I remember when i was looking for my first car, my parents said "you don't want a cavalier, it's too big, it will use too much petrol", but when i eventually owned one (my forth car) a 1.3L it was the most economical car i think i have owned, it had instant power at the pedal too! It always started first time, if only i knew that my others cars from then on were nothing like as good as this one, i would of kept it.
I used to have a 1982 Y reg China Blue Cavalier L like this one, and the previous owner had put the same plastic trims ('84 B reg onwards) on it, so it looked just like yours but without the total width reflectors at the back and with the smaller Vauxhall badge at the front. Happy days ! Scrapped in '93 :-(
Hello thanks for commenting, my dad had a China blue early spec (similar to yours) but a saloon model, I loved that car hence why I have this one, this really has got me into the hobby as I do also own a gold GL early spec, I really should do a video on that before I really get into restoring it so at least it’s documented. I hope that this has bought you back some fond memories. I’m assuming that your car was scraped due to rust like many of these cars sadly. Cheers all the best. Steve.
Sorry I missed your comment, it was waiting in a list to be approved. Yes they still are great practical cars that are so easy to work on. Thanks and all the best.
They are getting rare now which also means expensive so get them while you can, they are great cars. I keep looking at Vectra B’s SRI but my MK3 has no rust on it so it will be a shame to sell it really buy them while you can mate.
steve legends Thanks Steve this car does get lots of attention from people when you’re driving it around as they they were everywhere back in the 80s and early 90s. This wasn’t your actual car was it?🤣
a blast from the past we had a silver green mk2 cavalier 1.6 L from new in 1984 till 1992. it never broke down at all always started from cold and was very economical. we only had to get rid of it due to a new company car. I bloody loved that car as a kid. id do anything to have one of these but they are so rare now
+michael jagger Firstly sorry for not getting back to you sooner I see your comment come through but then it went away I presumed that you had deleted it. Fast forward today and I found your comment in the Likely span folder :( Now back to the Cavalier I also love this car I am missing driving it while its hibernating for the winter. I cant stop tinkering with it though mechanically, checking breaks etc. My advise to you is have one as a weekend car and look on eBay there are still some really good examples out there for not that much money. Literally this is what I have done although I spent £1600 you can get cheaper ones that are still tidy. With the cars being rare now this should mean that the prices will come up because they are very old they are easy to work / learn on with just a Haynes manual. Thank you for watching and commenting and once again I am sorry for the delayed reply. Kind Regards Steve
Steven Watson they all say that lol. my grandma also had a cavalier mk2 in silver green. A565PUM. she didnt drive it much due to her health so me and my dad took it out for her. it was silver green with a green interior and no rear seatbelts wasnt a legal requirement till 1987. my goal in life is to own one of these because its a great car and in loving memory of my grandma. ive got 5 1/43 scale cavaliers.
+michael jagger Looks like your silver grandmas green Cavalier was last on the road in June 1994 I bet it was in really good condition when she had it. My Dads was A982PBM the seatbelts was retro fitted in that one. The colour was the same as mine (China Blue) with the silver strip down the sides mine also does not have the seat belts in the back its funny that you say that they are not a requirement as one of the MOTs the car failed it because of this but the same day the car passed again my guess is that a young or new MOT tester carried out the test and failed it on this bases. If your interested in mk2 cavaliers then go to www.mk2cav.com there is lots of helpful people there. I hope that you reach your goal and you own a Mk2 cavalier I have not looked back in owning mine. Just find yourself a good one unless your good at body work. Mechanical wise as you know they are reliable and the parts are still fairly easy to get. Like I say keep an eye out on eBay as there are some bargains on there to be had. If I had the space I would own another one :-) but unfortunately I cant get away with owning another car even if it is for doing or a bad one for parts. Good luck I hope that you get to own one for yourself you wont regret it.
it was in brilliant condition when she had it. always clean. i dont think it was garaged but it didnt hurt it. she and my grandad used it 2 or 3 times a week for trips into town shops etc thats it but after my grandad died she didnt use it much. my dad loved it because it was reliable and economical i . very advanced for its time. 5 speed and electronic ignition. i remember seeing the gm logo every where on that cav.
+michael jagger Yes I can imagine that it was in good clean condition do you know what happened to it? My dads unfortunately went rusty at the bottom of the door arches I remember the day we got rid of it I really did not want them to get rid but I understand why now though. Its interesting that your Nan and Granddads had the 5 speed gear box only being an L mine is a 1986 and has the 4 speed I wonder if this was an optional upgrade when the car was ordered. Mine is a head turner you just don't see them anymore which is a great shame really as they are to this day still a good car. Mine at the moment is not under cover I plan on building a wooden garage to replace my garden shed so that means sorting out all of my "useful" rubbish at least the Cavalier will have a dry home. :)
My dad used to have a vauxhall cavalier sri in the 1980's but almost everyday he talks about his and I really want him to experience it again because it's really sad that you don't see one on the road anymore😢😓
Ali Gaming Hi thanks for your comment 😀,where about are you in the country? Yes I only drive this one in the summer but saying that, I have just bought this weekend a 1984 Cavalier GL that has some work needing to it but it's on the road. I will have to get a video of it when the weather gets better. I do also want to do a video of driving the car but not sure how I'm going to present that I may just plonk the camera on the rear glass and allow it to record. It's always nice to hear people's experience with these cars it sounds like the Cavalier really made an impression on your dad! Especially being an SRI model do you know if it was the 1.8 or the 2 litter model? Please feel free to show him this video if he is interested and I would love to hear more about his experience. All the best Steve.
First of all I live in Bradford, which has become a bit of a bad area, second of all it was a 1.8 petrol which, when he put his foot down, left people standing and put a smile on his face but he said to me that he loved that car but he isn't able to get in a low anymore car due to his back issue. Sorry for the late reply, my phone went bonkers!
Nice genuine original car with the original wheel trims and stereo. My dad had 2 Mk2 cavaliers. An 83 A reg GLS and an 86 D reg Sri. Great memories. Rear seat belts became compulsory from 87 E reg.
Yes they are such a good looking car, very true for a car that used to be everywhere they are virtually extinct now such a shame really! Thanks for watching.
Probably was better off with the GLi less desirable to get nicked, I would love a 130 SRi but I think I have missed the boat on having one now 🙁 hope you enjoyed the video. Thanks.
Good video, nice cars these. I had a 4-door pre-facelift (Y-reg) 1.6 GL, it had extras over the L like a rev counter, additional oil pressure and ammeter gauges, different steering wheel, maybe posher seats, but was only a 4 speed! I ended up getting rid of it quite quickly and went back to another mk1 1.3 Astra like I had before the Cav, the Astras were just as quick but much better on fuel.
