Stu66 said:
At this point I will have the head off tomorrow, so this means all associated bits are already off, except for chain-cover etc, which will follow the head.
After reading the Haynes manual (already had from last year when I had to replace the alternator-that's another long story), plus heaps of very useful info on this forum, plus talking to Nigel from this blog (http://zippyzafira.blogspot.com.au/) I came to the conclusion that doing the entire motor thing would be an even bigger job than replacing several parts over time, and I simply couldn't afford to get a mechanic to do it all, so the only solution was to do the standard blokie thing of "she'll be right...I'll do it myself"; although I know it will take quite a while around work, crap weather, kids sports and the occasional footy game on TV 🙂
Nigel, from ZippyZafira's indicates he can get a new head from the US for around $600 including cams etc, so this is more feasible than the $1195 in AUS for only the head, no cams.
I'll get all OEM chain and gasket kits from the UK.
The manual comes in handy but I now believe I would've caused more damage than good if I'd trusted only that; many bits are either wrong (like TDC on #1), misleading or unnecessary, such as their suggestion to unbolt the Radiator and move the Air-con compressor etc, to get the Intake manifold out...I applied some logic here and there and realised I didn't need to do this and many others...although its definitely true, there isn't much room, and I must admit I've spent hours getting some small components and bolts off that only rate a "one-line instruction" in the manual, simply because some dick-head engineers seem to love putting bolts behind things so you can't get a spanner, or shifter, or socket on them.
There are some interesting notes about AUSSIE Zafira's on Nigel's blog. Seems like mine and almost all others suffered same fate from same bunch of - perfect storm type - contributing factors.
I'll keep my progress posted; thanks for all your assistance thus far.
Hello friend.
I wish I could have been more help, but suppose as each Forum member offers their little bit of support and advice, it all makes the tasks facing us a bit easier.
Thanks for the information, and letting us know your progress. Helpful to know of how you found a new Cylinder Head, at a reasonable price.
I found that the Haynes Manual for the Zafira and related models, is the worst I have seen, like the least accurate, limited information, muddled up, of all the Gregory's/Haynes Manuals, that I have read, but it is better than nothing.
We replaced the Water Pump, when chains were removed, which was a challenging task, but not as frightening as described on the ZippyZafira blog, but no doubt it would be a bit more trouble when chains all in place, necessitating the use of the sprocket holding tool, in the very cramped space.
Have you ever found the old Oil Filter Element, broken up or split?
Have you ever had the Fuel Gauge going very inaccurate?
We had the Engine Management warning lamp on, and had been on, and ignored, by the previous owner. It was on because of inefficient Catalytic Converter, No. 2 Oxygen sensor, so put Injector Cleaner in with the fuel, and also the next refuel of a full tank of Caltex Vortex 95, which eventually stopped that warning. The EGR Valve, more recently, triggered a warning by jamming partially open, causing the engine to nearly stall at idle a few times, but after spraying Throttle Body Cleaner into the Throttle Body, and another dose of Injector Cleaner in the fuel, car has a travelled a few hundred Km's with no more jamming EGR valve.
We have yet to find out what is required to get the Rear Screen Wiper working, and the LH Rear Door Central Locking to work. Seems it will probably need a new Wiper Motor, most likely get it from the UK.
I hadn't found the ZippyZafira blog, so glad you mentioned that. It is a really good resource.
Michelle's Zafira likes consuming oil, so intend to use Penrite HPR15 for next oil change.
We soon noticed the Oil Pressure Switch was nearing uselessness, as it took ages to activate the warning lamp, like didn't show up before starting a cold engine, so was about to be like ZippyZafira shows. Replacing that, was a torturous job, showing that the engineers didn't care about the person replacing the various units between the Starter and Engine.
In short, it appears that myself and many others, have found that the Z22SE engine will severely punish an owner, or a subsequent owner, if Maintenance and Repairs are not always implemented, on time, and to a high standard.
I like the Zafira, and am impressed with it overall, just wish the Engineers had put a higher priority on that major item under the bonnet. Be great if GMH were to bring out the Zafira B, but guess they have a big enough product range, and a poor history on the Zafira A, would be difficult to overcome, so sales would be so slow to build up. Previous owners, now living in Italy, tell me there are a lot of Zafira's there, and are quite cheap to run and maintain. Most of them would be the B series.
I am disgusted with the poor support, and extremely high prices of many Opel/Zafira parts, from GMH. I used to be happy to have worked in a GM Dealership for many years, but now find it embarrassing! A new or used Holden vehicle, will definitely be low on my list of vehicles to buy.
Thanks for sharing your encouraging information/reports, wishing you success as you take on the job. I am keen to learn from your experiences, with this interesting vehicle.