Jammy Dodger, thanks for the info. I'm guessing you're talking about the head gasket that's gone , sounds similar to mine. The overheating happens mainly on the motorway but will happen around town with the fan cutting in far too often even on really cold days. I've also just heard of a mod ( which I've just fitted ) to stop the idle valve oiling up . It's not a recognised Vauhall mod for the Cavi but is for early Vectras with Ecotech engines. It fits on the engine breather pipe and is supposed to work - only time will tell! The reason it's not really for the Cavi is because it interferes with another pipe, but only just and with a bit of fiddling it can be fitted safely. Along with this I've put a new idle valve on and it's running a lot better, but not perfect - will have to explore other avenues. On a brighter note, it's now done 82,000 miles and in the last 2 MOTs I've only had to buy one bulb! It starts every day and is fast and comfortable.
hate these, had one once for 2 months got rid, unreliable, kept missing and loud. the seats were uncomfortable ater about an hour and this was in a highly specced ones, went back to the blue oval. 2.0 Sierra 150,000 miles never missed a beat - why did i sell it
hey, stu, i also have a m reg cavalier 2.0 ecotec! i agree, they are annoying! and that friggin sensor! still its a v fast car and with some good pads on it stops better than any other car i have driven! my ecotec has done about 89,000 miles and is in 4 repair! the overheating problems you have had sound similar to mine, the gasket has a small hole in it, it lets a small amount of water into one cylinder causing it to run crappy at idle, also it lets water into the oil, turning it into coffee! i have put many "magic potions" into the beast to seal up the gasket hole, it works for about 3 months at a time then goes again.... now my car has been overheating anytime i run it unless i keep it above 3500rpm then the water starts flowing and the temp shoots down. the "potions" have blocked something somewhere causing the water not to flow. does yours overheat just on the motorway? overall i love the car, its a bitch but i love it!
Bought an M reg 2Ltr 16V Echotec Cavalier with 55000 miles a couple of years ago and it's been the most annoying car I've ever owned. It's had 2 cam sensors, 2 crank sensors,2 idle valves, and it STILL DOEN'T RUN RIGHT !!! Every couple of times it's started the engine management light comes on so it's up with the bonnet,wiggle the cam sensor and re-start . It runs very irratically on low revs which makes it almost impossible to drive in traffic keeping to a set speed , I find myself coasting out of gear most of the time ! Then there's the engine temperature problem , all of a sudden this summer (after being fine the year before) the motorway running temperature started going though the roof,surely it should be able to run a motorway speeds without the fan having to cut in ? Even after a new thermostat it's no better. Finally I find the Vauxhall dealers the most unhelpful people and dread any time I need to go to them. If anyone knows any answers to these problems please post them here before I lose the rest of my hair ! cheers.
IVE HAD MY G-REG 2.0i CD AUTO FOR COMING UP 4 YEARS. HAVE DONE 75OOO MILES TAKING THE MILEAGE UP TO OVER 155000. ITS NEVER BROKEN DOWN AND LOOKS AND DRIVES LIKE A 70000 MILER. ITS GOT FVSH AS ITS CHEAP TO GET SERVICED. THERE IS SOME MINOR RUST, BACK ARCHES, FRONT OF ROOF, USUAL STUFF BUT IM GETTING IT SORTED THIS MONTH. ITS QUICK, ECONOMICAL AND COMFORTABLE. I WAS SERIOUSLY THINKING OF CHANGING IT SOON BUT HAVE DECIDED TO KEEP IT FOR THE TIME BEING AS I LIKE IT TOO MUCH! NB. IF YOUR CAV INJECTION CUTS OUT AT LOW REVS OR REVS UNEVEN THEN THE IDLE CONTROL VALVE MAY BE AT FAULT. MINE WAS, SO I REMOVED IT AND USED CARB CLEANER TO CLEAN IT OUT. AFTER 3 WEEKS OF WORSENING UNEVENESS ITS NOW SORTED BY ITSELF! BETTER THAN SPENDING BIG BUCKS ON A NEW ONE.
Well, just bought a '94 1.8LS L plate, fab car, great engine, looks nice too, how much? just £500...and it has 4 months tax,full MOT and around £150 worth of i.c.e.....not bad eh, who said good cars cant come cheap???
Bought my current Cav 1.8L for £250 notes back in april 02. Since then i've put 32 thousand miles on the clock and only ever had it off the road for 2 days to replace the clutch which was so easy i did it myself with very little mechanical knowledge. Bearing in mind i changed the clutch at 142000 miles and this is the first replacement the car has had, thats bloody good going. for an 8 valve it stil keeps up with a lot of the modern expensive shit on the roads today and ive had it up to 128 before i got scared and backed off, and it was still pulling. in fact the only complaint i have is the rust on the rear arches and the fact that the handbrake is as useful as sun cream in the arctic. currently looking to buy a gsi2000 4x4 or cav turbo
I purchassed the top of the range cdxi and have regretted it ever since d ue to its total unreliability which dealers are unable to sort out. The problem - Engine cuts out at low speed- being an automatic this is a real problem at corners and roundabouts when the steering becomes very heavy and the brakes have no servo assistance. The car is going to a private garage for onother attempt to sort out the problem. Also the AirCon only works on cold days. Apart from these problems the car is fast comefortable and a pleasure to drive - until I have to slow down.