Thanks Stuart, I love driving mine around! I like the saloon model being a GL it would of had crome surrounds around the indoor door handels and window winder. The earley cars are much more desirable than the mid and late spec unless its a LX ;-)
Haven't listened to the commentary yet but- nice car. I am on my fifth Mk2 now, just about to mothball the 4th for parts. A couple of notes of caution- the steering rack being mounted quite high, the offside track rod comes through very close to the main power cable. There is a certain amount of vertical swing action (ooer) in the track rods when driving, and what can happen is the red (medium gauge) cable from the starter to the alternator terminal sags with age and the track rod chafes it's way through the insulation. The car catches fire as this part of the loom isn't fused! One went up in flames in Chelmsford 15 years ago from this cause. My usual fix for this is to cable tie the cable up to one of the coolant hoses that skulk underneath the inlet manifold. Job done. The other thing that happened to me the other day is a pattern part petrol pump came adrift from it's inlet pipe when i was changing the fuel hose! it was the inlet pipe rather than the outlet fortunately, but still unpleasant nonetheless!! It is a brass spout going into an alloy housing, and i really can't be bothered to take it back; i am going to loctite or araldite it in place and keep an eye on it. I will be contacting the manufacturer to have a whinge at some point. Oh one the subject of petrol, the rubber hoses (and the breather hoses on the tank) are attacked moreso with modern petrol than ever before. If you aint already, change all the rubber hoses for modern (alcohol/petrol) spec, and check the 3 breather hoses which sit in the osr wheelarch. They will almost certainly be unuseable as road salt also attacks them. Unavailable from vauxhall so the large bore one i got from a hose & hydraulic place, and the small bore ones i used PVC chainsaw petrol hose, (ID 3/16 inch, 5/16 inch OD) imported by a farm supplies place, from oregon hose if i remember rightly. If you end up with the engine cutting out from globs of water in the bottom of the fuel tank these can be effectively absorbed by adding WYNNS DRY FUEL, in a purple bottle, from all good accessory shops (and some crap ones as well.) Dave Philpott
Hi Phil thank you for you comments. Wow you're on your fifth Cavalier just out of interest are you a enthusiast? Thanks for the comments for the steering rack and the track rod I will get my wire tied up as I don't want this to happen! Especially since I just got mine MOTed just 4 advisories 3 tyers slight shallow cracks and a break calliper binding slightly this will be done before I put her back on the road for the summer. Lucky about your petrol pump good thing it did not happen when you was out somewhere. I take it yours is fuel injected? I don't know about you but I love driving mine around especially amongst more newer modern cars these Cavaliers are really capable cars! I would love to try a 1.3 as I bet these are still fairly quick to modern standards. Thank you once again for your comments and I will look forward to hearing back from you.
Thanks Barry, I love driving this around even though it's so basic but that's just half the fun! Like you say they are virtually extinct now which is a shame! Thanks for watching and commenting.
Kevin JG Thank you Kevin! You best get I. There quick the prices are going up even for an L specification. I would love to try an SRI err scratch that own an SRI 😁. All the best. Steve.
@@Cavalier_Steve You lucky guy to own one of those, i was pricing them, found one online for nearly £8000 lol, when i bought mine a longggg time ago, i paid £3000, they are a classic car for sure.
I really like these cars, in 1993 I had a Y reg 4 door 1.6 GL in red to replace a mk 1 Astra 1.3. The GL had the four small gauges between the speedo and tacho which the L model didn't. I only kept it about 6 months as I bought another mk1 Astra 1.3 which felt much quicker than the 1.6 Cavalier, but yeah great cars.
Stuart Price Hi Stuart, thanks for the comment, your right about the 6 dial clocks the interesting thing is the only the early spec GL model had the 6 dials the mid and late spec got 4 (Speed, Rev counter, fuel and temperature) I do own an early spec GL I really should do a walk round video of that one as well. I would think that the Astras was a much lighter car, I think they always have been more on the sporty side, good handling etc. It’s always nice to hear people’s experience of the cars of this era even if it was only for a short time. Thanks for the comment. Steve.
Wayne Lewis Thank you Wayne, I have lots of confidence driving my Cavalier long distance I have done a couple of 100+ miles run in it over the last couple of years. It really is a great car and I love driving it. All the best. Steve.
Thanks for the comment I always enjoy hearing people’s story’s about them good or bad, was it you that scraped the car? I take it it was because of the dreaded rot. Cheers. Steve.
Steven Watson no I changed it for a mk2 astra they weren't to rare then I had it three years with no problems I did about 40 thousand miles in those three years I had a few of them Sri glsi and that one was a caviler l model if i remmember rightly I think o got four hundred trade in I traded it in for an astra Olympic good memories .
Had one exactly the same as that C138JCP had it five years 1992 till 1997 traded it for a Peugeot 405 nice comfortable car but nowhere near as reliable as the caviler has it a year went back to Vauxhall mk 3 cav sri that was good motor to .
Had 2 MK3 Cavs back in the day both Sri saloons one on a l reg and one on m reg loved em both the m.reg one I had was immaculate inside and out with only 50k on the clock
Ohhh nice! I would love and SRI 8V version, the SFI 2.016V engines are very good though as well! Sounds like you had a really good one the M reg one. Nice!
My mum and Dad had a 1984 A reg 1.3 L hatchback in polar white.Fantastic car, lots of happy memories. I remember it did have seatbelts in the back so I'm not sure why this one doesn't.
Hello thank you for your comment, It was 1987 that seatbelt's was compulsory I wonder if your mums and dads car had it as an option when it was ordered? Everyone I hear from say that these cars was so reliable mine starts very well on cold days and you soon have to put the choke when it's started. Regards Steve.
+Steven Watson Yeah from 1st April 1987 (rear) seat belts compulsory for MOT purposes. My 1.6L had them but i think they were specially requested, along with the 5spd 'box. All the drillings, weldings and fixing points for the belts are there on the earlier cars, it's a bolt on job. The centre one is merely a lap belt, but better than nothing at all. It is highly likely they are cross compatible from other vauxhalls of the period so some should turn up somewhere if you want them
+The Philpott Sounds like you're mum and dads had a couple of extras on it I bet the 5 speed box was well worth the extra money. Yes mine does have all the bolt holes I did try and get a full set of rears but I was let down by the guy that was getting rid of them. To be honest I am in two minds as to do it or not especially wanting to keep my car completely original, but on the other hand safety absolutely comes first. The search for a full set of rear belts continues. On a lighter note won't be long before I get it taxed ready for the summer :-)
+Steven Watson If i kept a set out of my spares car you can have them. I shall have to have a look. The most they will need is any mould spots wiped off with a J cloth as the car they came from had a sunroof. 'nuff said. I will catch up with you on mk2cav when i get a moment, as you sound fairly local to suffolk/kent/essex so could maybe pick them up. (if i can find them that is..)
