Hearty congratulations, James. I have followed this thread with interest and excitement, and admire your frankness and honesty as you admit the occasional mistake, or turn to your local garage for help.

I imagined it was the ECU that picked up error codes, and the reader that read them. Were the codes that only the special Chinese device picked up transient codes the ECU failed to store, or deemed not worthy of storage?

218

General Car Chat / Re: Car SOS

« on: 04 May 2020, 08:05:58 »

I enjoy the shows, but do wonder what the cost of the restorations is, and how many of the applicants conspire with the car owners to get their cars restored free of change. Some of the owners are clearly unfit to drive ever again, in one programme the owner died half way through the restoration, on another show the owner was a retired dentist, looked about 55, and was clearly able to pay for the restoration himself.
All that aside, it's a great programme, long may it continue. Repeats pop up all over the shop, most recently on channel 4 early in the morning.

219

General Car Chat / Re: Uncle STEMO

« on: 30 April 2020, 16:15:12 »

Here is my silver Omega, with assorted  more expensive cars, looking quite as handsome. I took this shot returning from an Omega meeting (Towcester?) a few years ago. I called on an old school chum living in Marlow, could not find his place, explored the place next door by mistake. I regarded my Omega as quite as good as these flashy cars.

220

Omega General Help / Re: Rear Brakes

« on: 28 April 2020, 14:16:07 »

Thank you everyone for your comments I still haven't finished but parts are ordered and put the old shoes back on quite quickly and the old discs went on easy so the Delphi must be wrong in some way.Also had a reply back from my local Vauxhall dealers and they are ordering some springs from Germany so i'll report if successful.Borg&Beck reckon their pins and springs will fit but probably not like the others

Lucky you. I have abandonned all hope of getting Vx dealer parts during the lockdown.   

221

Omega Electrical and Audio Help / Re: Procedure to reset codes on CCRT 700 OnStar TUNER TAPE CD PHONE

« on: 27 April 2020, 15:45:17 »

P.S. After setting the code, as I am in coronavirus lockdown I removed the battery to recharge it occasionally. Today, just to give the engine an occasional run and circulate the oil, I put the battery back and started the engine. Radio said SAFE and 10. Without any more ado, engine still running I popped in 4 0 5 3, it said OK, I pressed and held AS button, and it retuned the radio, I pressed CD and it began playing CD1 track 1. Thank you all again, I have established that I can pop in the right radio code without detailed foreplay and thus can reset the radio, and the CD code I do not need.

222

Omega General Help / Re: Problem after problem after...

« on: 27 April 2020, 10:22:52 »

Noticed Terry Paget had a similar issue not too long ago... could I get a second opinion from someone (link below)

http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=138599.15

As I read it he appears to be suggesting there was a leak from one of the hoses going to the top of the fuel pump, due to use of jubbly clips, not fuel hose clips... mine are the 'proper' clips, however they have been off and on quite a few times, wondering if they've been bent / deformed once too many times. 

Doesnt answer the random stall issue, but the slow start fits.

That was February 2017, seems like a long while ago. I think that was on the silver Omega estate I bought from forum member ajsphead that I scrapped some while ago, rust. Since then I have had more trouble replacing Vx spring clips with jubilee clips, will I never learn?

223

Omega General Help / Re: Rear Brakes

« on: 27 April 2020, 09:47:56 »

Handbrake shoes only get wear during the MOT test. At that time they also undergo the biggest annual lever heave, which can pull the wheel end outer cable through the curl of metal on the trailing arm, causing an MOT failure. The cure is to insert a plain washer on the cable end.
I suppose it is a curl, not a solid bracket, to facilitate factory assembly; just one more joy we have buying 10 year old cars.

224

Omega General Help / Re: Rear Brakes

« on: 25 April 2020, 14:41:57 »

In the factory, the handbrake gubbins is built up before the hub flange is fitted. Probably takes two minutes a side to throw together 

Thanks, Doc, that explains that.
I guess the basic problem stems from the combined disc/drum arrangement. Other cars I have owned had self adjusting disc handbrakes, or big drums at the rear, incorporating both hydraulic and self adjusting mechanical operation. I have Astras of either variety.

225

Omega General Help / Re: Rear Brakes

« on: 25 April 2020, 09:56:48 »

It beggars belief that on the Opel assembly line operatives struggle as I still do to assemble the drum hand brake. I imagine boiler suited fraulein in hairnets, cigarettes in mouths, throwing drum handbrakes together as they chat to each other. They must have some special tool, some trick, that I lack.
I bought the tool above some years go, when running a 6 Senator high mileage fleet, but it was little help. That new tool might do it, it's cheap enough, but coming from China it will be some time arriving.
When I was young all vehicles had drum brakes, and they gave me no trouble. I imagined when I progressed from RWD Vauxhalls that I should not see a drum brake again, not so. I discover that some Astras and Vectras have them too.