Turbo & 4x4 Buying Guide - by Andy K & Richie

[Richie]

If you dont know the history of it the best thing to do to test the T/X box is this.

• Turn on the ignotion and start the car. Ensure that the 4x4 light DOES come on when you first turn the ignition on but turns OFF after a few seconds of the engine running. If it doesnt come on at all when you first turn the ignition then there is something faulty with the system or the owner may be attempting to cover a fault.
• Drive the car (making sure the 4x4 light does NOT light while driving)to where there is a high grass banking or, even better a wall, that runs alongside the road.
• Put the window down that is at the wall/banking and drive along
• Get up to speed (say 30MPH) and listen for any grinding or rattling from the car (dont confuse with exhaust rattling etc)
• Press the brakes above 30MPH. It dont need to be hard as you only need to get the brake switch at the pedal to activate and turn the 4WD off
• Listen for any clunking when you press the pedal
• Listen for any other noises while driving along that may be coming from the transfer box (rattling/grinding/whining)
• If no noise, then great. The T/X box should be fine
• If clunking is heard during braking or rattling/grinding during normal driving then back off and walk away

The reason for the wall ?? Well its a whole lot easier to hear the noises from the echoes bouncing off the wall and back into the cabin. Jus make sure you lower the window at the wall side and keep the opposite one raised as it makes it easier again

As for those guides ??

AndyK's Guide to Buying a Cav/Calibra Turbo (Word Format) EASIER TO READ

AndyK's Guide to Buying a Cav/Calibra Turbo (WordPad Format) IF YOU DONT HAVE WORD

Vauxhall Cavalier/Calibra Turbo Owners Guide by Richie (Word Format)

If they take a while to open then be patient as they have a lot of info on some of them

Cheers

[MarkP]

Hi, im new to the forum and wondered could any of you guys fix the links in this thread because they wont load for me?
Basically i am looking for a buyers guide to a cav Turbo.

[Andy K]

Something to be getting on with.

http://www.cavalierturbo.com/buying.htm

Andy K Buying Guide specific to GSi 4x4 and turbo 4x4 models


If you do nothing else you must check :

 The coolant fluid bottle - Check water is normal, not mayonnaise thick sludge. Anything slightly floating on the surface, walk away. He may be trying to hide it. This will be a porous head and will cost a around of £300 + labour

 Check the 4x4 works by flooring it on gravel, grass or wet road.
 Check the 4x4 and ABS lights come on when you turn the ignition on and go out and stay out when driving.

 Check whether they know about, having to keep all 4 tyres with equal tread.
 Usual VIN numbers check
 HPI check
 Check for rusty rear wheel arches.
 Note how far the gear stick moves when you floor it, it shows how badly its been ramped.
 They are a really hard car to tell if they have been clocked. Condition of gearstick leather gaiter is the only thing that can give a clue but even low mileage ones can go.


When you buy one :-

 Change the cam belt and top plastic pulleys regardless of mileage (even if 40K) or if its had a new belt.
 Change 4x4 transfer box fluid approx 6 litres
 Change PAS fluid if black/grey not red
 Change the engine oil regularly as its a turbo
 Front bottom arms are a problem but you can't do much about them.
 Ones with no e/w or sunroofs are police ones. Worth about half as much.

[Andy K]

Richies Owners Guide

Vauxhall Cavalier/Calibra Turbo Owners Guide:


The Vauxhall Cavalier/Calibra Turbo cars are basically the same as any other Cavalier and Calibra and so normal care and maintenance are exactly the same. There are however a few main differences that need extra attention to prevent any problems and they relate mainly to the drive train of the car. Get these right and it will run forever (providing you do the normal maintenance as well).

So here are some pointers, basically about owning a Cav/Calibra Turbo:

The 2 main "weaknesses" of the Cav Turbo (and Calibra) are:


A:The Turbo –

i - As long as you treat it the correct way then there will be no problems. Use Vauxhall
semi-synthetic oil and change it every 3000 miles or so (not the 9000 that GM recommend).

ii - Warm the engine up properly before driving hard. This means driving for about 20 mins normally to warm the oil etc NOT jus 5 mins till the water temp rises.

iii - Cool the turbo down properly as well before you park up. By this, I mean drive the last 3-4 miles of your journey "off-boost" or nice and gently so the turbo aint working hard. Once at your stop, idle the engine for about 30-45 secs MAX before turning off. This is very important if you have been driving hard.

