Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,790
Club RR Member Number: 34
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soo, a couple of weeks ago I went and picked this up from djmatt. the spec from the advert- - G reg 1990 Senator, black.(actually a kinda metallic dark grey, nice colour but hard to explain) - 12v Motronic "gold-top" engine - AR25 autobox, new filters and fluid recently. - Non-CD spec, but almost everything upgraded to conform to CD spec. - 156000 miles - OMVL LPG system - Air suspension kit fitted which replaced the coil springs. Ride height adjusted at the touch of a button! - Full black leather interior(heated too!) - RAID/Irmscher wooden steering wheel (was fitted to an Irmscher Senator but it says RAID on the inner spokes) - Analogue dash - Sills replaced and totally solid - arches have been repaired but need a touch up now - refurbished 15" cross-spoke alloys - Powerflow twin pipe system exhaust but with only 2 silencers from the standard 3 - very loud but not raspy, it's a real deep burble. - full feature in Total Vauxhall The front wing is still dented and scraped but a replacement wing is included. plus, he forgot to mention its got a rather snazzy DAB/CD/SD card stereo in it too. I agreed to buy it from the pics and went from ipswich up to my parents in doncaster, then hopped across to the crewe area the next day to collect. this is what I was greeted by-    overall, a fairly tidy car. a few paint bubbles and dents, but nothing that major. for £700 with airbags and lpg, I wasnt gunna complain!! it was running a bit lumpy/missing a bit when I collected, and it wouldnt idle on petrol only LPG. we both agreed this was down to it being stood for about 4 months, and I set off home. fuelling up at the services-  tbh, its better than I was expecting for the rather bargainous price. its only a few bits of bodywork that let it down really which should be easy to sort, then a set of rims and itll be a sweet ride. plus, by the itme id got to doncaster, it was runinng a bit better, but still missing a bit, and it was idling ok. I used 15 quid of gas to get from doncaster to ipswich, which will do me fine.......the 1.9 diesel van we went in used more dollars worth of fuel than that!! I had no probs with insurance either, £400 for a year with all mods declared. |
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Last Edit: Apr 19, 2008 19:58:13 GMT by Dez
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,790
Club RR Member Number: 34
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since i got it ive sorted out a few niggly loose electric connections, one on the airbag compressor relay that meant the compressor kept cutting out, and one on the gearbox inhibitor switch socket that meant it kept refusing to start because it thought it was in gear!! apart from that, the most expensive mod ive done so far is to tax it, and ive fitted some new front tyres from my stash, some more arch-friendly 195/50s instead of the 205/65 it was on. it now sits 'right'. i found one of them had a freshly done deep gash in the sidewall through the canvas too, so it was a good job I did! I washed the 350 miles of motorway grime off it too, then it rained as I took the pics-      notice ive bashed the exhaust already so it sits on the pee  thats partially down to the wanky powerflow mounts though- sounds good, looks good, falls off cos the mounts are in the wrong place and at the wrong angle .......it'll get some dezaster-spec mounts soon enough  for the minute the current ones have been given a dose of size large adjusting stick so it stays on until i get round to doing some proper ones. |
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,790
Club RR Member Number: 34
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ive been having some small-ish electrical niggles over the past week, with the engine warning lights randomly turning on and off when I knew the oil level was ok, which culminated in the battery dying just before the weekend. much headscratching tracked the problem back to a section of the engine bay wiring loom that ran along the side of the rocker cover, and was all cracked/perished/previously bodged up with crimp connectors and tape, plus a truly horrendous attempt at soldering. the venier pulley sensor+ wires that ran through it had already been replaced, with silicon insulated wire, but it was the sump oil level sensor and the alternator field wire that were now shot, explaining my problems.
it looked as though it had been done quite a while ago as a 'quick-fix' and has now come back to haunt me. ive put an order in with Vehicle Wiring Products to get the correct gauge and colour of wire to sort it, plus the right terminals to fit into the current plastic multi-plugs, so it should be sorted by the weekend.
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Jez
Part of things
Posts: 517
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Mar 28, 2008 11:01:51 GMT
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Awesome! Looks better with less tyre up front now, sits real nice. What are tha plans for it? It looked good on the 17" Omega wheels too.
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1990 VW Golf GTI G60
2014 Skoda Octavia RS
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Neil
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,485
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Mar 28, 2008 12:48:54 GMT
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quality! I'm loving the cross-spoke alloys!  |
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Mar 28, 2008 17:02:54 GMT
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Nice ride really have a soft spot for them! looks awsome wound right down!!
