Vauxhall Calibras...

[J4MES]

off to see this tomorrow - anything I should look out for?

Ta!

[Gr44]

Don't know much about them....

Only thing I did notice is the guy put the bhp down wrong, 136 is for the 2 litre Ecoteks... redtops are around 150.

The picture appears to be a redtop, but seems abit strange he'd put 136 down? I'd double check the engine number against the V5.

Probably nothing, though... guess the seller doesn't know the bhp or just pulled it from another '2 litre vauxhall' auction not knowing the differance.

[fraggie]

Heres some snippets from the clubcalibra buying guide...

Engine Checks
Lift the bonnet. Check the water reservoir. It should slightly bluey/greeny colour due to the coolant. Brown/orange colour water isn't good, because it means there is rust in the system and the proper antifreeze hasn't been used. Not too serious, because it can be flushed and cleaned. If you see black or grey greasy/sludgy deposits inside the header tank, beware. This is because the engine oil is mixing with the water. This could either be a porous head or a blown head gasket. Both are repairable but will cost a few hundred pounds.

Check the oil level. Take note of the oil colour on the dipstick. (It should be black or blackish - clear brown if the oil has just been changed) White blobby bits on the dipstick means that there is water in the oil.....avoid!

Remove the oil filler cap on the rocker cover and have a look inside. All you should see is oil and tappets. If you see any kind of white sludgy build up then you have oil in the water. Once again, head gasket or porous head...not cheap!

Find out when the Cambelt was last changed. Ask if the idler pulleys were done as well (as these can fail if they get old). If the Cambelt is old and snaps, it can result in loads of costly damage!

Check for any service history. The more the better. Has it been done by a main Dealership or by a back street garage? No Service History can ring alarm bells but in this modern day and age more and more people look after their own cars. If this is the case the owner should be able to back this up with receipts for service items like Spark Plugs, Oil, Oil Filters etc.

When checking over the C20XE engine look for all the common things as well as the specific ones outlined below

Two main areas have been suspect with the C20XE engine, also know as the Redtop. These surround porous heads and defective idler wheels

Porous Head
The Redtop engine was used in a variety of applications by Vauxhall. Firstly in the Mk2 Astra GTE and then in the Cavalier GSi 2000 later being dropped into the Calibra 16v. These engines were fitted with two different makes of Heads (the part that the Tappets and Cams attach to). These heads were either supplied by KS (Kolben Smidt) or Coscast (Cosworth). If the Engine had a Coscast Head then there were no problems. The Problems seem to arise with those engines fitted with the KS Heads. The Head contains small water channels that water flows through to cool the head. It transpires that a small number of KS Heads had problems whilst being cast which meant that cracks could form in the walls between the oil and water galleries.

This meant the oil would mix with the water and in essence the properties of those two liquids would alter and no longer perform the job they must do to ensure the long life of the engine. The most common way of spotting a porous head is to look in the header tank. If the head has gone porous you will see a sort of Mayonnaise mixture in the header tank. You may also see this white liquid when opening the oil filler cap or looking at the dipstick.

This issue can be remedied but expect to pay around £200-£350 for the head to be repaired, plus the cost of removing it, sending it and fitting it again. Don't forget you will also need a new set of gaskets and Head bolts. You would also be wise to replace all the water hoses. The chances are that the Oil/Water mixture may have contaminated them and they will eventually split and empty the engine's valuable water.

Idler Wheel
Calibras manufactured between 1993 and 1996 had engines fitted with the GF50 Idler Wheels. This wheels helps to keep the Valves and Pistons syncronised. It was found out that the GF50 Idler Wheel was only coated on plastic and could shatter at any time without warning. This would mean that the engine would stop working, loosing power steering and also the servo assistance for the brakes. Imagine if this happened at 70 on the Motorway?

When buying a Redtop Calibra it's best to check to see if and when the Cambelt was done. If it was done were the wheels and tensioners changed? If you are in any doubt or the Cambelt is due to be replaced it's best to have them changed immediately. The new Idler Wheel is the GF25 and is a strengthened part (part number 9128738).