+The Philpott thank you very much!! That will greatly be appreciated! Unfortunately though I am in Bedfordshire but I'm happy to pay postage for them. Yeah I will catch up on Mk2Cav.com I'm on there quite a bit I go under Steven715. Cheers 🍻
Hi thanks for your comments. I really enjoy driving my Cavalier and now that I have put her to bed for the winter I am missing driving her. But I can say that these cars are a great modern day classics they have good breaks and great power. I hope my walk round has made you want one of these even more. Good luck in finding one for your self. All the best. Steve.
I had quite a few mk2 cavs, wish I had them now ! Had a 1.6SR 1.8SRI a 2.0CDI great cars, my mate had 2.0SR130 , he was like the hero ! Nice car keep looking on eBay but they are making good money Now.
rob bailey Hi Rob, some good cars you had there, I love driving mine I have another one now that is not as good condition as this one but it’s good where it counts. Like you say they really are commanding good money the cheap ones are the L models like mine or they have lots of rust on them, they do come up occasionally at a good price so just keep looking I have every intention to keep mine and keep them in good condition. Good luck with your search, if you really want one then joining a club like Cavalierandchevetteclub people sometimes come forward offering there car for sale. All the best Steve.
rob bailey Hi Rob, yes I know I had to laugh when I see it missed an MOT on year and yet the mileage only went up by about 60 miles. I would think it went to the supermarket and back every week and that was it.
Standard issue 80s non-matching keys. Most of these had replacement locks, or screwdriver holes in the door barrels back in the day. Looks like a good one though. I remember the engines being unbreakable, but rust getting to them in the end. They used to rot horribly at the tops of the rear shock turrets. I remember peeling back the side carpets in the boot on mine and being horrified.
Hi sorry I missed your comment, It was in a list to be approved (I didn’t know I had this) I’m pretty sure that your right about the keys though as the door looks like it’s been re-painted in the past. Yes the dreaded rust is the biggest killer of most 80s and 90s cars well anything earlier really. Real shame as like you say they was great car especially of there time.
Its amazing that the sills and arches are still intact. They just disintegrated. This one must have been garaged away from the elements. Its in excellent condition.
Yes the previous owner had a garage if you google the reg number there is a number of flicker photos most of them are mine but there is one that someone else submitted in about 2011. Unfortunately I don’t have a garage yet but I’m looking into options now that I have saved up enough money for one. Thanks for the kind words 😀
Thanks although I don’t think they done a Cavalier MK2 GSI they did on the MK3 Cavalier which I also own but a CDX version. I may do a walk round video of my MK3 if you’re interested? All the best. Steve.
My parents had a Vauxhall Cavalier MK2 when I was a child, it was blue and it was also an older model possible 1981, it didn't have any rear seatbelts so we had some installed but they were static. Sadly the car doesn't exist anyone. I hope there's still some around, I like these cars.
Thank you for your comment, yes the rear seatbelts was only an option on the lower end models up until 1987 when they then became compolsery on all new cars. There are still some of these cars around but watch out for rust these are the cars bigest killer sadly.
yea rust was a real problem on old vauxhalls, the metal used was of a very poor quality and would rust easily, they used better quality metal on the later model of cavalier but sadly theres not alot of them left either, great cav you have there though and a lovely shade of blue i'm jealous!
Nice My father and later on me owned a 1983 1.6GL cavalier in china blue with velour seats,electric mirrors & a oil pressure gauge as standard. Owned it from 1986 to 2000 a superb car. There were problems with the camshaft followers on early models that were to soft and had them replaced at 19,000 miles,also valve stem oil seals were a problem too. Also very important to replace the rockercover filter gauze where the OHC writing is because when that blocks up it will destroy your camshaft and its was the same with my astra mk2 1.8 sri 1990 that i once had. Used to easily fit a camshaft timing belt in minutes too just slip it over after taking the old one off and it's the same with the astra and with doing this you don't have to mess about with the waterpump. You cant do that on modern cars anymore. Look after it and it will become valuable in the future im sure.(:-)
Hi thanks for your comments, I will add the gauze to my service list do you know if these can be cleaned out at all? It will be nice too take the cam cover off just to inspect the camshaft looking in the oil filler they look good can't see any ware on them. I bet this was well serviced by the previous owner unfortunately though no service history at all but I have no doubt it was looked after. Thanks again.
Sorry for the late reply but yes the gauze can be cleaned out by soaking it in petrol for some hours rinse it in clean petrol again then let it dry out before you fit it back in. You can also buy them brand new and they don't cost much money,but these days they might be hard to find new parts for these cars now.
I blew up The toilet Thanks for the comment the MK1 in the sports hatch really looks quite sporty even by today’s standards. I love driving my MK2 around though it’s just different to everything else on the road. Cheers.
Steven Watson ......yes mirrors were heated, tilt and slide sunroof and a unique front grill which I never saw on any other CDi, also had the fog lights flush mounted into the front spoiler. He put me on the insurance when I passed my test at 18, that was some motor for an 18 year old to cruise around in with my mates.....
@@Jimbo-gi7xn Do you know what as common as it is, it’s never done it in the 5 or so years that I have had it. I know many Vauxhall’s of that era that has done that.
Hi Michael on Average I am getting 21mpg but this is including the winter occasional runs (Just ticking over) my best was 26mpg so far this is as if not better than my 2000 Honda Civic 1.4 8v automatic so can't be bad. Here is my fully account if your interested. www.fuelly.com/car/vauxhall/cavalier/1986/steven715/359484
My dad had an '84, 4 door, 1.3 in China Blue brand new, and I had an '84, 5 door, 1.6 also in China blue brand new. They're very dear to me these beauties. They were a huge leap forward style wise when they hit the scene. Still love them now! How much did you say it cost you?
