Rick's 1.8S Hatch- Electric fuel pump or not?

[Guest]

quote:Originally posted by Rick-Manta

I have also taken an earlier suggestion from PeteM and removed the massive rear wiper and washer bottle, but I need a couple of big grommits before I remove the motor.

id="size4">id="blue">

---

id="quote">id="quote">

hey someone listens to me 'round 'ere []

When I had a hatch I fancied chopping up a spoiler from a scrappy and cutting 'n' shutting so as to remove the recess for the wiper. Thieving b4st4rds put pain to that perticular mod tho....

I should check the wiring on my temp gauge. The sender is fine so it ain't that. Since my fan belt snapped it's really started to bother me.

What accomodations ahve you made by way of demisting the windscreen now that you've dumped the heater BTW ?

OMOC 5885

Steer from the Rear

[Rick-Manta]

I'm hoping to get an extra 60 horses from the same 8 valve block! Eventually!

I won't be using a heater at all. For cold, I'll wear a jacket. For misty windscreens I'll do what I did last winter, keep a cloth handy that has been lightly dashed with de-icer. My earlier test drive (to see if coolant leaked from the hose join) I noticed that aswell as increased engine noise inside the car, the heat coming through the bulkhead was intense so I'm sure if I just run the engine for a while before setting off in the winter it'll be enough to clear the windscreen anyhooo!

As for the spoiler Pete. I'll just grommit the hole (ooh) and leave the gap as is.

[Guest]

Your car looks like its coming on well i might know someone that might have a mk1 astra gte head i will make a few calls on monday and let you know

[Mlocke666]

quote:For cold, I'll wear a jacket. For misty windscreens I'll do what I did last winter, keep a cloth handy that has been lightly dashed with de-icer.

id="quote">id="quote">

Dont envy you, I had to do that over the winter period when I dropped my 16v in a few years ago, not fun as you couldnt see where you were going. I found having the window slightly open helped to de-mist the windscreen.

Tried making my own heater system using the old matrix and modifying the housing so it could be fitted inside the car, roughly where the old one was, had 2 80mm pc fans to increase flow.

Didnt work very well.

Get a heated front screen.

Membership no. 5571

86 berlinetta (project) 87 GTE 16v (new project) 87 Exclusive (R.I.P)

http://www.opelmanta.4mg.com http://www.opelmanta16v.4mg.com http://www.opelmanta24v.4mg.com

[Rick-Manta]

There are some little electric heaters that run off the fag lighter socket (which on my car is also broke!) They're not to warm the whole car up, but give off just enough when placed on the dashboard to deice the windscreen on a cold morning. I guess before the engine has warmed. I've seen 'em at garage forecourts and could wire it in behind the dash.

Thanks Jonathan, if you do find an Astra GTE head please give me shout. I've been offered a couple recently, with no cam carriers! Doh!

[Guest]

Hi mate found a mk1 astra 2.0 gte head from a brakers yard i use in croydon called vauxhall spares they told me its compleate with cam for £60 there number is 020 8649 8934

[opel2000]

Hmm I have the idea that the astra MKI never came in 2.0 guise, well in fact I'm 100% sure it didn't, this ould probabbly be the later 2.0 SEH engine which as mentioned in other topics will give alignment problems with the inlet manifold and the higher SEH ports.

Nice topic though Rick, very nice topic. My only criticism (and just who the hell am I to criticise anyone) would be the losing of the heater system, it's just a personal thing but I prefer a bit of heat on the odd occaiasion, and find it can ruin the driveability of a good car if you get to the point wher you think "well I would take the Manta but it's bloody cold out there today"

http://www.customsolutions.me.uk

[Guest]

yes that was what i thort my mk1 was a 1.8 gte, maybe the bloke was not sure of cc,but it was mk1 head that he said he had, still might be worth a call

[Guest]

As far as I know:

The Mk1 Astra GTE was 1800cc and used the 113bhp 18E engine. The earliest Mk2 GTE had the same 1.8 engine, but quickly gained the 2 litre SE (note, not SEH) with 122bhp. The SEH first appeared in the Mk 2 Cavalier SRi 130 (128bhp) in 1987 and then went into the early Mk3 Cav SRi. The 8V Mk2 Astra GTE didn't ever get the SEH engine as they got all excited with the 16v XE instead.