Fit a boost gauge to the car to let you know when it’s on boost or not. Takes 1-2 hours tops

The reason for this is, when you turn the engine off, the supply of oil to the charger is stopped as the oil pump stops. If the turbo is hot (these things can glow white hot when driven hard for miles and miles) then the oil cooks on the turbo. If this is done again and again then, over time, this will result in the oilways becoming clogged in baked oil. The oil can then not flow correctly and so lubricate effectively which will reduce engine and turbo life dramatically.... much the same way fat clogs your arteries after a while..... the car has a heart attack (to put it simply).

The 30-45 sec MAX rule is due to the fact that when the engine is idling, the demand for oil by the engine is very low and so the turbine seals become swamped with oil. Some of this oil can blow past the seals and burn off on the turbines (blue smoke from exhaust). This is fine as even new turbos do this. HOWEVER.... if this is serious or constant then the large volumes of oil that hits the turbine carbonises instantly due to the extreme heat. Carbon is VERY good at cutting through metal, especially turbine blades that spin at 100,000RPM+.... boom goes your turbo.

Also, the life of the KKK16 turbo as used on these cars is only about 80,000 anyways (manufacturers figures). We all know it can go on longer, but it’s a point to bear in mind...



B: Transfer Box –

The transfer box isn’t that weak really, PROVIDING you stick to some important rules, I mean Russ has had one at 122,000 miles and Dunk (Club Calibra) has his at 196,000 at the moment. They achieved this by following these simple rules

i - Keep the tread depth of the 4 tyres within 2mm of each other. Achieve this by rotating the tyres front to back every 1500 miles or so. This also gives you the chance to check arches, clean alloys properly etc etc so its not a bad deal really.

ii - Use the same make of tyres on ALL wheels.

iii - Change the 4x4 accumulator every 52,000 miles at around £160 fitted at Vauxhall or use AndyK’s Guide to Changing the Accumulator.

iv - Change the transfer box oil every year using AndyK's Guide and Mobilube1 SHC 75W/90 gear oil.


C: Gearbox/Rear Diff –

i - The gearbox used in the C20LET engine is a genuine GETRAG 6 speed item. This box can happily run at up to around 325BHP so its pretty durable and only needs slight attention in the form of changing the gearbox oil once a year.

Again, you can get the info from the same place you got the Transfer Box oil change info
from – AndyK’s Guide

ii - The rear diff on the turbo cars is also pretty solid and comes direct from the GM 4.0 V8 Commodore so, like the gearbox, will run happily and only requires the oil changing once a year with the Transfer Box and Gearbox, again using AndyK’s Guide.




In short, the turbo car will keep you busier, but the experience is amazing when you jus tap the throttle and 204BHP is put out without even a squeal from the tyres, and you jus drive.








Acknowledgements – I would like to thank Russ, AndyK and Dunk for their help. Although they didn’t know it, 90% of the info in here has come from them in one way or another, I jus put it together to make it easier and more accessible to everyone….. Cheers guys, hopefully you will save others the grief you saved me

Rich

[scampi]

i have just purchased a calibra turbo for £200 .it had a head gasket 2000 miles ago and the head was tested at pentagon vauxhall. the car was cheap because the head gasket is gone. but looking back into the history file i got with the car .1 month after the head was done the previos owner had trouble with the cooling fan .as i donot know when the gasket blew ,what are the odds on overheating causlng the blow rather than the head beeing porous, the car has had a new transfer box with receipt to prove also having bills for over £3000 in the last 2 years so its to good to break.i just do not want to shell out for a head if it dont need one.

[CDX J,R]

i have just purchased a calibra turbo for £200 .it had a head gasket 2000 miles ago and the head was tested at pentagon vauxhall. the car was cheap because the head gasket is gone. but looking back into the history file i got with the car .1 month after the head was done the previos owner had trouble with the cooling fan .as i donot know when the gasket blew ,what are the odds on overheating causlng the blow rather than the head beeing porous, the car has had a new transfer box with receipt to prove also having bills for over £3000 in the last 2 years so its to good to break.i just do not want to shell out for a head if it dont need one.

your too old scrap it and GIVE ME the turbo. please!!!!!!!!!!

[Andy K]

sounds like a porous head if the gaskets been replaced.

Try taking it to V tuning. They fix a porus head for a very good price. (under £200 IIRC).

P.S This forum is not for asking questions in.

[Prey]

www.cav16.co.uk

a damn good site with a buyers guide/load of txb workshop style guides and plenty of general 4x4 info.