1989 Opel Vectra GT

[vectra1903]

Thank you very much for the help, I'll try to figure out what the problem is in the coming days (or weeks).

[vectra1903]

I replaced the ICV for the VW/Audi part I found and it seems to be a bit better. The car runs smoother overall and the high rpm problem is still there, but the rpm's go down automatically after a few seconds, so that's better.

I haven't messed with my noisy "something under the hood" yet so that's still there.

Yesterday my area was a bit surprised by a sudden very big snowfall. The roads instantly turned into ice and the snow was so bad that you couldn't see anything.

Of course I had to be on the road, 15km from my house when this started.

This was a big test of my winter tyres and... they spectacularly failed.
I had problems with grip on wet roads, but this big snowfall was much worse. I was going sideways on straight roads, barely making turns and going up hills.
So I bit the bullet and bought some used good tyres. I mounted them on my alloys, the originals for this car and I have to say that the car not only looks better but drives much smoother and safer. It still slides about, but that's just how it is on icy roads.

[vectra1903]

If my car had it's catalytic converter removed, is there anything that should be done to the O2 sensors to compensate for this?

[Robsey]

No - nothing needs doing.

There is just one sensor in the front down pipe BEFORE the converter. So removal makes no difference to the sensor or its output to the ECU.

Just remember to refit the catalytic converter before your next emissions test.
Whatever your version of our MOT is.

[vectra1903]

No - nothing needs doing.

There is just one sensor in the front down pipe BEFORE the converter. So removal makes no difference to the sensor or its output to the ECU.

Just remember to refit the catalytic converter before your next emissions test.
Whatever your version of our MOT is.

Thanks for this info.
Cars made before 1995 don't need a catalytic converter to pass the inspection in Poland. The cat in this car was taken out many years ago and it always passed the inspection, so I'm not worried about that.

[chrisp]

Quote: I finally decided that I've had it with the original stereo and replaced it with something more modern. I looked for the cheapest Sony bluetooth head unit and I settled for the MEX-BT2500. It is 14 years old but it's still pretty nice. It has a built in microphone for bluetooth calling and good quality music streaming, so it pretty much ticks all of the boxes for me.

Did this Sony MEX-BT2500 fit directly into the standard dashboard slot in your Vectra, with the connections to power, speakers, aerial etc all lining up so the unit was a simple push fit?

[Robsey]

I don't think it is that simple.
The Sony uses a non-ISO 16 pin connector, and a different aerial socket.

So I suspect that you would need:-
1 - Wiring loom adapter.
2 - Aerial socket adapter.
3 - A suitable cage to fit the Sony radio.
(And remove the original GM cage).

Looking at reviews, the radio is from around 2008 and is regarded as being a very good unit, apart from a poorly positioned bluetooth microphone that can give poor phone audio quality. There are How 2s on the web for relocating the microphone for better phone audio.

[vectra1903]

I don't think it is that simple.
The Sony uses a non-ISO 16 pin connector, and a different aerial socket.

So I suspect that you would need:-
1 - Wiring loom adapter.
2 - Aerial socket adapter.
3 - A suitable cage to fit the Sony radio.
(And remove the original GM cage).

Looking at reviews, the radio is from around 2008 and is regarded as being a very good unit, apart from a poorly positioned bluetooth microphone that can give poor phone audio quality. There are How 2s on the web for relocating the microphone for better phone audio.

I bought my radio with the OEM 16pin to ISO adapter and the mounting cage. I had to buy an antenna adapter seperately.
It isn't a simple plug and play job though, you need to reverse the red and yellow wires in the wiring adapter (the original one has easy to remove quick connectors on these wires so it's a very easy job).
Mounting the unit is pretty simple.
Mount the cage, plug in the wires and slot the radio in. It should snap into the cage and not move at all.

The microphone is indeed mounted poorly, behind the faceplate. I haven't had any problems with hands-free calling though, so I didn't bother relocating the microphone.

The radio is very nice overall and it shouldn't be a hassle to install.

Remember to CHECK it before you snap it into place to save yourself from unnecessary problems. Especially remember to check if the radio memorises its settings, such as bass, treble and saved radio stations. If it doesn't remember these settings, you need to reverse the red and yellow wires in the loom.

[vectra1903]

Replaced ECU temp sensor. The alternator had to be unbolted to reach the sensor so the belt tension was also set when remounting the unit. The rpm issue hasn't visited me in the 20km drive I did after the replacement. But if it comes back the only things left are the TPS and airflow sensor. I can see that a new airflow sensor is hard to source, but if I were to buy these parts, would cheap replacement parts be good enough or do I have to buy the original expensive parts?

