2.0 sport A series buyers guide help.

[dcy]

Hi, off to look at the above today, has anyone got any tips on what to check out on one?

[James Bass]

Steering play (as with all A series)
Groans when in 4wd

Prob more, but all I can think of this early in the morning.

Good luck

[Drift]

Here you go bud
viewtopic.php?f=41&t=9301

[FUDDY MUCKER]

Where do you want me to start ............

Steering :

Check fotr squeeking or knocking from the Front Lower Ball Joints.
Cheap to Fix, but a BAS***D to do !!!
Sloppy steering or wandering across the road, could be the steering box needing adjustment or worn, but if bigger, wider tyres are fitted then that may be the problem.

Engine :

Check for oil leak at the rear of the engine, down by the gear box. If so, it's one of two problems.
1. Rocker Cover Gasket, very easy and cheap fix
2. Leaking Rear Crank Seal, again cheap parts but gearbox has to be removed to repair.
3. Check for mayo under the coolant cap and oil filler cap.
4. Smell the power steering fluid, if it smells old and with a burnt tinge in the smell, will need to be replaced.
5. Camblet change, when was the belt AND tensioner (or water pump) last changed. The Older C20ne engines are safe engines and no damage happens if the belt snaps.

Brakes :

Check the front Flexi pipes for cracks or splits
Check the condition of all copper brake pipes, as they are prone to corrosion on the older frontera.
Check for even braking. Drive upto about 30 mph and apply brakes sharply. If they dont pull up straight then it's more than likely stuck or siezed brake caliper or brake caliper slider.
If under heavy braking the rear wheels lock up then the brake bias load valve at the rear is most probally not working. No good thinking you will be lucky and get one off a scrap car as they usually damage when you try to remove them. Unfortuately, you will be looking at a bill of around £240 from vauxhall.

Front & rear Axles.

Not a lot goes wrong with the front under normal road use, but sometimes under heavy offroad play, can smash the front diff, and unless you can find somewhere to test it you would''nt know until you needed it in bad weather for instance.

Check the front auto hubs, engage and disengage correctly. Put into 4x4 (4H), slowly drive forward in a straight line about 20 feet. Stop, put back into 2wd, slowly reverse with the front windows down and you should here a click as they both unlock.

Rear axle, check for oil leaks around the pinion seal where the prop shaft goes into the diff, check for signs of leaking around the brake drum area, if so, more than likely a rear bearing has gone, again cheap fix, but a hard job to do. Check the condition of the diff plate on the rear of the diff, sometimes leak through the seal or could be a corroded plate.

Gearbox.

Check all gear work ok. Any difficulty in engaging gears could be a split bulk head, very common, but you will need a competant welder to fix or a old and tired clutch. If you get a bit of grinding when engaging reverse, this is quite normal of older truck.

Electric, not a lot goes wrong, just check all lights, especially the ones fitted in the rear bumpers and they suffer from corrosion and may need to be replaced. Check if fitted, the tow bar electrics as these can cause problems on the lights if they get muck and dirt inside and start to corrode.

Suspension, check the shocker for leaking or squeeking.

body work, not usually too much welding needed on these truck, but two common areas to corrode are on the sills by the rear wheels, and up inside the rear wheel arch where the rear roll bar mounts to.

Exhausts are prone to corrosion and if you get 3 years out of one your doing well, but look at around £120 fitted for a new one.

Then just use your common sense on everything else, drive it, test everything, check it over, if something dont feel right then ask questions, if your not happy then walk away.

And dont forget, most truck are now 13 to 16 possilbly 17 years old, so you will get a few problems and are never going to get a showroom condition one, but beware there is an endless supply of pigs on the market.

If I think of anything else I'll let you know.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[Retro Pedro]

May have mentioned it in previous post but another thing to watch out for is the dreaded Bulkhead splitting, especially if older motor.
Check around the foot pedals for evidence of splitting in the bulkhead and around the clutch fluid reservoir. They are repairable but a pain - might be a good bargaining lever.
Best of luck with it

[dcy]

Well it all went well and I'm now the proud 4th fogger to own craigderby's truck. Is a very clean one too, was a long trip there and back but enjoyable, although at 75 most the way!! Not my usual 2litre turbo astra speeds that I'm used to lol. Hopefully I will be at some south east meets soon and see what it's all about. Need to get her dirty, as Craig has done a cracking job polishing it all up for me.

[jammywagonwheel]

Yay!


congratulations on new toy!

john

[dcy]

[craigderby]

[jammywagonwheel]