This lot is all taken from what I already know and cross checked using the data sheets in each issue of Total Vauxhall, but they (and I) could still be wrong of course.

But if you want an SEH, you've got to get a Cavalier. They apparently didn't use it in anything else.

Cheers,

Joe. (Rapidly becoming an SEH bore!)

[Rick-Manta]

Clive, you share the majority opinion on the heater removal and rightly so. The main reason is because I want a rear distributor setup (the MK1 Astra head) and lose the horrible belt driven standard one. I think it's a bit odd to have it right over the thermostat and exhaust manifold, imagine if you will, somebody with their nose on the side of their head! Additionally, I want to remove as much stuff that isn't necessary for the car to run and be MOTable, kind of a minimalist engine bay! Plus as my only car, I don't have much choice but to bear the cold days without the heater. I'll be in touch shortly Clive, regarding the possibility of a polished steel bulkhead cover. Cheers.

Thanks Blackout, I'll give that place a call. £60 a fair price I'm sure, but the MK1 GTE is a 1.8 so I'll have to confirm that with 'em, Joe's 8V Biography is very accurate and I used to own an '89 MK2 2.0 8V Astra GTE but I was quite disappointed with it's performance back then. Hence why I'll be getting the GTE head sent off for some development!! No SEH's or red tops in my baby, the block itself will stay original.

[Guest]

quote:Originally posted by Joe

As far as I know:

The Mk1 Astra GTE was 1800cc and used the 113bhp 18E engine. The earliest Mk2 GTE had the same 1.8 engine, but quickly gained the 2 litre SE (note, not SEH) with 122bhp. The SEH first appeared in the Mk 2 Cavalier SRi 130 (128bhp) in 1987 and then went into the early Mk3 Cav SRi. The 8V Mk2 Astra GTE didn't ever get the SEH engine as they got all excited with the 16v XE instead.

This lot is all taken from what I already know and cross checked using the data sheets in each issue of Total Vauxhall, but they (and I) could still be wrong of course.

But if you want an SEH, you've got to get a Cavalier. They apparently didn't use it in anything else.

Cheers,

Joe. (Rapidly becoming an SEH bore!)

---

id="quote">id="quote">

Carlton (albeit slightly detuned) ? Or should I go lookin' for that paulmanta ? [}][]

OMOC 5885

refitting is the reverse of removal

[Rick-Manta]

Calibra 8V? (I had one of them too!)

[Guest]

Carlton: SE (probably - details are hard to come by but it might even have been in a lower state of tune than that).

Calibra: C20NE.

Neither used the SEH though.

Cheers,

Joe.

[Rick-Manta]

I've come to a bit of a stalemate with the engine. I was 'this' > ]. Does anyone know if I can use the distributer currently on my engine and move it to the back of my current head? Or better, can I use a dizzy off of some other engine and lose the vacuum advance/retard thing (btw what does the adv/ret. thing do and why is it needed?)

This bank holiday weekend I'm going to paint the differential, rollbars and panhard rod just to give me something to do in the meantime.

[MANTAMAN]

If you want a 'warmer' cam for your engine you may have to go to an eletric fuel pump,which by the way is nothing like the pumps on injection systems,pumps for carbs pulse and when the back pressure of the carbs float valve closing is detected they stop.

I have this set-up in the Brown hatch back (was at Billing) and it overcomes the Varijet carb problem whereby over time the fuel evaporates from the float chamber meaning you have to crank the engine for ages to pump the fuel up to start it,the longer you leave it the more cranking you need,my gold hatch still has the mechanical pump and when it has sat in its garage for a long time i begin to wonder if the battery will go flat before it gets the fuel up the pipe and fills the float chamber!