[Robsey]

I would always recommend buying the proper Bosch and Pierburg parts as fitted in the factory for the ignition and fuel systems.

But start cheaply and work towards the more expensive parts.

Cheapest / free =
Ensure that all cables, connectors and electrical items are clean, dry and securely connected.

Ensure that all breather pipes and the camshaft housing cover filter are clean.

Ensure that all vacuum and breather pipes are clean, securely fitted and free from splits and leaks.

Then work towards the things that cost you money.

A good regular service - but you do not have to fit new plugs, leads, rotor arm and distributor cap every 12 months.
Just checking cleaning and setting everything according to the service manual / Haynes / AutoData etc is usually enough.

It is all common sense stuff. The car is 32 years old, and so is all the wiring etc.

Checking, cleaning and securing the main battery, alternator and starter cables will reduce a lot of the problems that affect older cars, especially inthe cold, wet winters.

[vectra1903]

Going back to my sunroof problem, I know that there were some posts about the roof not sliding back, only tilting, but the instructions aren't very clear and I'm not really sure what to do. Is there a way to repair this without taking out the glass?

[vectra1903]

I checked my TPS, it's good enough on the idle position but has bad contact on full throttle so that's probably gonna be fixed soon.

I also cleaned the connectors for the TPS, ICV and airflow meter.

My high idle when warm issue is still here so that's still on the list.

And I think my alternator is bad, with no lights and blower the voltage is good, 13.98-14V, but with lights and blower on full blast the voltage drops to 11.9-12.2. If I pop on the high beams and foglamps the voltage slowly goes down, discharging instead of charging the battery.

[Robsey]

It sounds more like the battery is not holding enough charge.
Getting around 14 volts with the engine running is quite normal.

What appears to be happening is that you are taking more current out than your alternator can put in.

Weak batteries are quite normal in the cold winter months. This and the fact that you need the rear window demistor, head lamps and the heater blower on more of the time...

The only cure for this is:-
1 - a new or higher capacity battery - try fitting a heavy duty / diesel rated 075 battery instead of a standard 063 battery.

2 - higher capacity alternator - the original alternator should be fine but if you are running a lot of high power consuming devices, then a higher rated alternator would be recommended.

[Robsey]

I have emailed some sunroof information - I hope it helps.

Also as a general comment about the roof and as said in my email -

My understanding from other forums is that no new parts are needed. The roof just needs adjusting or setting up.
A garage would charge 1 hour of labour for this.
I would allow 3 hours to ensure that you take your time, and follow the guides carefully.

I would only work on the plastic trims if they are warm. They are very brittle and break easily when cold.

[vectra1903]

Oh, what a fun day.

I had the bright idea to clean the computer plug contacts and check out the loom there just to get it all sorted before searching for anymore issues and...
I ended up with this.

Half of the interior ripped out, carpets cut out, foam insulation soaking wet and some rust.
This is only the passenger side, I hope the drivers side isn't as bad but obviously I'll have to rip that out too to check if that area is also... wet.

This is where the water seems to be getting in, judging by this soaking wet foam:

And these water droplets:

I am devastated. What I thought was gonna be an easy and not very expensive fun project slowly turns into a nightmare. I can't even imagine how much getting this fixed will cost. I'm having a mechanic check it out tomorrow, we'll see what he says. Let's hope it's some good news.

For now I have popped a can of beer open and I'm calming down, 6 hours ripping out a car outside on 3,5 hours of sleep isn't treating me very well.
Let's pray for good news!

[Mk3alan]

Looks like it's coming through the bulkhead? It would be worth removing the plastic scuttle panel to investigate underneath.

Alan

[vectra1903]

So the issue is of course low quality work after some accident, the passenger side drain from the scuttle panel is rusted and messed up, the car is going to the repairman on monday, he's also gonna take a proper look at my idle rpm issue once and for all. I'll also have him check my alternator and all of the connections, including the ground wires and everything. I'll also probably get a new battery, I was convinced I have a high quality unit but it turned out to be an Exide made "Voltmaster" and I absolutely hate Exide batteries. My current unit is a UK type 012T, 460CCA 55Ah, I'll probably get a type 075. And a higher quality unit. Not from Exide.

[vectra1903]

To take up some time while I'm sick, I'll make an update on this wonderful vehicle of mine.

The big hole is fixed and no waterfall is forming in the car anymore. I even took it for a car wash yesterday, how brave of me. The window was not fully closed so a water stream started making it's way into my car, but thankfully my passenger stopped this small disaster.

I also got reproduction GT labels made so the car is now properly branded.

I got a lead on a full set of GT seats - front and rear, so that's most likely going to come in this weekend.