It cost me £1600 these can go cheaper than that but this is in such good condition I could not resist it. If you look up the reg No. On google and click the link with flicker in the address you will see a picture of this car taken on 28th March 2011 here is the link of my photos if you're interested s1303.photobucket.com/user/Steven715/library/Cavalier For info there was a 1984 1.6 Diesel on eBay a couple of months ago this went for £550 and was in a nice gold colour. If you need any more information I will be happy to try and help. :-)
Hiya, no all of mine have been 1.6 carburettor jobs. The 1.3 engine is actually quite a sweet unit, had one in my mk1 astra, but i would (personally) steer away from a 1.3 Cav as that is a lot of car for it to pull; they are a little heavy, may be partly due to all the sound deadening used under the carpet and the thickness of the steel used in the bodyshell. (my opinion!) I guess i must be an enthusiast, got hooked mainly due to how over-engineered and solid the cars are in some respects- driveshafts balljoints and front wheel bearings seem to be made of unobtainium (my name for HARD steel) There are also little things like how easy to work on and accessible everything is; changing the clutch is done from underneath without removing either the engine OR gearbox- all front wheel drive cars should be like this! Couldn't really see, but looks like you have the 4spd gearbox. This wears better than the 5spd 'box, i much prefer the 4spd, it is less notchy in old age. Erm, what else.. oh yeah, if you take the plastic front wing liners out (secured by four plastic cloverleaf things, you have to bash the little plastic pin out of the middle to relieve the pressure on the four tangs) With the liner removed you will find a mud trap at the lower rear of the front wing, usually containing half a pint of damp soil. Scrape it out with a thin bit of wood or summat. The splines that the wiper arms sit on are tapered, and very feeble. They have been known to work loose and the wipers hit each other on their way across the screen. if you tilt the plastic spindle cover away and off, you can place a slightly oversize socket over the retaining nut and just give the arm a tap with a 1lb (500gr) hammer. Then get the correct size socket (13mm?) and nip up the nut slightly. This makes sure the splines engage properly. I recommend this as should they ever come loose the steel splines will strip out the (aluminium/zinc) alloy arm and it will never 'bite' properly again- replacement arm is then needed! I mentioned the water in petrol problem earlier since a lot of these cars get sold when the owner has had repeated engine cuts at speed, changed the plugs,coil,distributor cap, etc, when the problem was contaminated fuel all the time. As you know water doesn't mix with petrol and just crawls around the bottom of the tank waiting to be sucked up by the engine. Notwithstanding all these little bugs, once these cars are sorted they are more reliable than a 2005 Fiesta. Good luck with your car, that is the first C plate one i have seen with the indicators on the side, It became law in 1986 i think. You have to take the wing liners out to change the bulbs, so that might be a good time to do it...you might even find an led replacement somewhere for the little 4 watt bulb. I am only going to use my newest Cav for 7 months of the year. Will overwinter it indoors like you are doing. NB You can tell how old your tyres are by the number codes on the sidewall (google or wiki will tell you no doubt) If they are Michelin MX they are probably original and a bit scary! D
Yes I have the 4 speed gearbox only problem I have is gears are sometimes hard to get in as if the clutch is not all the way out then others times it's easy to select not sure why it does this I suspect that it's the cable that has stretched a bit. Are you on mk2cav.com? Would love to see pictures of your cavaliers :-)
+Steven Watson Yeah i WAS on mk2cav.com but let my membership lapse. Bit daft really. Yes, the clutch cable can easily require readjustment, Haynes says the pedal should sit slightly higher than the brake pedal, and the 'throw of the clutch pedal is correct when it's 5 1/2 inches, IIRC. If you get under the bonnet and use a tyre lever or similar to operate the clutch lever, enough slack appears on the threaded part to rotate the nylon bush and take up some slack. I think there is a spring clip on the nylon bush which is intended to stop the thing slipping. What tends to happen is its ok when the car is cold, then as the components heat up the clutch starts to drag. The only oddity with changing the actual clutch (if you ever need to do this) is the input shaft has female thread of 7mm. Have you tried getting M7 bolts or studding!? Rather rare. It is a bit tricky to lift out the clutch pivot arm on the later cars as the plastic coolant pipe extends round the nearside of the engine. I think with an 86 car you would be ok though. While rebooting the driveshaft I managed to siphon most of the old gearbox oil out through the level plug, as i suspect it had never been changed. The car is an '87 GL in china blue, just finished changing core plugs, hoses (many of which are unavailable from vaux so had to make up from parts) Ran the engine up to temperature last night. No leaks!
Michael Langley Hi Michael, she’s doing really well thank you there is 66500 miles on her now, and she also was in practical classics magazine last month, u haven’t really done much with her to be honest only oil changes every year regardless of mileage I think the most I done in a year is 1500 miles the oil still looks fairly clean when I drain it. I will have to do an update video is people are interested.
animal79thecat it's always nice to hear of other people's experience with these cars. I wonder if it was the water pump that failed else it can only be the camshaft or the crankshaft.
I remember what happened now:Was during the winter,and because of a long running coolant leak,i hadnt put enough antifreeze in.When i started it,the frozen coolant seized the waterpump,thus wrecking the cambelt. It used to seize calipers regularly,and we had to replace the camshaft itself,as it was badly worn,and rattled like hell. Leaked oil,gaskets gone,ran terribly when cold,4 speed gearbox...terrible by todays standards. Sometimes wish i still had it though!
@@Cavalier_Steve yeah that would be good. Or an up to date walk around? Possibly any mantinance if you do your own? Anything really just cool to see it still on the road and in very reasonable condition.
Yes they was especially the MK3 Cavalier, yes I can see why they was boring especially for the time, as you say they was built down to a price and the dreaded rust killed so many Cavaliers. Thanks for you comment.
Hello Steven Watson, I'm trying to cant you by skype, email google+. I saw that you found EMPWin for Ampy energy meters. I would be grateful if you can assist me with software.
I remember when i was looking for my first car, my parents said "you don't want a cavalier, it's too big, it will use too much petrol", but when i eventually owned one (my forth car) a 1.3L it was the most economical car i think i have owned, it had instant power at the pedal too!
It always started first time, if only i knew that my others cars from then on were nothing like as good as this one, i would of kept it.
Excellent well said and true
I used to have a 1982 Y reg China Blue Cavalier L like this one, and the previous owner had put the same plastic trims ('84 B reg onwards) on it, so it looked just like yours but without the total width reflectors at the back and with the smaller Vauxhall badge at the front. Happy days ! Scrapped in '93 :-(
Hello thanks for commenting, my dad had a China blue early spec (similar to yours) but a saloon model, I loved that car hence why I have this one, this really has got me into the hobby as I do also own a gold GL early spec, I really should do a video on that before I really get into restoring it so at least it’s documented. I hope that this has bought you back some fond memories. I’m assuming that your car was scraped due to rust like many of these cars sadly. Cheers all the best. Steve.
Nice car,had an F reg in late 90s.Great practical cars that you could do your own repairs on.
Sorry I missed your comment, it was waiting in a list to be approved. Yes they still are great practical cars that are so easy to work on. Thanks and all the best.
I know its an old video, but i love. I had 3 mark 2 Cav's back in the day, 1 mark 3 and 2 vectra's. Always loved them and really want another one!
They are getting rare now which also means expensive so get them while you can, they are great cars. I keep looking at Vectra B’s SRI but my MK3 has no rust on it so it will be a shame to sell it really buy them while you can mate.
@@Cavalier_Steve I finally did get one mate!
@@The_Car_Stalker About time mate!!! Glad you’ve got one can’t wait to see it for real 😁😁
This was exactly my first car, same colour same hatchback same model same spec same reg. Compared o my current car makes me smile
steve legends Thanks Steve this car does get lots of attention from people when you’re driving it around as they they were everywhere back in the 80s and early 90s. This wasn’t your actual car was it?🤣
a blast from the past we had a silver green mk2 cavalier 1.6 L from new in 1984 till 1992. it never broke down at all always started from cold and was very economical. we only had to get rid of it due to a new company car. I bloody loved that car as a kid. id do anything to have one of these but they are so rare now
+michael jagger Firstly sorry for not getting back to you sooner I see your comment come through but then it went away I presumed that you had deleted it. Fast forward today and I found your comment in the Likely span folder :( Now back to the Cavalier I also love this car I am missing driving it while its hibernating for the winter. I cant stop tinkering with it though mechanically, checking breaks etc. My advise to you is have one as a weekend car and look on eBay there are still some really good examples out there for not that much money. Literally this is what I have done although I spent £1600 you can get cheaper ones that are still tidy.
