Vauxhall Owners Club

Well I guess if it is not overheating and the heater is blowing warm then as long as the coolant level doesn't drop then it should be fine. There may still be some air in the system but that will always work its way up to the expansion tank eventually.

I would be tempted to remove the socket and replace with a USB charger sock instead. If you are replacing the assembly then it doesn't matter about damaging what remains of the socket to remove it.

No, that is as it should be - the only time the pulley 'locks up' is when the pump is energise and locks into place when you switch the air con on. You will know if it is working as the engine revs will drop and the engine will sound laboured and also an audible click/clunk noise will be heard

My first thoughts were the belt tensioner being worn but you can see if this is happening because it will 'walk' towards the edge of the pulleys as soon as you run it up. Also look for any signs of a specific area that it is walking off - could be main crank pulley, Air Con, water pump, alternator, etc. This should give an indication of where the misalignment is present - sometimes known it to be some grit up behind the mounting bracket causing it to be misaligned.

Happy new year to you too Shiny ! Thermostats usually open around 80 degree centigrade but cooling fans rarely come on until around 100 degrees when the engine is hot due to idling when stationary without airflow. If you have Air Conditioning then the A/C fan would fire up occasionally to bring the interior temperature down

I know of oil additives that will clean the carbon from the piston rings and this can restore compression and cylinder sealing but it is just something you add to the oil and run for a while and then empty out and refill with fresh oil - but this is a £25 bottle of snake oil - which may or may not resolve your issue. Look up Forte treatments and you can see specs and benefits of their products

Please let us know what you find and how you get on with it all

Found loads of links on google search - https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=vauxhall+GTE+at+carcave&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

have a great Christmas Andy and thanks for all your help in the forums this year Cheers, Trevor

That makes two of us then - but what I find strange is that I am now the same age as old people :-)

I know there are bluetooth ones so saves running wires through the car If you find any wires that are loose in the tailgate or bumper areas then that may be already there to retrofit an OE reverse camera

Lol....I know what you mean but I bought a Haynes manual in electronic format and printed the pages out that I needed at the time. They might do a deal for both vehicle manuals

well at least you'll get practice removing bumper and other panels to gain access to the radiator

I guess as long as it is still running fine and its purely maintenance tasks then it should be straightforward for a skilled mechanic to carry this out. Maybe even with the engine in situ - have you considered a mobile mechanic who can work on it a your premises...may be cheaper as well?

Please let us know how you get on with it and if you find an easier way to access it.