I am going to have to fit an electric pump on my silver B,i have a GTE engine to replace the seazed 2.0L thats in there,which gives me an unleaded head to boot,but being built as injection the front alloy case of the engine is blank where on older CIH engines there is a hole for a fuel pump,so i am going to have to relie on an eletric fuel pump all the way to Naples and back on the rally i've somehow got involved in! (thats if i ever get it sorted out in time)

As for mormally reliable mechanical fuel pumps,i've had one fail on a MK 2 Cavalier (same arrangement as a 1800 Manta) and the same design currently on my silver B i cant stop leaking,another reason to put an eletric pump on.

The vacuum advance on the distributer should be retained,what it does is make the spark fire earlier when the throatle is open and hence more fuel is delivered into the engine,i think this is necessary because there is more fuel there to be burnt hence it needs slightly longer for it to burn,(some of the wiser members of this forum will put me right if this is wide of the mark!)some cars that are raced disspense with the vacuum advance,one reason being you dont get much vacuum in the manifold when using multi carbs,i.e. four Webers,but then the distributer has to be set with more addvance on the timing,OK for running flat out when racing but makes for rough running at idle and low revs.

I've got piles of all sorts of Manta parts,i might even have something you need!surplus parts bought,whole cars considerd. M/B 07947 640505

e-mail virco.woburnsands@btopenworld.com

OMOC Member number 2658F

Ian Virco,area rep,Beds Herts and North Bucks.

[Rick-Manta]

Thanks Ian, a rally in Naples!? Good luck with it as that's quite a trip in any car.

It's a possibility to have a leccy pump, but I have set myself some criteria to stick to with modifying my 1.8 and one is to keep the engine as minimally reliant on electronic componets as possible. If I end up having to keep the original head then I'll have it gasflowed, port polished and skimmed, although with the original cam I doubt the difference would be that noticable. The deciding factor would be if the original cam won't run a dizzy at the back of the head as I'd rather lose the mechanical pump than keep the belt driven dizzy.

[MANTAMAN]

Forgot to add,the cam carrier is seperate to the head so you can retain the Manta cam carrier with its fuel pump hole and either use the Manta cam or seek a hotter cam for an 8 valve Vauxhall with mechanical fuel pump.

You can put fuel injection cylinder heads into single carb Vauxhall engines,the differance between them being the port size,injection being larger at the bottom,but there is enough metal in the manifold to open it up to match the head.

As for the dizzy drive,i know there are a few types,you'll have to see what type the cam your intending to use has then maybe going hunting scrap yards to get the correct dizzy.

I still dont understand you ripping out your heater just to put the dizzy at the rear of the engine,if you intend to drive the car through the winter you will have serious problems,you wont be able to stop the windows steaming up and you cant reach all of them to wipe them clean,how are you going to see anything coming from the left?there is nothing wrong with the way the 1800 dizzy works so to loose the heater just for cosmetic reason seems a bit extreem.

I've got piles of all sorts of Manta parts,i might even have something you need!

surplus parts bought,whole cars considerd. M/B 07947 640505

OMOC Member number 2658F

Ian Virco,area rep,Beds Herts and North Bucks.

[Guest]

The Piper cam I've recently bought from Courtenay for my SEH 2.0 engine has the lobe for the mechanical fuel pump on it, so it can be used in the 1.8 whilst retaining the standard pump. They sell the same cam for the 1.8 and 2.0 engines as far as I know.

They cost £175 plus P&P.

http://www.courtenaysport.co.uk/default.htm?page=1

Double check with them first though.

Cheers,

Joe.

[Rick-Manta]

Thanks for the info guys, that is reasurring to know there are a few options without having to turn the car into an electric appliance.

quote:Originally posted by MANTAMAN

to loose the heater just for cosmetic reason seems a bit extreme.

---

id="quote">id="quote">

Well I am an extreme type of bloke![] Pretty much everyone has questioned my heater removal and I can see why and agree with most of the points made. Don't forget a lot of pre-1960's cars had no heaters yet people managed also many of the cars at Billing and other shows have their heaters removed for whatever reason. Mine, as Ian rightly says, is for a cosmetic reason but it also has other benefits like it's weight reduction, less to go wrong and easier to work on engine in-situ. Once the engine bay looks how I invisage, maybe a few minds will change.