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256

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra coolant leak from coolant pipe

« on: 27 March 2020, 21:13:01 »

My trouble is SWMBO must be obeyed. Thanks to all for sympathy.
My original plan was black sealant and the plastic clip. A new pipe would be ideal, challenge is getting one without going out. e-bay would be ideal.

Above looks too long.
Hard to photograph. Pipe leaves thermostat holder right of plug cover, and joins the throttle above the yellow oil filler.
Yes, I know I am making a meal of this job, never mind, the original leak looks cured now, and I have bought a better car since this problem began. Car under repair is a 2008 Astra 1.8 petrol manual hatchback, part needed is the pipe from throttle to thermostat holder, new clip as well. I have a spare thermostat holder, though I cannot see why I should change it at the moment.

257

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra coolant leak from coolant pipe

« on: 27 March 2020, 20:03:17 »

There's always e-bay.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-VAUXHALL-ASTRA-ZAFIRA-ETC-1-8-THERMOSTAT-TO-THROTTLE-BODY-HOSE-25192905/302375120017?epid=2229510200&hash=item4666f62c91:g:v3AAAOSwgv5ZXftJ
This looks a bit long. My donor Astra1.6 looks different too.

258

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra coolant leak from coolant pipe

« on: 27 March 2020, 20:00:13 »

You note there is still a short length of pipe remaining, and I still have the clip, flimsy plastic thing. I had in mind applying Vx black sealant, reinserting pipe, putting on clip, letting sealant cure, then testing. Viral Jim suggests epoxying the joint, leaving to cure, then applying more epoxy. Dave the builder suggests silicone - sealant, like bathroom sealant, Dave?

259

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra coolant leak from coolant pipe

« on: 27 March 2020, 19:28:19 »

That's clearly broken, you can see the jagged edge hanging out of the piece in your hand...

Agreed.
We have just had a family row about coronavirus exposure. Emma, mother of 5 year old Tom, has irritable bowel syndrome, and is having an infusion of immunosuppressive medication next Wednesday. She and her husband wish us to look after Tom next week. To avoid risk of infection they insist Tricia (SWMBO) and I do not leave the house for the next nine days. Daft I call it. I volunteered to go to Tesco's at at quiet time, wear a hat, mask and gloves, buy groceries, return home, leave shopping outside, strip, enter the house, shower, dress in new clothes. Wait 48 hours, then bring in food and clothes.No good, they said, too risky.
So I cannot go out and order a new pipe.
I need a new pipe anyway. I reckon if I clean up the pipe and the tunnel in the thermostat housing, then coat well in black sealant, replace the pipe, and leave to set, I have a good chance of making a seal; and if it leaks I have lost nothing, I have to buy a new pipe anyway.
What do you think?

260

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra coolant leak from coolant pipe

« on: 27 March 2020, 18:04:20 »

New leak, junction of thermostat housing and pipe to throttle. I removed the pipe from the thermostat housing, I don't recall breaking it, but I may have. It is attached to the thermostat housing by a plastic clip. I see no 'O' ring to seal the joint, and it leaks. Should the 'O' ring be be at the top between the pipe and the housing top, or at the bottom of the tunnel in the thermostat housing? Or maybe it was on the missing pipe end?
I may need a new pipe. I have a spare thermostat housing. Would black sealant do the job, while I get a new pipe?

261

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra coolant leak from coolant pipe

« on: 26 March 2020, 16:09:52 »

I have before just removed 1 of the coolant pipes to the throttle body and pushed in a valve secured with a jubilee clip to make airtight then applied pressure from a hand pump...really any way of getting air under pressure into the coolant space will work but dont exceed 12/14psi.

As high as that? I feared that might blow off or burst a hose. The old metal caps had a blow off pressure stamped upon them, but the yellow plastic caps on the Vectra and Astra are less helpful.
             