With the cars being rare now this should mean that the prices will come up because they are very old they are easy to work / learn on with just a Haynes manual.
Thank you for watching and commenting and once again I am sorry for the delayed reply.
Kind Regards Steve
Steven Watson they all say that lol. my grandma also had a cavalier mk2 in silver green. A565PUM. she didnt drive it much due to her health so me and my dad took it out for her. it was silver green with a green interior and no rear seatbelts wasnt a legal requirement till 1987. my goal in life is to own one of these because its a great car and in loving memory of my grandma. ive got 5 1/43 scale cavaliers.
+michael jagger Looks like your silver grandmas green Cavalier was last on the road in June 1994 I bet it was in really good condition when she had it. My Dads was A982PBM the seatbelts was retro fitted in that one. The colour was the same as mine (China Blue) with the silver strip down the sides mine also does not have the seat belts in the back its funny that you say that they are not a requirement as one of the MOTs the car failed it because of this but the same day the car passed again my guess is that a young or new MOT tester carried out the test and failed it on this bases. If your interested in mk2 cavaliers then go to www.mk2cav.com there is lots of helpful people there.
I hope that you reach your goal and you own a Mk2 cavalier I have not looked back in owning mine. Just find yourself a good one unless your good at body work. Mechanical wise as you know they are reliable and the parts are still fairly easy to get. Like I say keep an eye out on eBay as there are some bargains on there to be had. If I had the space I would own another one :-) but unfortunately I cant get away with owning another car even if it is for doing or a bad one for parts.
Good luck I hope that you get to own one for yourself you wont regret it.
it was in brilliant condition when she had it. always clean. i dont think it was garaged but it didnt hurt it. she and my grandad used it 2 or 3 times a week for trips into town shops etc thats it but after my grandad died she didnt use it much. my dad loved it because it was reliable and economical i . very advanced for its time. 5 speed and electronic ignition. i remember seeing the gm logo every where on that cav.
+michael jagger Yes I can imagine that it was in good clean condition do you know what happened to it? My dads unfortunately went rusty at the bottom of the door arches I remember the day we got rid of it I really did not want them to get rid but I understand why now though. Its interesting that your Nan and Granddads had the 5 speed gear box only being an L mine is a 1986 and has the 4 speed I wonder if this was an optional upgrade when the car was ordered. Mine is a head turner you just don't see them anymore which is a great shame really as they are to this day still a good car.
Mine at the moment is not under cover I plan on building a wooden garage to replace my garden shed so that means sorting out all of my "useful" rubbish at least the Cavalier will have a dry home. :)
My dad used to have a vauxhall cavalier sri in the 1980's but almost everyday he talks about his and I really want him to experience it again because it's really sad that you don't see one on the road anymore😢😓
Ali Gaming Hi thanks for your comment 😀,where about are you in the country? Yes I only drive this one in the summer but saying that, I have just bought this weekend a 1984 Cavalier GL that has some work needing to it but it's on the road. I will have to get a video of it when the weather gets better. I do also want to do a video of driving the car but not sure how I'm going to present that I may just plonk the camera on the rear glass and allow it to record.
It's always nice to hear people's experience with these cars it sounds like the Cavalier really made an impression on your dad! Especially being an SRI model do you know if it was the 1.8 or the 2 litter model? Please feel free to show him this video if he is interested and I would love to hear more about his experience. All the best Steve.
First of all I live in Bradford, which has become a bit of a bad area, second of all it was a 1.8 petrol which, when he put his foot down, left people standing and put a smile on his face but he said to me that he loved that car but he isn't able to get in a low anymore car due to his back issue.
Sorry for the late reply, my phone went bonkers!
Nice genuine original car with the original wheel trims and stereo. My dad had 2 Mk2 cavaliers. An 83 A reg GLS and an 86 D reg Sri. Great memories. Rear seat belts became compulsory from 87 E reg.
I love the MK2 Cavalier. Such a shame we don't see many these days.
Yes they are such a good looking car, very true for a car that used to be everywhere they are virtually extinct now such a shame really! Thanks for watching.
I used to own a 1986 18 GLi and I loved it. I always wanted the 2.0 SRi 130, a really fast car but I couldn't afford the insurance.
Probably was better off with the GLi less desirable to get nicked, I would love a 130 SRi but I think I have missed the boat on having one now 🙁 hope you enjoyed the video. Thanks.
Good video, nice cars these. I had a 4-door pre-facelift (Y-reg) 1.6 GL, it had extras over the L like a rev counter, additional oil pressure and ammeter gauges, different steering wheel, maybe posher seats, but was only a 4 speed! I ended up getting rid of it quite quickly and went back to another mk1 1.3 Astra like I had before the Cav, the Astras were just as quick but much better on fuel.
Thanks Stuart, I love driving mine around! I like the saloon model being a GL it would of had crome surrounds around the indoor door handels and window winder. The earley cars are much more desirable than the mid and late spec unless its a LX ;-)
Haven't listened to the commentary yet but- nice car. I am on my fifth Mk2 now, just about to mothball the 4th for parts.
A couple of notes of caution- the steering rack being mounted quite high, the offside track rod comes through very close to the main power cable. There is a certain amount of vertical swing action (ooer) in the track rods when driving, and what can happen is the red (medium gauge) cable from the starter to the alternator terminal sags with age and the track rod chafes it's way through the insulation. The car catches fire as this part of the loom isn't fused! One went up in flames in Chelmsford 15 years ago from this cause. My usual fix for this is to cable tie the cable up to one of the coolant hoses that skulk underneath the inlet manifold. Job done.
The other thing that happened to me the other day is a pattern part petrol pump came adrift from it's inlet pipe when i was changing the fuel hose! it was the inlet pipe rather than the outlet fortunately, but still unpleasant nonetheless!! It is a brass spout going into an alloy housing, and i really can't be bothered to take it back; i am going to loctite or araldite it in place and keep an eye on it. I will be contacting the manufacturer to have a whinge at some point.
Oh one the subject of petrol, the rubber hoses (and the breather hoses on the tank) are attacked moreso with modern petrol than ever before. If you aint already, change all the rubber hoses for modern (alcohol/petrol) spec, and check the 3 breather hoses which sit in the osr wheelarch. They will almost certainly be unuseable as road salt also attacks them. Unavailable from vauxhall so the large bore one i got from a hose & hydraulic place, and the small bore ones i used PVC chainsaw petrol hose, (ID 3/16 inch, 5/16 inch OD) imported by a farm supplies place, from oregon hose if i remember rightly.
