If you goto a dismantellers, ask for a manual gearbox for a 1.8 2001 Vectra, hand over £175 notes....take it to garage....where my vectra is.....they check it....yep looks the same (from the outside)....coz my knackered one is still on the car.

They get the old one off.....guess what the 'new' one wont fit......its blinking different on the inside.....turns out theres two different type of boxes...the owner tries to explain to me my knackered one has different hydraulic setup, i think thats what he was trying to explain to me.

Anyway....after getting another (correct) box.....new clutch fitted and new centre and rear exhaust box (the exhaust was rotted right at the join as well  )
I take it for a test drive......hmm summat not quite right....so back to the garage

Luckily owner is standing right by the entrance and hears the 'not quite right' noise as i pull in.
Now fair play to him....coz i wouldnt do this.....he leans over the engine. feet off the ground and hanging on.....and gets me to give it some revs and drop the clutch at the same time as releasing the revs.......turns out an engine mount has popped as well.

Back on the ramps.....and sorted....owner reckons the engine mount probably popped when gearbox siezed.

Veccy is now back on road 

PS Anyone want a secondhand box with a hole in it the size of a tennis ball and nicely chewed cogs, oh i'll throw in the clutch as well.....apparently plenty of wear left in it.....but bearing shagged.

Taxi Driver wrote on 12. Aug 2006 at 19:10:


Sounds like a good garage you got there, not many mechanics i know would do the above!! 

Ahh the V word....  - Being a Taxi must be the newer shape ones? - Just before the facelifted nose?

Guess they are not toooo bad, way better than the early ones.

What nakered the gearbox, constantly driving around in 3rd? 

tunnie wrote on 12. Aug 2006 at 21:07:


Its the shape before the facelift......not the squareish headlamps...

151k miles probably did the gearbox in