Randal Tarn

Thanks for the feedback so far. Perhaps I should look where I am going and not at the Guage. I do not have an Oil cooler, but the connection to the pressure sender is down in the area, above and behind, the Oil Filter. The engine is a pre 1993 unit, I believe originally used on the Astra GSI (8V). I am pleased to hear that low idle pressure was a characteristic of older VX 1.8 SOHC engines, and I assume as described above mine is one of those. Randal.

As usual when I seviced my car over the Christmas break, I replaced the old Mobil 1 0-40W with the same. My car is a Vauxhall 1.8 SOHC powered Classic which had done 4,000 miles. However, some 500 miles further on I see a noticable drop in Hot Oil Pressure, from 4 Bar to 3 Bar at 3,000 + RPM and from 2 Bar to 1.5 Bar (just touching the red) at idle. Blipping the throttle gives a quick response form the guage, so I am presuming that neither the pump, nor the guage are completely knackered. Cold oil pressure is a steady 4 Bar for about 10 minutes, so I also presume the pressure relief valve is not completely shot. (This may not be logical but it suits my non mechanical brain to think this way.) The temperature guage shows as it always has, ie the water temperature is not rising any more quickly than previously. No sign of oil on the outside of the head, block, sump, or garage floor. No sign of oil and water mixing to be seen on the dipstick, the oil filler cap or the water expansion tank. The car is running as well as it ever has. I have a number of questions therefore: 1. Should I be panicing??? 2. Arnie Webb stated recently that he felt there was a issue with Mobil 1 0-40W Hot Oil Pressure on all Vauxhall Engines. Mine is not a twin cam, so may not have been included in his thoughts. But do the experts out there believe that 15-50 would be a better oil to use, given that half my sevening mileage is on the 12 mile trip to work, ie car not fully warmed up until the end of the journey? 3. Is it possible that the composition / spec of Mobil 1 0 - 40W has changed between Christmas 2000 and Christmas 2001 giving the drop in pressure 4. Caterham Guages are legendary for their approximation of the true situation, is a gradual decline in pressure reading consistent with this syndrome? 5. Finally, if all above points to a problem....where do I look to find the cause and hopefully the solution. Many thanks for any assistance Randal V92 FPF

The forward one of these two bolts sheered on my 1999 VX 1800. As you say there was very little engine movement, just enough for me to wonder why the air filter / bonnet hole clearence was a little reduced. It took me a couple of weeks and a hundred miles or so to discover the problem, during which time the remaining bolt held fast. I assumed that as mine was a self build I had used the wrong strength bolt from the bag of bits in the kit....but perhaps not. Forunately, the sheer in the bold was in the mounting bracket, rather than the block so I could remove the remnants by supporting the engine from underneath and taking the whole bracket off. Perhaps there were some substandard bolts in the 1999 production. Good luck with getting your problem solved. Randal V92 FPF

I am not sure where we are here with the original question on the "clonking". But if replacing bushed has not cured the problem....... Exactly the same happend to my classic after around 150 - 200 miles. The reason on mine was the flange bolts joining the prop-shaft to the diff had slackened slightly. A quick re-tighten and the clonk was gone, and has not reappeared after 2,500 miles. (Unfortunately you don't find out the cure is that easy until you have tried everything else. Hope this helps. Randal.

Thanks for all the input. I tried all the options, but to no avail. I ultimatedly resorted to the destructive "dustcap de-installation" procedure (Hacksaw/molegrips/ brute force and considerable ignorance), and solved my bearing problem. The new dust cap should arrive in the post any time now. Im not sure why my caps were so tight, still...sorted now. Thanks again. Randal V92 FPF

Stewart, No need to feel sorry about it. If it gets the dust cover off, as I'm sure it will, I'm delighted. Simple folk are easily pleased - Aren't they? Randal V92 FPF

I have an 8-month-old, self built, VX Classic (1.8), that has now done 2,000 miles. The front offside wheel has developed about 1 – 2 mm of lateral play in its bearing, which I presume can not be good. Although this element of the kit came pre-assembled, the build manual gives details of how to put the trunion / stubaxle / disc and calliper assembly together should the need arise. Having read through this section of the guide again, I reckon tightening the castled nut a little should be enough to either solve the problem, or to show that the wheel bearing itself is on its way to a premature demise. Problem! : Does any one out there know how to remove the dust cover from the centre of the wheel hub? The build manual (issued April 1999 – therefore the 1995 edition) talks about clipping the dust cover into place during assembly, however the cover itself is entirely featureless apart from a 3mm hole at its apex. My hope was to remove the cover, un-pin the nut, tighten, re-pin and recover. Oh that these things were so simple! Many thanks to any help any one can offer. Randal V92 FPF