Got rid of brand new MGZR and bought 1995 (M) 2.0GLS with the ECOTEC unit. Had cavaliers all my days and never a problem. MGZR owned from new, in 23K had 2 new wheel bearings, 1 driveshaft gaiter, replacement headlight, water pump and only ever returned 35mpg on a run. Back to old faithful for me!!
have owned my 92 i.6 gl cav for3 yrs now,and am happy with it 130,000 on clock.no major problems except get passed by milk floats upto 50 mph,although on motorway my grandad had to remind me to slow down at 110 mph,it is that quiet.only niggling thing for me is the cooling fan,is it normal for it to pull in just b4 red on temp gauge ?,someone told me this is not unusual on cavs.Wish i'd known that earlier as i had the thermostat taken out,but am planning to have one refitted as its doin nothing for mpg!.Usual probs with r/arches but nothing serious,just noticed rot in sill on drivers side,although n/s seems fine!.In the 3 yrs ive had it, only failed test on misaligned headlamp and corroded brake pipe in eng bay.Replacing all pipes this yr and just hoping the sill wont be too expensive.I would deffo buy another cav .
I have a 1996 V6 GLS with all the bits. In terms of performance and cruising I cannot fault it. A real Wolf in Sheep's clothing and much underated.
Handling is fine as long as you keep the tyre pressure right and balance the car on the throttle through bends. Do'nt be afraid or you will get caught in no mans land.
Well me mates got one and hes over the moon with it he says it can take anything on! it a 1.8i thats right it an injection leave you for dust. you lot in your jap super cars are nothing to me!
My 1989 G reg 2000 Gsi hatch has never let me down at all. I renew the cam belt every 30,000 miles and thats basically it. I got the car with 60k on it and it now has 150k on the clock and runs like a dream doing 82 MPH @ 3000 rpm. Really quiet, comfortable and unbelieveably econimical for a 2ltr engine, nearly 250 miles on £20 of petrol (2003 prices, .73p/ltr) Paintwork is spotless apart from slight rust around N/S rear arch, which seems common on this model. Overall a great car. 1989 models must have been a good vintage?
Bought a 2Li gls vauxhall cavalier low mileage 37k on a m plate two years ago for 2 grand, it broke down on the way home and got steadily worse ever since. Spent over asking price on the engine (ecotech) alone, idlevalve 3 times camsensors lost count, thermostat twice etc etc etc... had enough now, its gonna go missing! Mr Angry
Cavalier/95/1800...what a lemon. Where do I start. Problems with immobiliser 50% of time, car has to be opened from boot due to difficulties with front barrels, driver's seat operation not fully secure, driver's window very stiff at top end, dicky radiator fan, dodgy stat and the latest in this hate/hate affair, an engine that will not rev above 3k (or 60mph max). Maybe I need a Toyota.
My only Complaint about the car is security, I've had 3 break-ins while it's parked outside my house in the past 2 months, (under a security light and CCTV...) apparently dead locks are good on the late model (which i have!) but the boot can be opened in less than 10 seconds ;( it's now been de-locked (remote boot release installed...) and has a clifford alarm...
Also fault's with it since i have had it for a year: - new alternator - new cambelt and water pump - new rear shocks twice.. - new front springs & hand brake needed adjusting every 6,000 miles or so ;(
it drives very well and fast since i put a k&n + new exhaust on it.. a bit slow as standard though (1995 GLS 2.0i model :)
1991 Cav SRI. Almost trouble free motoring for the last 3 years. Had a bit of trouble when the horn started blowing fuses and the usual window problems but thats about all. It gets a bit warm when plodding around the town and the gear shift gets a little sticky. Its not got massive acceleration, so competing with the 'baseball caps' away from the lights is not an option; but the motorway is a different world altogether...blurred. My regular trips from Notts to Cornwall are a delight in this car. I paid top book price for it from a dealer in 1999 with 58k on the clock. It was in excellent condition and well looked after.
The Cavalier is a quiet,reliable workhorse. (I'd be embarrassed to describe some of the loads I've forced it to carry). Now it's got this problem - the electric windows. The driver's side is jerky. The passenger's will somedays work, somedays it's dead. The garage says it's a computer problem, and it will cost more for a mechanic to search the computer manual than the car is worth. Has anyone else had this happen?
The cavalier is definately the best model of car that I have ever owned. I bought myself a vectra SRi, what a let down, the amount of problems that I had with that car was unbelievable. Sticking idling valve had to be changed 3 times and garage still couldn't get to the root of the problem, the car engine was stripped to the bone and was in the garage for over a week, lucky it was still covered by the warranty. So I've went back to the trusty cavalier (4x4 gsi) 1992 model an older car fair enough but a better car. If I do get any faults they are much easier to work on and spare parts are much cheaper and perfomance wise it beats the vectra.
Bought a rare low mileage 2.5 V6 cavalier 3 years ago. 60,000 miles later, performance is still stunning (sub 8 seconds to 60) and high speed cruising is a pleasure. OK it falls down on the street cred factor but as a super-quick Q car at a bargain price, it has virtually no rivals. In the three years I have had it, the only repairs it has needed are a new water pump and a new mid-box for the exhaust. Thus highly reliable and a solid car that can outperform most hot hatches.
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