Need advice for my 85' nova two door saloon..

[Chucky]

Hi guys i'm new to png and new to nova's.. I've always loved old vauxhalls, so when i found this i had to get it. Was a bargain and i think she looks pretty nice for 27 years old. I'm chuffed with it and it turns heads because i guess you don't see many at all on the road anymore, but there's one issue.. at the moment its got the standard 1.0 engine which is ok because i'm planning to drop the x16xe in it some point next year, but after i bought the car a few days ago i put £20 worth of BP regular unleaded in it and now in every gear over around 1500rpm the whole car kind of jerks back and forth.. I have to put barely any pressure on the pedal to ensure a smooth ride, i've been told this problem could be called "pinking" or something like that. I'm not particularly mechanically minded so i can't be sure whats going on or how to fix it, i know all the parts of an engine and roughly where they go and what they do but couldn't fix it myself haha. Please help! Is it an easy fix or am i royally screwed?

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/1121/dsc01567r.jpg
http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/1382/dsc01561s.jpg
http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/6007/dsc01570e.jpg

[conza123]

Nice car and welcome to png

[Chucky]

thank you mate

[Nova-nation]

Nice loon, let me know if you want to sell the front grill!

[marc69]

probbly carb, there is adjusting screws on it, buy a haynes manual or get someone who knows about old carbs to look at it for you. Could also be a bad gasket on the intake manifold/carb.

[Chucky]

cheers mate, haha will do but i rather like it! what type of grill is it? i was told its quite rare..


and thanks marc, I thought it would either be carb or a really bad batch of petrol.. I did a bit of carb tuning on my old corsa b so hopefully i can find the screws and have a go myself.

[novadave24]

hello welcome to png madhouse nice loon :)

[blue_peg_16v]

Nice loon just needs a Gsi kit and speedlines lol

And get the 1.0 thrown away asap

[novadave24]

gsi kit but deepdish wheels and slammed to the foor :)

[Chucky]

cheers guys =) yeah i would like to drop a x16xe in asap but i'm abit strapped for cash at the mo. And how much could i pick up a gsi kit for?

It's actually dropped 50mm on JOM adjustable coilies, it was dropped 100mm but i had to ask the guy to raise it as my insurance company wouldn't insure me if it was lower than 5cm! But i've got the c spanner so i will definately go lower.

[MK999]

Get on to Sky insurance and see what they can do :) Much more realistic/understanding of modified cars.

[Chucky]

thanks mate i'll check them out, admiral haven't been great to be honest.

BUT I NOW NEED URGENT ADVICE!!! PLEASE HELP!! i just tried driving her up the road and three warning lights came on ( oil, battery, handbrake ) then the engine died so i pulled over, wouldn't start for a few minutes.. then it started so i turned around and headed home but it died again with same warning lights on, turned on again, died again.. What is going on!?!? This is my daily so i am really screwed =(

[MK999]

Sounds more like the engine died, and turned all the warning lights on, then you realised it had died?

It's something that's really difficult to diagnose over the net, especially since it's intermittent and based at certain revs. I would start by seeing what the spark is like, check the colour of the plugs after it's died and go from there.

[Chucky]

Yeah you're probably right, i think i realised it died once i saw the warning lights. And yeah true it could be anything i guess, but i'll go check the plugs. They're supposed to be new.. luckily my mechanic said he might be able to have a look tomoro, i just thought if i could sort it myself then i could save some pennies.

Is it worth playin with the adjustment screws on the carb? if so do they need to be tightened or loosened?

[MK999]

Don't touch what you don't understand would be my advice :p If your carb needs looking at you're best off on a rolling road that knows what a carb looks like (and doesn't try you for witchcraft for using one). If there's an underlying issue like blocked jet etc they will recognise it, rather than adjust for it.

[Chucky]

ok mate i will take that advice, i don't wana do more harm than good. I'm just not looking forward to the bill =(

[MK999]

If it's coming out anyway I'd keep it running well enough to do and just sling it ASAP. Or take carb tuning as a learning exercise safe in the knowledge that if it turns into a fancy doorstop it was going that way anyway.

[karisma]

Fancy selling that rear bench then I will buy it off you guaranteed!

[Steve]

I had the exact same problem with my 1.0, you could barely come on the throttle, turned out the carb was blocked as I stupidly didnt bother fitting a fuel filter, its well worth taking the carb off and cleaning it out thoroughly.

Nice saloon though :)

[Chucky]

Yeah i've spent my whole day learning the car and having a play with the carb, made it worse once, then made it considerably better.. not perfect but driveable =) Hopefully owning this car will help me get to grips with some basic mechanics.

haha sorry mate i'm happy the way it is, but i'll letcha know if i'm selling.

Ahh, apparently its had a new fuel filter, looking at it i would say it is but i'm not an expert so i'll check it out. Hopefully my mechanic can sort her out properly tomoro. and thanks mate!

[Trivs_Tom]

Sad to see my old 'loon! I'm glad to hear you got it working though mate! Glad youre not selling the rear bench and Hella grill haha, just wind the coilies back down and it'll be fine :P
Forgot to mention, when its fully lowered on the front, hydraulic assisted jacks dont fit under the sill ;)

[Rydoc]

Sweat soon everyloon will be a png