The old metal caps were stamped around 5 PSI I recall, which I could arrange by hanging a funnel full of coolant high in the garage roof. 14 PSI is nearly atmospheric pressure of 15 PSI, a head of 32 feet of water or 30 inches of mercury.

all the cooling systems I've worked on run at about 1bar - about 14psi for those stuck in the 19th century -, which includes several cars designed(and a couple built) in the fifties.


Drill a hole in your 'radiator' cap to fit an entire tyre valve, fit the valve into the hole in the same way it fits a wheel, and seal it with your favourite flexible gunge. Pressurise the system with a manual pump; a bike pump will work well. Check for leaks by listening, and spraying suspect areas with soapy water. When you've fixed all the leaks, fit a new radiator cap and store the Cooling System Pressure Test Adapter Thingy(CSPTAT ) with all your other car junk. A battered cardboard box kicked under the bench is the traditional way.


You can test radiators off the car by cutting a mountain bike inner tub cut opposite the valve, and clamping it to the radiator stubs with hose clamps

Thanks Nick. Your scheme works fine on an Omega, but not on a Vectra, where the cap seal to tank is an 'O'ring seal. The Omega blow off valve blows into the cap and down the thread grooves, whereas the Vectra cap blows off into a middle section and thence out of the overflow pipe.
My plan now is basically Amba's; remove a coolant hose to the header tank, replace it with a tyre inflator hose, and pressurise it. If I use too much pressure, the cap will release it.

262

Omega General Help / Re: MOTs extended for 6 months

« on: 26 March 2020, 11:36:46 »

I read today in the papers about MOT extensions for cars. I'm beginning to feel sorry for the testers. Testers have told me that MOT testing is good business, £35 plus for 20 minutes work, steady stream of customers, whereas car repairing can be trickier to do at a profit. Suddenly their custom will dry up. Dennis Miller, local man I use, bought his business from Alan Margary's widow, has put in a new ramp, gas analyser, tyre changer, etc., suddenly finds he has no custom. I hope he survives.

263

Omega General Help / Re: MOTs extended for 6 months

« on: 25 March 2020, 22:43:02 »

Keep up Terry 

https://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=146517.0

I may have been three hours behind in my announcement of the good news, but I have two cars due MOT in April and three in May, so I reckon I have the last laugh.

264

General Car Chat / Re: How do I insert CDs in my CDC 40 Opera magazine?

« on: 25 March 2020, 20:19:40 »

Thank you. I'v got it now. I have to turn the knob to selet the CD slot. Why could it not say so. Or maybe it did . .

265

General Car Chat / How do I insert CDs in my CDC 40 Opera magazine?

« on: 25 March 2020, 17:05:23 »

Vectra 1.8 Design CDC 40 OPERA
Page 50 of the manual  tells me to press button 14 - done that - then select an empty CD compartment (picture of a finger) suggesting either touch the screen (is it a touch screen?) or maybe push a button on the numeric keyboard. Then 'please insert CD now',finger again, 'insert rhe CD into the CD slot' found the slot. Then, tick, 'the CD is automatically drawn in'. I have found the CD is drawn in when I push the big volume knob.
I have managed to insert one CD in slot 1, and it plays, but I cannot insert any more. I suspect my trouble is I have failed to 'select an empty CD compartment'.
Please advise.

266

Omega General Help / MOTs extended for 6 months

« on: 25 March 2020, 14:01:21 »

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vehicle-owners-to-be-granted-mot-exemption-in-battle-against-coronavirus
Great news! MOTs expiring after March 31st are valid for a further 6 months, to relieve Coronavirus pressures.Two of my cars' MOTs expire in April, including my beloved Omega, which is still roadworthy but will fail MOT on emissions due to a cracked exhaust manifold.

267

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra coolant leak from coolant pipe

« on: 25 March 2020, 12:03:43 »

I have before just removed 1 of the coolant pipes to the throttle body and pushed in a valve secured with a jubilee clip to make airtight then applied pressure from a hand pump...really any way of getting air under pressure into the coolant space will work but dont exceed 12/14psi.

