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[SMD]

As above. I bought a Haynes manual to help me out as the Zafira forum is hopeless. I have a set of spark plugs and an paper element oil filter from the Omega. Can I use them on the Zafira?

There isn't a coolant drain off on the block so I guess changing the coolant would be similar to the Omega?

Brake fluid change. Anyone familiar with these cars will know the underslung spare wheel was often stolen so the geniuses at VX stopped supplying them on later cars and instead provided an inflation kit. I somehow use this kit with an Easybleed?

Is there a 'breather' setup on these that need cleaning?

Thanks

[The Sheriff]

If the Zafira forum is useless, try the astra one. Same engine.

[05omegav6]

As above. I bought a Haynes manual to help me out as the Zafira forum is hopeless. I have a set of spark plugs and an paper element oil filter from the Omega. Can I use them on the Zafira?

There isn't a coolant drain off on the block so I guess changing the coolant would be similar to the Omega?

Brake fluid change. Anyone familiar with these cars will know the underslung spare wheel was often stolen so the geniuses at VX stopped supplying them on later cars and instead provided an inflation kit. I somehow use this kit with an Easybleed?

Is there a 'breather' setup on these that need cleaning?

Thanks

A couple of female torx screws hold the cover in place on the engine... remove these then undo the oil cap and the cover lifts off. Then all will be revealed iirc, only the earlier 8v has the cover, 16v has a slide off cover over the coil pack and black cam cover. Coil pack is held down with 3 iirc torx bolts, undo, unplug, lift off... oil in plug wells is cam cover gaskets, same symptoms and end result as the Omega... ie misfires and new coil pack.

Coolant drain is on the rad, and sump plug is underneath as usual. Everything else is readily accessible from above, including the oil filter. When changing the airfilter, first unclip the loom attached to the casing, and undo the plugs on the aircon pressure switch and the MAF. Then undo the clip between the MAF and throttle body. Airfilter cover is similar to the Omega one, (lots of torx screws), then simply lift it off complete with MAF.

You will become well practised in the above as it's the easiest way to change bulbs...
Which oil filter you need depends on the engine, spin on or cartridge and will be obvious. If yours is a spin on one, watch yourself on the cat, which is right next to it damhikt

A doddle to service though, and breathers are obvious when you get the cover off, only a couple of short pipes. Not to be confused with coolant pipes running to/from the throttle body though...

Vectra C manual covers the engine too, early one for the 8V (silver cam cover and spin on filter)and later one for the 16v (black cam cover and cartridge filter).

For the brakefluid change, most dealers do this as a fixed price standalone item, typically £35 all in, so personally I would let them do it... otherwise use the off side front tyre for the Ezibleed and then use the pump to reinflate the tyre once you're done

Disc and pad kits are £50-70 for each end (depending on your dealers view on parts discounting). Reckon on about £75 for everything to do a major service using genuine bits and oil.

Cambelt depends on the engine, but 60k for 8v and 100k for the 16v. Always do the water pump and thermostat at the same time. And coincidentally expect to fit a new rad at 100k ish... about £100 from VX.

Look after it, which is really easy as it's a doddle to work on, and it will easily do 160+k

[SMD]

Thanks for your reply. Are you saying I need to take the rocker cover off to clean the breathers for regular maintenance? Where are the throttle bodies btw? Wiukd these benefit from a clean?

I removed the coil pack to check for signs of oil. Clean as a whistle although there was some oil under the slide off cover but this could have happened during the oil change. Anynidea how tight should the coil pack should bolts be?

With the coolant, draining the rad wont drain the everything. So how do you get rid of all the old coolant apart from taking the waterpump/stat out?

Brake fluid. I've heard horror stories about garages drawing out the old fluid and topping up with new to make it look like they changed it. Otherwise I'd gladly pay the £35

The part number for the filter I have is 9192426. Its the paper element type and the spark plugs are 9195109.

Cheers Al.

[05omegav6]

Thanks for your reply. Are you saying I need to take the rocker cover off to clean the breathers for regular maintenance? Where are the throttle body btw? Follow the air intake from MAF to engineWiukd these benefit from a clean? Only if it looks like it needs it. Will require a gasket and small torque wrench as the bolts aren't exactly tight

I removed the coil pack to check for signs of oil. Clean as a whistle although there was some oil under the slide off cover but this could have happened during the oil change More than likely. Any idea how tight should the coil pack should bolts be? One click of the wrist

With the coolant, draining the rad wont drain the everything. So how do you get rid of all the old coolant apart from taking the waterpump? Exactly... best done at belt change time... along with new stat and pump... you need to remove the cambelt to change the pump, so it's a false economy not to change it at the same time

Brake fluid. I've heard horror stories about garages drawing out the old fluid and topping up with new to make it look like they changed it. Otherwise I'd gladly pay the £35 fair dos... can always chalk the bleed nipples as a tell tale

The part number for the filter I have is 9192426. Its the paper element type and the spark plugs are 9195109.

Cheers Al.

[Andy B]

....

With the coolant, draining the rad wont drain the everything. So how do you get rid of all the old coolant apart from taking the waterpump/stat out?....

Likewise the Omega V6. The rad drain will only drain half of the coolant, so you have to keep diluting what's in the block till it runs clear.
Same would apply with any other car. 

[Marks DTM Calib]

Which engine is it and what year?

[05omegav6]

Guessing at the Z18XER to have the sliding cover over the coil pack

[SMD]

It's a 1.8/2008 (08)

Cover didn't exactly slide out. Although there is an arrow indicator, it popped out 

[05omegav6]

The earlier one has a full engine cover rather than a pretty cam cover

[The Sheriff]

It's a 1.8/2008 (08)

Cover didn't exactly slide out. Although there is an arrow indicator, it popped out 

t
The arrow is to tell you which end to lift from.

[SMD]

Possibly STEMO.

Can anyone confirm if the spark plugs and oil filter I have is the right type for this car? Part numbers are mentioned in my previous post. Do the spark plugs come with the right gaps?

Al, Mark I'm looking at you 

[05omegav6]

Not sure on plugs... I used to buy them on the basis that the parts people were capable of providing the correct ones for the reg

Likewise the oil filter... Although both can be removed for comparison purposes with the minimum of fuss just undo the cap on the cannister and lift it out, you'll get a few drips off it, but the oilbcannot flow up hill, so you won't lose any

Oil filter should be about 30% longer than the Omega one iirc...