I decided that my Sony stereo kinda ruined the retro look of the car so I returned to the SC303 but with a twist!
It's AUX + bluetooth modded now with a small chinese bluetooth adapter.
I tapped into the tape head audio leads and with a little voltage divider + high pass filter it sounds great, better than a transmitter or adapter cassette. The power is taken from the motor so instead of whirring and making noise it's just sitting doing nothing.
So I have a AUX and 12V lead from the radio. I also mounted a microphone for phone calls in a blanking plate near the light switch.
Everything is done with quick connectors routed into the glovebox, so if the bluetooth module ever breaks I can just unplug it and replace it.
It wasn't so perfect though as I managed to short the voltage feed to ground and burned a weird voltage regulator in the radio which is unavailable everywhere so the only option was to buy a parts unit of the same radio. Also, the bluetooth module makes a lot of noise when it's sharing ground with the radio so I had to order and solder in a isolating DC-DC converter.
Now the radio sounds great and is very simple to use. Slot in an empty tape to activate the module and play music, awesome.

I also went to a battery shop and the man there went out to my car with a meter and, after complementing the car, he told me
"You may need a new battery but first fix your alternator!"
So that's another "to-do" job.

Oh how full of surprises this car is. But it always starts and goes, empasizing on the "goes" part. People are shocked that this little old 115hp 8 valver is so quick. My tires aren't the best so it slides a lot but when the road is dry it can outrun many cars. Of course it's not a racecar so I don't thrash it, especially because I don't have any income so fuel is like gold to me.

[ilovedmymantas]

Nice update, you've been busy

An 075 Yuasa silver battery outlived the warranty on my aircon cdx so that's one worth looking at.

Some advice about the tyres.

Don't buy budget.
- do some research and spend as much as you can on them. They're the only things keeping you on the road

[dycie]

They love to keep us on our toes don’t they, fix one problem and 6 more surface haha

[vectra1903]

So another quick update.

The car is alright, no big issues yet.

The voltage regulator in the alternator is now replaced so it is charging properly again. The speedo cable also went out so that was replaced too.
Too bad that after assembling the dash I was greeted by some burnt out bulbs! Argh.

Nothing can ever be easy with this machine.
It also hasn't been the most economical car during this winter season, hopefully it does better in the summer.

[vectra1903]

Inspection passed,
engine filled with new oil,
new rotor arm and distributor cap fitted

and...

needless to say, the car is driving as good as it always does. No big issues yet.
Even though my ignition system is basically brand new except for the coil I still have a very unstable idle. The rpm's are at an acceptable level but they flutter a lot.
What will fix this problem I do not know. I do want to fix it but I can't for the life of me figure out what to check next.

Also the anti roll bar rubber bushings are worn out as hell, unfortunately they are unavailable everywhere (37 pending orders at my local dealer, no deliveries since last year) so I will probably have to cut something out from polyurethane, oh lord.

Well, no more moaning, no one ever said this would be easy and problem free.

[vectra1903]

Jackpot!
A dealer 60km from me had 3 in stock so I took the trip and bought all of them. Apparently production of these has stopped and will never start again so... I'll keep one as a template if I ever need to make more.

Also, my sunroof is now fixed! I whacked it in the front whilst turning the crank and it opened. I remodeled the square cutouts with a hammer and now it's almost perfect. It does bind up a bit when opening but a sharp tug of the crank unbinds everything. Much better than it not working at all.

[Robsey]

Woohoo - two fixes...

Where the bushes attach to the rear anti-roll bar -
This often rusts a lot and can crumble.
You may need to clean up the ends of the bar, and weld on some more metal to give a tighter fit in the bushes.

----------------------------------
Looking at your idling problem.

There are a lot of things that can cause problems -

First test is to unplug the idle control valve - this should cause the engine to idle a bit quicker.
It will also put your engine light on.

If it makes no difference to the idle revs then that could be your problem. (It is also the most expensive part to replace).
The car will stall as soon as you plug it back in.
But it will start again on the key

I replaced the Inlet manifold gasket and throttle body gasket.
Give all your breather pipes a good clean inside.

And I changed my octane coding plug.
I originally had a black one.



The yellow plug on the C20NE raises the idle speed by approx 100 rpm.



All the 8 valve engines run a little fluttery but that is part of their character.

[Skara]

There is a person on german ebay who makes small rubber parts from polyurethane for older opel/vauxhall cars such as those rubbers you were searching. I ordered a pair from him they are well made and seem more durable than rubber and not really expensive.

https://www.ebay.de/itm/373045081164?ha ... Swqv9V6tdx