If you end up with the engine cutting out from globs of water in the bottom of the fuel tank these can be effectively absorbed by adding WYNNS DRY FUEL, in a purple bottle, from all good accessory shops (and some crap ones as well.)
Dave Philpott
Hi Phil thank you for you comments. Wow you're on your fifth Cavalier just out of interest are you a enthusiast? Thanks for the comments for the steering rack and the track rod I will get my wire tied up as I don't want this to happen! Especially since I just got mine MOTed just 4 advisories 3 tyers slight shallow cracks and a break calliper binding slightly this will be done before I put her back on the road for the summer. Lucky about your petrol pump good thing it did not happen when you was out somewhere. I take it yours is fuel injected? I don't know about you but I love driving mine around especially amongst more newer modern cars these Cavaliers are really capable cars! I would love to try a 1.3 as I bet these are still fairly quick to modern standards. Thank you once again for your comments and I will look forward to hearing back from you.
Oh cripes, TOTALLY forgot about rear seat-belts, did you get some or did you want me to look a set out for you?
great video Steve. We had the Opel Ascona C here in Ireland. My father drove on same colour. loved it. Totally extinct now .
Thanks Barry, I love driving this around even though it's so basic but that's just half the fun! Like you say they are virtually extinct now which is a shame! Thanks for watching and commenting.
That's in lovely condition, i use to own a SRi, would love to own another one like yours
Kevin JG Thank you Kevin! You best get I. There quick the prices are going up even for an L specification. I would love to try an SRI err scratch that own an SRI 😁. All the best. Steve.
@@Cavalier_Steve You lucky guy to own one of those, i was pricing them, found one online for nearly £8000 lol, when i bought mine a longggg time ago, i paid £3000, they are a classic car for sure.
Thanks for sharing, hope she's still running!
Thank you, yes still running strongly, I had to do some light restoration welding work at the beginning of this year but gone through the MOT ok 😀
I really like these cars, in 1993 I had a Y reg 4 door 1.6 GL in red to replace a mk 1 Astra 1.3. The GL had the four small gauges between the speedo and tacho which the L model didn't. I only kept it about 6 months as I bought another mk1 Astra 1.3 which felt much quicker than the 1.6 Cavalier, but yeah great cars.
Stuart Price Hi Stuart, thanks for the comment, your right about the 6 dial clocks the interesting thing is the only the early spec GL model had the 6 dials the mid and late spec got 4 (Speed, Rev counter, fuel and temperature) I do own an early spec GL I really should do a walk round video of that one as well. I would think that the Astras was a much lighter car, I think they always have been more on the sporty side, good handling etc. It’s always nice to hear people’s experience of the cars of this era even if it was only for a short time. Thanks for the comment. Steve.
The 1.3 engine was much better than the 1.6, it had a pieberg carb, but the 1.3S i believe had a twin choke webber.
my old man has the same but Opel Ascona 1983 for 20 years, this car one of the best at that time
They was great cars and even today keep up with modern traffic. Cheers.
I had loads of cavalier great car never broke down a you could work on them your self i havent seen a mk2 for years good video
Wayne Lewis Thank you Wayne, I have lots of confidence driving my Cavalier long distance I have done a couple of 100+ miles run in it over the last couple of years. It really is a great car and I love driving it. All the best. Steve.
I had one identical to that in 1995 c138jcp til be well scrapped now went all over in it brilliant car
Thanks for the comment I always enjoy hearing people’s story’s about them good or bad, was it you that scraped the car? I take it it was because of the dreaded rot. Cheers. Steve.
Steven Watson no I changed it for a mk2 astra they weren't to rare then I had it three years with no problems I did about 40 thousand miles in those three years I had a few of them Sri glsi and that one was a caviler l model if i remmember rightly I think o got four hundred trade in I traded it in for an astra Olympic good memories .
Had one exactly the same as that C138JCP had it five years 1992 till 1997 traded it for a Peugeot 405 nice comfortable car but nowhere near as reliable as the caviler has it a year went back to Vauxhall mk 3 cav sri that was good motor to .
French cars do have very soft comfortable seats, yes the Cavaliers and Vauxhalls of the 80s-90s was very reliable, mine still are 🙂
Cheers.
Had 2 MK3 Cavs back in the day both Sri saloons one on a l reg and one on m reg loved em both the m.reg one I had was immaculate inside and out with only 50k on the clock
Ohhh nice! I would love and SRI 8V version, the SFI 2.016V engines are very good though as well! Sounds like you had a really good one the M reg one. Nice!
The 80's were great and this car is an other example of it.
Thank you, I do enjoy driving this its just completely different to everything else that's on the road. :-)
I already had this model, here in Brazil it is called Chevrolet Monza, mine was a Sedan 2.0. It was an excellent car, very smooth and powerful.
Wow a 2.0 these are not heavy cars so I bet that was really fast. Like you say they really are great cars. Cheers 👍
My mum and Dad had a 1984 A reg 1.3 L hatchback in polar white.Fantastic car, lots of happy memories.
I remember it did have seatbelts in the back so I'm not sure why this one doesn't.
Hello thank you for your comment, It was 1987 that seatbelt's was compulsory I wonder if your mums and dads car had it as an option when it was ordered? Everyone I hear from say that these cars was so reliable mine starts very well on cold days and you soon have to put the choke when it's started. Regards Steve.
+Steven Watson Yeah from 1st April 1987 (rear) seat belts compulsory for MOT purposes. My 1.6L had them but i think they were specially requested, along with the 5spd 'box. All the drillings, weldings and fixing points for the belts are there on the earlier cars, it's a bolt on job. The centre one is merely a lap belt, but better than nothing at all. It is highly likely they are cross compatible from other vauxhalls of the period so some should turn up somewhere if you want them
+The Philpott Sounds like you're mum and dads had a couple of extras on it I bet the 5 speed box was well worth the extra money. Yes mine does have all the bolt holes I did try and get a full set of rears but I was let down by the guy that was getting rid of them. To be honest I am in two minds as to do it or not especially wanting to keep my car completely original, but on the other hand safety absolutely comes first. The search for a full set of rear belts continues. On a lighter note won't be long before I get it taxed ready for the summer :-)
+Steven Watson If i kept a set out of my spares car you can have them. I shall have to have a look. The most they will need is any mould spots wiped off with a J cloth as the car they came from had a sunroof. 'nuff said. I will catch up with you on mk2cav when i get a moment, as you sound fairly local to suffolk/kent/essex so could maybe pick them up. (if i can find them that is..)
+The Philpott thank you very much!! That will greatly be appreciated! Unfortunately though I am in Bedfordshire but I'm happy to pay postage for them. Yeah I will catch up on Mk2Cav.com I'm on there quite a bit I go under Steven715. Cheers 🍻
I've been eyeing up an '86 Cavalier L myself. Great walk-around video as it's given me more insight into what I may potentially buy!
Hi thanks for your comments. I really enjoy driving my Cavalier and now that I have put her to bed for the winter I am missing driving her. But I can say that these cars are a great modern day classics they have good breaks and great power. I hope my walk round has made you want one of these even more. Good luck in finding one for your self. All the best. Steve.