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Mar 28, 2008 18:21:16 GMT
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looks very nice
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,790
Club RR Member Number: 34
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I do have plans. it needs wheels. and some body work attending to- new bonnet, replacement front wing fitting that matt gave me with the car, plus a few little bubbles here and there. and ile probably smooth a few bits off like the door handles, bonnet badge, and maybe a few other bits. itll be a tossup between VIP and euro. but, before I get round to that, ive got to sort the current electrical problem. first I made this to cure the problems I found in the engine bay-  all done properly in the correct colour hi-temp silcon insulated wire of the correct gauge with the right colour trace, and all new terminals in the connectors, and all joints soldered. its a work of wiring loom art it is. has it cured the lack of charging? has it plums. gunna replace all the earths next, as the alt and battery both seem perfectly fine. I is not amused............... |
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Last Edit: Mar 29, 2008 0:11:07 GMT by Dez
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Great work as always Dez! Electrical problems are a biatch, and something that would send me running for the hills! I'm sure you'll get it sorted though  |
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Last Edit: Mar 29, 2008 0:22:36 GMT by BenzBoy
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,790
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Great work as always Dez! Electrical problems are a biatch, and something that would send me running for the hills! I'm sure you'll get it sorted though i bloody hope so!! doesnt help doing it on the drive where it died, in the snow and sideways rain....... i forgot, i also bought this to cheer me up.  a vertual prize to the cash value of 0.0001p to anyone who can name what it does |
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djmatt
Part of things
Posts: 200
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Wiring on that car was always the bain of my life - I replaced a lot of the brittle stuff (the dodgy soldering was probably me) but there was still a ton left to do and no time to do it. I replaced the alternator loom myself (you should have seen it when I got it - it was just a bunch of brittle and cracked wires with no protection around them  ) I replaced it all in a hurry though and I am curse word at electrics so it wasn't the best job. I also replaced a connector the day before you collected the car, on the crank angle sensor wire. If you moved the connector it would cut the engine dead! Never had a problem with the battery discharging though, and that GO battery is fairly new... That's a new problem to me - it never let me down due to that. EDIT - No, I tell a lie, I did have a problem with it discharging once but that was down to the alternator, which I changed and it cured the fault. What wheels are you going for then mate? And what the hell is that relay type thing for then? |
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Last Edit: Mar 29, 2008 4:42:06 GMT by djmatt
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djmatt
Part of things
Posts: 200
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PS - the colour is Diamond Black AFAIK - it's not totally black, it's kinda metallic almost black...
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y282
Part of things
Posts: 122
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nice car mate, always fancied one of these myself after going in an ex police 24v manual that a mate picked up cheap. they're a LOT faster than people give them credit for and still a cool shape today.
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24v cosworth capri, M3 evo coupe , cbr900rrn, cb750f2n
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,790
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Mar 29, 2008 14:55:36 GMT
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tbh the car is ripe for euro, being a german design, but its also a fairly high-end motor, so VIP is acceptable too..... itll get some euro-cleaned.be style smoothing, but some big inch VIP esque wheels for the ideal compromise. |
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,790
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Mar 29, 2008 15:10:09 GMT
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Wiring on that car was always the bain of my life - I replaced a lot of the brittle stuff (the dodgy soldering was probably me) but there was still a ton left to do and no time to do it. I replaced the alternator loom myself (you should have seen it when I got it - it was just a bunch of brittle and cracked wires with no protection around them ) I replaced it all in a hurry though and I am curse word at electrics so it wasn't the best job. I also replaced a connector the day before you collected the car, on the crank angle sensor wire. If you moved the connector it would cut the engine dead! Never had a problem with the battery discharging though, and that GO battery is fairly new... That's a new problem to me - it never let me down due to that. EDIT - No, I tell a lie, I did have a problem with it discharging once but that was down to the alternator, which I changed and it cured the fault. What wheels are you going for then mate? And what the hell is that relay type thing for then? i thought someone had done it in a hurry tbh- but it was handy you'd not done away with any of the stock plastic multi-plugs, as i managed to source the correct clip-in terminals for them so they've all been re-used. the new loom ive added is 100% perfect, it should be though, it took the best part of 5 hours to make!! tbh i try not to do wiring jobs if I'm in a hurry, 'cos i find patence is the best tool in wiring, take your time and make it the best it can possibly be, especially in hi-temp, oily, dirty conditions like engine bays. which one is the crank angle sensor? the one on the rearmost part of the front pulley, about 5 O'clock position? i twigged that that wire+ connector was newer than the rest, cos it was silicone insulated and the others werent. i think, I'm gunna change the battery just to be sure. it tests ok on discharge, even with the gauge left on for a few minutes. i need to buy a new one for my 3L v6 nissan anyway, so if this one does prove to be ok, ive not wasted the money. I'm also gunna put on some better gold plated battery connectors, with seperate alley key clamping for each wire so i can do away with a load of connector tabs. like thesethen, ile replace all the earth straps with new ones too, and solder everything. the wheels, I'm not saying anything til ive actually handed over the cash for a set the relay is a 10 second timer relay, it leaves the power on for 10 seconds after its activated, like an interior light timer switch. itll be wired between the alarm activator and the airbag dump selenoids |
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,790
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Mar 29, 2008 15:21:10 GMT
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nice car mate, always fancied one of these myself after going in an ex police 24v manual that a mate picked up cheap. they're a LOT faster than people give them credit for and still a cool shape today. i agree. this one is ex-filth too, CID car. means its got a lsd, which is nice.i could really feel it working in the snow the other day on our crappy little country lanes out here. all the velour interior and other cheapo options have been upgraded by the previous owner(s) me and a mate were also takling about the style/shape of the car being much newer that the car is.it looks a good 10 years newer than it is, similar to the newer audi A6s. |
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djmatt
Part of things
Posts: 200
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PS - the colour is Diamond Black AFAIK - it's not totally black, it's kinda metallic almost black... Actually I might be wrong on that, I think it's starmist black..... |
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djmatt
Part of things
Posts: 200
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The crank angle sensor looks like an ABS sensor on the toothed wheel on the front pulley. It goes up and the connector sits in between the rocker cover and the inlet manifold. I replaced this connector with one from the scrap (jetronic 12v) senator out in the yard. The wire colour on the plus will be slightly different for about an inch, albeit under the heatshrink.