As high as that? I feared that might blow off or burst a hose. The old metal caps had a blow off pressure stamped upon them, but the yellow plastic caps on the Vectra and Astra are less helpful.
             
The old metal caps were stamped around 5 PSI I recall, which I could arrange by hanging a funnel full of coolant high in the garage roof. 14 PSI is nearly atmospheric pressure of 15 PSI, a head of 32 feet of water or 30 inches of mercury.

all the cooling systems I've worked on run at about 1bar - about 14psi for those stuck in the 19th century -, which includes several cars designed(and a couple built) in the fifties.


Drill a hole in your 'radiator' cap to fit an entire tyre valve, fit the valve into the hole in the same way it fits a wheel, and seal it with your favourite flexible gunge. Pressurise the system with a manual pump; a bike pump will work well. Check for leaks by listening, and spraying suspect areas with soapy water. When you've fixed all the leaks, fit a new radiator cap and store the Cooling System Pressure Test Adapter Thingy(CSPTAT ) with all your other car junk. A battered cardboard box kicked under the bench is the traditional way.


You can test radiators off the car by cutting a mountain bike inner tub cut opposite the valve, and clamping it to the radiator stubs with hose clamps

Thank you. That's the way Razzle did it in his guide, but your post goes further.
You are right, after 20 years I have so much Senator and Omega junk lying around that it is hard to find anything.

268

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra coolant leak from coolant pipe

« on: 24 March 2020, 23:00:39 »

How many of each should you have? The O ring may well fit at the back of the water pump or gearbox end of the engine rather than in the centre fitting

Interesting thought, Doc. I did not stand close to the man or the screen on strict orders from SWMBO and son Ben, so cannot confirm that he ordered the right parts. I took in the pipe, so he was in no doubt what parts I wanted. As said above, he seemed to know his business, he is an older man (60s), said he knew the parts required, even thought he might have them in stock, but found he had not, so got then from a main dealer in Trowbridge. In the morning I will measure them up, and see if they can be expected to do the job.
Cost was £3.36.

269

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra coolant leak from coolant pipe

« on: 24 March 2020, 19:09:57 »

Read page 6 of our maintenance guide...line #7 tells you all you need to know.

Thanks. I did not expect to find a maintenance guide on pressure testing. In fact the earlier Razzle guide is more useful, as I am working on a Vectra, not a V6 Omega.

The manager at my local Vx dealer knows his stuff, and could tell me that the mysterious item behind the tunnel is the oil cooler.

270

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra coolant leak from coolant pipe

« on: 24 March 2020, 14:48:34 »

Great to hear you now have the correct parts to fix the leak,so best of luck getting it all back together.

You need to create a means to pump air into the coolant system to around 12/14 psi.Most tend to fit a tyre valve to a coolant cap and then use a pump to add air to the system to check for the leak.In the maintenance guide there is a" how to " but not being a computer savy I cant do a link ,sorry.

I have before just removed 1 of the coolant pipes to the throttle body and pushed in a valve secured with a jubilee clip to make airtight then applied pressure from a hand pump...really any way of getting air under pressure into the coolant space will work but dont exceed 12/14psi.

As high as that? I feared that might blow off or burst a hose. The old metal caps had a blow off pressure stamped upon them, but the yellow plastic caps on the Vectra and Astra are less helpful. The top is labelled
                                       ACHTUNG!
                               HEISS LNGSAM OFFNEN
                                     small blob
                       picture of radiator low of coolant   
                                    WARNING!                 
                               NEVER OPEN HOT
         and around the rubber seal on the bottom is written
87153850    PA66.0F  30<    GM    '9292 followed by oo with vv beneath'
                   all of which means nothing to me. 
The old metal caps were stamped around 5 PSI I recall, which I could arrange by hanging a funnel full of coolant high in the garage roof. 14 PSI is nearly atmospheric pressure of 15 PSI, a head of 32 feet of water or 30 inches of mercury.