I have a 1985 one with genuine 39k miles in just as good if not better condition for sale
tenti1524 opps sorry I just see this comment, do you have any pictures of it? That would be a great buy for someone.
I had quite a few mk2 cavs, wish I had them now ! Had a 1.6SR 1.8SRI a 2.0CDI great cars, my mate had 2.0SR130 , he was like the hero ! Nice car keep looking on eBay but they are making good money Now.
rob bailey Hi Rob, some good cars you had there, I love driving mine I have another one now that is not as good condition as this one but it’s good where it counts. Like you say they really are commanding good money the cheap ones are the L models like mine or they have lots of rust on them, they do come up occasionally at a good price so just keep looking I have every intention to keep mine and keep them in good condition. Good luck with your search, if you really want one then joining a club like Cavalierandchevetteclub people sometimes come forward offering there car for sale.
All the best Steve.
Very interesting history on this car , sometimes doing 30miles between mots
rob bailey Hi Rob, yes I know I had to laugh when I see it missed an MOT on year and yet the mileage only went up by about 60 miles. I would think it went to the supermarket and back every week and that was it.
Standard issue 80s non-matching keys. Most of these had replacement locks, or screwdriver holes in the door barrels back in the day. Looks like a good one though. I remember the engines being unbreakable, but rust getting to them in the end. They used to rot horribly at the tops of the rear shock turrets. I remember peeling back the side carpets in the boot on mine and being horrified.
Hi sorry I missed your comment, It was in a list to be approved (I didn’t know I had this) I’m pretty sure that your right about the keys though as the door looks like it’s been re-painted in the past.
Yes the dreaded rust is the biggest killer of most 80s and 90s cars well anything earlier really. Real shame as like you say they was great car especially of there time.
Its amazing that the sills and arches are still intact. They just disintegrated. This one must have been garaged away from the elements. Its in excellent condition.
Yes the previous owner had a garage if you google the reg number there is a number of flicker photos most of them are mine but there is one that someone else submitted in about 2011. Unfortunately I don’t have a garage yet but I’m looking into options now that I have saved up enough money for one. Thanks for the kind words 😀
Love a old cav GSI is my fav 😍
Thanks although I don’t think they done a Cavalier MK2 GSI they did on the MK3 Cavalier which I also own but a CDX version. I may do a walk round video of my MK3 if you’re interested? All the best. Steve.
My parents had a Vauxhall Cavalier MK2 when I was a child, it was blue and it was also an older model possible 1981, it didn't have any rear seatbelts so we had some installed but they were static. Sadly the car doesn't exist anyone. I hope there's still some around, I like these cars.
Thank you for your comment, yes the rear seatbelts was only an option on the lower end models up until 1987 when they then became compolsery on all new cars. There are still some of these cars around but watch out for rust these are the cars bigest killer sadly.
yea rust was a real problem on old vauxhalls, the metal used was of a very poor quality and would rust easily, they used better quality metal on the later model of cavalier but sadly theres not alot of them left either, great cav you have there though and a lovely shade of blue i'm jealous!
Nice
My father and later on me owned a 1983 1.6GL cavalier in china blue with velour seats,electric mirrors & a oil pressure gauge as standard.
Owned it from 1986 to 2000 a superb car.
There were problems with the camshaft followers on early models that were to soft and had them replaced at 19,000 miles,also valve stem oil seals were a problem too.
Also very important to replace the rockercover filter gauze where the OHC writing is because when that blocks up it will destroy your camshaft and its was the same with my astra mk2 1.8 sri 1990 that i once had.
Used to easily fit a camshaft timing belt in minutes too just slip it over after taking the old one off and it's the same with the astra and with doing this you don't have to mess about with the waterpump.
You cant do that on modern cars anymore.
Look after it and it will become valuable in the future im sure.(:-)
Hi thanks for your comments, I will add the gauze to my service list do you know if these can be cleaned out at all? It will be nice too take the cam cover off just to inspect the camshaft looking in the oil filler they look good can't see any ware on them. I bet this was well serviced by the previous owner unfortunately though no service history at all but I have no doubt it was looked after. Thanks again.
Sorry for the late reply but yes the gauze can be cleaned out by soaking it in petrol for some hours rinse it in clean petrol again then let it dry out before you fit it back in.
You can also buy them brand new and they don't cost much money,but these days they might be hard to find new parts for these cars now.
Lovely original example of a classic mate.
Thank you 😊
Love it. My Uncle had a brown one. I still remember it from my childhood.
I think this is one of them cars that you remember weather you liked it or hated it just because there was so many around in the 80s and 90s
My grandad had a mk1 cavalier and a mk2 he loved them both
I blew up The toilet Thanks for the comment the MK1 in the sports hatch really looks quite sporty even by today’s standards. I love driving my MK2 around though it’s just different to everything else on the road. Cheers.
My dad had a polar white 1986 CDi saloon.......4 electric windows and power mirrors were big news back then!
Wow that was a great spec now cars seem to come with all that as standard. Can you remember if the mirrors was heated aswell?
Steven Watson ......yes mirrors were heated, tilt and slide sunroof and a unique front grill which I never saw on any other CDi, also had the fog lights flush mounted into the front spoiler. He put me on the insurance when I passed my test at 18, that was some motor for an 18 year old to cruise around in with my mates.....
I've had loads of Cavaliers, mostly Mk3's but a few Mk2s.. my first one was a dark blue 1600 GL.. D43 RNF
Nice 👍 they was a proper mile munchers back in there days, mine still sits nicely on the motorway.
@@Cavalier_Steve yes mate cracking cars...does yours have a squeaky clutch pedal?..all mine did lol
@@Jimbo-gi7xn Do you know what as common as it is, it’s never done it in the 5 or so years that I have had it. I know many Vauxhall’s of that era that has done that.
It’s in a fantastic condition.
Thank you 😊
What are you getting to the gallon on this?
Hi Michael on Average I am getting 21mpg but this is including the winter occasional runs (Just ticking over) my best was 26mpg so far this is as if not better than my 2000 Honda Civic 1.4 8v automatic so can't be bad. Here is my fully account if your interested. www.fuelly.com/car/vauxhall/cavalier/1986/steven715/359484
Vauxhall claimed that this would do 47mpg at 56mph but this is over 30yrs old now.
Hi brilliant video
Aww thank you 😊
My dad had an '84, 4 door, 1.3 in China Blue brand new, and I had an '84, 5 door, 1.6 also in China blue brand new. They're very dear to me these beauties. They were a huge leap forward style wise when they hit the scene. Still love them now! How much did you say it cost you?
It cost me £1600 these can go cheaper than that but this is in such good condition I could not resist it. If you look up the reg No. On google and click the link with flicker in the address you will see a picture of this car taken on 28th March 2011 here is the link of my photos if you're interested s1303.photobucket.com/user/Steven715/library/Cavalier
For info there was a 1984 1.6 Diesel on eBay a couple of months ago this went for £550 and was in a nice gold colour.