The only wiring that I had to wire in permenantly was the 3 wire lambda sensor wiring. It was chocolate blocked in and didn't have the standard 3 pin plug when I got it. AFAIK that was because whoever plumbed in the gas system bodged it - the gas system relies heavily on the lambda reading. I changed the lambda for a genuine bosch one not long after I bought the car because it had a cheap aftermarket item on it that was a little bit dead. The bosch ones last a long time in my experience.
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Last Edit: Apr 1, 2008 4:28:14 GMT by djmatt
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djmatt
Part of things
Posts: 200
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I agree. this one is ex-filth too, CID car. No it's not! It's a basic spec car and didn't have an LSD fitted as standard. It was a special order car when it was new. Most Senators were CD spec because that's what most people ordered. If you ordered a "normal" spec senator as a 12v you would more than likely get the old style LE2 Jetronic 12v engine, with rubber fuel rail and no cats, basically an inferior design to the engine you have in that car. But, because it was a special order car, ie. it wasn't a "normal" senator (Non CD spec, no A/C, 12v, metallic black etc) it had to be made up specially and wasn't simply picked out of the ready made bunch of senators waiting to go to new owners, therefore it got fitted with the later engine which was Motronic 1.5, with a big valve head, solid fuel rail and cats. The big valve head was fitted because when the put the cats on they realised that it choked the power so they had to up it somehow. It was the same story with the old 2.5 12v getting a newer 2.6 engine with dual ram to bring it back up to normal power figures. Therefore, if you decat a "Gold Top" motronic 12v engine you free up a little bit of power and you end up with more than the 177BHP it claims to have Hence the reason why the "Gold Top" engine is the most sought after engine by Senator enthusiasts. means its got a lsd which is nice. There is a receipt for a replacement diff from GM6 spares in Penzance and it states it was an LSD, but I'm really not convinced that it actually is one. I never did check. The LSD in these cars are really quite soft and don't work too well in the dry unless it has been looked after all its life. That means whenever the diff oil gets changed it needs to have the correct oil or it will lose it slippage. It works on a clutch plate design AFAIK and requires the right oil addative for the LSD function to work. The only way to check to see if you have an LSD is to pop a drive shaft out and see if it has 2 crossed pins or not. Like this: Open diff:  LSD:  Lifting the back end and spinning one wheel doesn't prove anything with these diffs. i could really feel it working in the snow the other day on our crappy little country lanes out here. Even open diffs will slide the back end in the snow ;D But I do trust Derek at GM6 to supply what he says he has supplied so I guess that it has got an LSD after all, I just didn't think it was all that good when I drove it - it tended to spin the inside rear a lot.... but then I am used to drifting my these cars round the track with very tight LSDs... all the velour interior and other cheapo options have been upgraded by the previous owner(s) Yep, and the seat heaters work really well too The only thing that pi$$ed me off was the little triangular bits in the centre console - when I got it the whole of the centre console was grey vinyl as per basic spec and police spec cars, that trim and the ashtray were replaced with CD spec wooden items, but the triangular side pieces either side of the ashtray are bolted to the back of the actual dashboard, and the only way to get to them was to take the dash off. PS I have these pieces in wood if you are bothered about them, I'll see if I can stick them in the post before I go. me and a mate were also takling about the style/shape of the car being much newer that the car is.it looks a good 10 years newer than it is, similar to the newer audi A6s. I agree, they are a great looking car. Quite rare nowadays too! Makes it even more modern with Omega wheels IMO. Come on then, spill the beans on the wheel choice, I can't wait to see what you have in store for it! I must say I am so glad that the car has gone to a good owner and it's not still sitting in the back of our workshop, all lonely and neglected! |
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for the minute the current ones have been given a dose of size large adjusting stick so it stays on until i get round to doing some proper ones.
) I replaced it all in a hurry though and I am curse word at electrics so it wasn't the best job.