Cambelt
Along with the normal checks for Cambelt changes it's always best to check to see if the water pump has been changed as well. If this fails then the Cambelt needs to come off for the job to be done. Likewise if you are having the Cambelt changed (as well as the idler wheel) then make sure the Water pump is changed at the same time, especially if you unsure when it was last done.

Tappets
When starting the engine you may hear a little tapetty tap. If so this is quite common on the Redtop. The tappets have a Hydraulic Adjustment and can get a bit sticky. The noise should last for 30 seconds or so and then quieten down once the oil gets to it. If it continues for longer then the lifters may need replacing, it's not cheap either. Sometimes it can be cured with a full engine flush and giving the car regular services with a good quality oil.

Leaky Cam Cover Gasket
Another little issue which is an easy fix. If you notice oil leaking from the cam cover gasket then don't worry too much. new gaskets don't cost the earth and it's an easy enough job to do.

Auxiliary Belt
The Auxiliary belt (also known as the serpentine belt) needs to be checked. This belt runs the Power Steering, Aircon (if fitted) and alternator. If it snaps then its a knightmare to change as the left hand engine mount needs to be removed to change it .

Engine Cutting Out
If the engine cuts out it could be one of two things. Either the Idle Control Valve (ICV) needs cleaning or the Fuel Pump relay needs replacing.

Lambda Sensor
The lambda senor needs changing approximately every 40.000 miles to make sure the oxygen levels in the exhaust gases are monitored efficiently.

Exhaust
The front pipe tends to blow at the Flange where the cat bolts on and its expensive since it is an all in one section manifold and front pipe.

Suspension
The pendulum bushes are prone to shearing and are not the easiest to change. If the car has been lowered the Fuel pipes can rub on the chassis causing them to split. Make sure you check these.

Fuelling
The fuel pump mounts are also a common one for being broken due to rust. The fuel pies are also likely to be rusty. The common point for leaks are at the rear wheel arch coming out from the fuel filter. The fuel hoses that go to and come from the fuel rail can also fail. These can leak fuel onto the Starter motor and/or exhaust manifold causing a fire. The are easy enough to replace. if you are replacing them yourself just remember to depressurise the fuel rail before removing them, else you will get a face full of petrol.

To be honest from my experience the main thing to look for is rot, mainly on the sills, arches and any usual spots...

Make sure the engine is cold before startup, (as with any car) and listen when you turn on the engine. It will probably tap for ariound 30 seconds as the tappets become very loud with age but this is normal and if it goes quiet after around 30 seconds its usually ok.

Check the oil cap (as stated above) to check for a porous head (no mayo type substance on the underneath) and also check the reservoir.

Bolster wear on the drivers seat is usually quite bad unless its been repaired and a well looked after red cally wont be pink (needs lots of polish to keep it red).

107000 aint bad mileage if its correct as mine only blew after 120 odd and that was because some muppet replaced a piston with the wrong one

from the look of the pics the wing mirrors have been replaced with m3 ones (which are black for some strange reason, perhaps too lazy to paint them lol) and the bolster has quite some wear but thats normal and can be repaired for under 100 quid to look like new.

Thats definitely the redtop engine (i have it in mine) so it is 150bhp not 136 as previously stated.

http://www.clubcalibra.net/forum/art...ticle&artid=17

^^ Link to the article on buying

The aerials been removed(not sure why?) and they arent standard alloys so the person has fiddled around with it, make sure its not been fiddled with badly etc.

ABS light on may mean the sensor or the whole front CV joint might need replacing so if you can get behind the wheel and feel the cog behind it to see if its worn do it.

Check for the engine management light being on, if its on then one of the sensors may be playing up or may be a bad sign of further things to come but its a way of haggling down price but a risk as always...

Cant think of much else to say but there are plenty out there being sold so if you want one and this ones not right for you, its a buyers market for calibras at the moment as they are so cheap, so no need to rush into it.

Finally with some love and attention they can be wonderful cars (and draw looks all over)



Good Luck!