If you need any more information I will be happy to try and help. :-)
Hiya, no all of mine have been 1.6 carburettor jobs. The 1.3 engine is actually quite a sweet unit, had one in my mk1 astra, but i would (personally) steer away from a 1.3 Cav as that is a lot of car for it to pull; they are a little heavy, may be partly due to all the sound deadening used under the carpet and the thickness of the steel used in the bodyshell. (my opinion!)
I guess i must be an enthusiast, got hooked mainly due to how over-engineered and solid the cars are in some respects- driveshafts balljoints and front wheel bearings seem to be made of unobtainium (my name for HARD steel) There are also little things like how easy to work on and accessible everything is; changing the clutch is done from underneath without removing either the engine OR gearbox- all front wheel drive cars should be like this!
Couldn't really see, but looks like you have the 4spd gearbox. This wears better than the 5spd 'box, i much prefer the 4spd, it is less notchy in old age.
Erm, what else.. oh yeah, if you take the plastic front wing liners out (secured by four plastic cloverleaf things, you have to bash the little plastic pin out of the middle to relieve the pressure on the four tangs) With the liner removed you will find a mud trap at the lower rear of the front wing, usually containing half a pint of damp soil. Scrape it out with a thin bit of wood or summat.
The splines that the wiper arms sit on are tapered, and very feeble. They have been known to work loose and the wipers hit each other on their way across the screen. if you tilt the plastic spindle cover away and off, you can place a slightly oversize socket over the retaining nut and just give the arm a tap with a 1lb (500gr) hammer. Then get the correct size socket (13mm?) and nip up the nut slightly. This makes sure the splines engage properly. I recommend this as should they ever come loose the steel splines will strip out the (aluminium/zinc) alloy arm and it will never 'bite' properly again- replacement arm is then needed!
I mentioned the water in petrol problem earlier since a lot of these cars get sold when the owner has had repeated engine cuts at speed, changed the plugs,coil,distributor cap, etc, when the problem was contaminated fuel all the time. As you know water doesn't mix with petrol and just crawls around the bottom of the tank waiting to be sucked up by the engine.
Notwithstanding all these little bugs, once these cars are sorted they are more reliable than a 2005 Fiesta.
Good luck with your car, that is the first C plate one i have seen with the indicators on the side, It became law in 1986 i think. You have to take the wing liners out to change the bulbs, so that might be a good time to do it...you might even find an led replacement somewhere for the little 4 watt bulb.
I am only going to use my newest Cav for 7 months of the year. Will overwinter it indoors like you are doing.
NB You can tell how old your tyres are by the number codes on the sidewall (google or wiki will tell you no doubt) If they are Michelin MX they are probably original and a bit scary!
D
Yes I have the 4 speed gearbox only problem I have is gears are sometimes hard to get in as if the clutch is not all the way out then others times it's easy to select not sure why it does this I suspect that it's the cable that has stretched a bit. Are you on mk2cav.com? Would love to see pictures of your cavaliers :-)
+Steven Watson Yeah i WAS on mk2cav.com but let my membership lapse. Bit daft really. Yes, the clutch cable can easily require readjustment, Haynes says the pedal should sit slightly higher than the brake pedal, and the 'throw of the clutch pedal is correct when it's 5 1/2 inches, IIRC. If you get under the bonnet and use a tyre lever or similar to operate the clutch lever, enough slack appears on the threaded part to rotate the nylon bush and take up some slack. I think there is a spring clip on the nylon bush which is intended to stop the thing slipping.
What tends to happen is its ok when the car is cold, then as the components heat up the clutch starts to drag. The only oddity with changing the actual clutch (if you ever need to do this) is the input shaft has female thread of 7mm. Have you tried getting M7 bolts or studding!? Rather rare. It is a bit tricky to lift out the clutch pivot arm on the later cars as the plastic coolant pipe extends round the nearside of the engine. I think with an 86 car you would be ok though.
While rebooting the driveshaft I managed to siphon most of the old gearbox oil out through the level plug, as i suspect it had never been changed. The car is an '87 GL in china blue, just finished changing core plugs, hoses (many of which are unavailable from vaux so had to make up from parts) Ran the engine up to temperature last night. No leaks!
How's the old girl doing?
Michael Langley Hi Michael, she’s doing really well thank you there is 66500 miles on her now, and she also was in practical classics magazine last month, u haven’t really done much with her to be honest only oil changes every year regardless of mileage I think the most I done in a year is 1500 miles the oil still looks fairly clean when I drain it. I will have to do an update video is people are interested.
we had a 83 1.6l saloon from 1993 to 2001...something seized on the engine and the cambelt stripped...scrapped after that.
animal79thecat it's always nice to hear of other people's experience with these cars. I wonder if it was the water pump that failed else it can only be the camshaft or the crankshaft.
I remember what happened now:Was during the winter,and because of a long running coolant leak,i hadnt put enough antifreeze in.When i started it,the frozen coolant seized the waterpump,thus wrecking the cambelt.
It used to seize calipers regularly,and we had to replace the camshaft itself,as it was badly worn,and rattled like hell.
Leaked oil,gaskets gone,ran terribly when cold,4 speed gearbox...terrible by todays standards.
Sometimes wish i still had it though!
Still got the Cav?
Yes Tax and MOTed been driving it round sine the first of April and enjoying it!
Have you still got this?
Yes
@@Cavalier_Steve it would be good to see some more videos on it?
Matthew Revell-Hough Yeah this is something I can do I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Maybe I can do a little driving video.
@@Cavalier_Steve yeah that would be good. Or an up to date walk around? Possibly any mantinance if you do your own? Anything really just cool to see it still on the road and in very reasonable condition.
Not bad for 34 years old.
Thanks, yes it is in good condition for the year there are small things that needs to be addressed on the paint work though. Cheers.
Good video
Thank you 😊
Toop👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👍🏽😃
Thank you, if your interested I have done an updated walk round video of my car.
You can easily do the locks to all work on one key I can tell you how if you want
Hi Chris, yeah I would love to hear that, it would be nice to have all of the locks the same. Cheers.
very weird listening to new songs in an 80's car
Yes it is, almost inappropriate in a way. It's nice hearing 80s songs on the radio when Heart do there time tunnel in the mornings.
Steven Watson you cant beat 80's music in an 80's car.
They were used a lot by taxi drivers a incredibly boring car but cheap to run though like a lot of British cars rusted to bits.
Yes they was especially the MK3 Cavalier, yes I can see why they was boring especially for the time, as you say they was built down to a price and the dreaded rust killed so many Cavaliers. Thanks for you comment.
Hello Steven Watson, I'm trying to cant you by skype, email google+. I saw that you found EMPWin for Ampy energy meters. I would be grateful if you can assist me with software.