[joshwa]

A guy at work used to have one, and there seems to be a lot of "modding" potential if you're into that kind of thing.

I noticed the baby seat, check the rear seats for wear and tear, a friend has a car with leather seats and the baby seat from the previous owner has caused wear and tear over time. Probably easy (but potentially time consuming) to fix.

I'll ask him how his was when I see him tomorrow.

[Zak33]

thankfully it's not an Ecotec (sack of cack)

Red Top's are ace when running fine,

BUT an ABS light on is an MOT failure. The price to fix is varied from a single ABS sensor to an entire system.

Who ever fitted the M3 mirrors was a boy racer, so ignore the ultra silly "I believe that this car has never been driven hard or had the engine raced as the last owner was a proffesional lady.", in fact I'd leave if anyone said that to me about a 150bhp Coupe. My missus is a professional lady and she'd rag the hell outta that. Who wouldn't?

Back to common sense. I promise if the engines nice, and not feeling like a porous nightmare (headgasketty symptoms) then you'll get a scarily easy 40mpg on most average journeys, as these engines have TORQUE coming out of every hole...they're awesome.

Steering gets ultra wooly on the rack, lots of driivers kerb them hard as the bonnets so low and hard to justify the corners.

Rear wipers dont always work. Check.

Drivers seats get wobbly....wobble them.

Don't pay more than £800 for that car.

[fraggie]

Originally Posted by Zak33

you'll get a scarily easy 40mpg on most average journeys

i must be driving mine wrong then

[Zak33]

no....you're drivng it right

but I consitently got 40 from mine...I had lots of them.

[Gr44]

Originally Posted by Zak33

thankfully it's not an Ecotec (sack of cack)

Ssssshhhh... I've a 2litre Ecotek, damnit. *cries*

[fraggie]

Originally Posted by Gr44

Ssssshhhh... I've a 2litre Ecotek, damnit. *cries*

you have our condolences

[Moby-Dick]

BUT an ABS light on is an MOT failure. The price to fix is varied from a single ABS sensor to an entire system.

or replace the bulb with a broken one

[[GSV]Trig]

naughty moby...

Get the car on a kerb so you can get under the back, look at the section where the rear spring meets the rear chassis, this is known to rot, give it a good poke both sides, its an L reg so its pre facelift which also means the body isnt galvanised so expect a bit of rust on the rear arches and where the seam is under the doors where the front of the shell meets the back.

Check its had a cam belt done at some point, check the condition of the oil, if its not been changed for a while it'll tap for more than 30 seconds, my old XE used to get ragged all the time and as long as the oil was changed every 5k it was fine after a minute or so, chances are if it doesn't tap at all its been ran up before you arrive to try and cover it up but tappings to be expected just make sure its not excessive as it could mean other things than bad oil, crap oil pressure sticky lifters etc.

With it being a Vaux and based on the Cav the bits are as cheap as chips and if you have a set of spanners the majority of things can be done yourself so dont let little bits put you off, its a 13 year old car after all and as has been said theres a lot of potential in them and lots of toys you can pinch from other Vaux models..

[Gr44]

Originally Posted by fraggie

you have our condolences

*sniffs* I like my car, leave it alone!!!

Whats so god-aweful about the 2 litre ecoteks, bar the obvious lack of power to the redtops??

PM me if you want, so I don't hijack the thread any more xD

( expecting a reply from Zak too!! : ) )

[[GSV]Trig]

Ahhh the old XE vs XEV arguments eh, could turn this thread into a long one lol..

[J4MES]

might as well - didn't get to see the car but thanks for all the advice... this place should be called Hexipedia...

I should explain: having sold the Golf, I thought we'd get a cheap runaround to plug the gap between finding our next car, forgetting that the A4 has effectively done that for us, so I'm back to square one...

reading between the lines? Wifey says 'no'...

[Gr44]

Sorry to hear that... how comes you didn't get to see it ? : (

[J4MES]

Originally Posted by JAMES' Wifey

No!

Wifey > J4MES