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An ebay special... I will look this morning if I've got any spare bottom ends, as I said on the phone there's definatley some c12'sin a container that I can't get into at the moment thanks to scumbags trying to breakin but there might be some down the yard. If it's just rings then the last set I purchased from meetens were about £20 ( allthougth that was quite a few years ago). Otherwise you should be able to pick up a doner engine for a few quid off ebay or similar as there's still an awful lot out there. I purchased a howard demon a few years ago that had been run with low dirty oil, then found a similar engine at a car boot sale for £12 that meant I could build up one good lump out of the two so don't give up hope.

Sorry should read honing not honking, iPad auto correct!

I'll have look what's knocking about at work, the one container suffered an attempted breakin and after what they did to the door I can't get in to it at the moment, but I'm fairly sure I've got a box of carb bits in the one unit we haven't emptied yet.You'd be very lucky if the coil is any good as from memory the mk 12 uses the villiers ones instead of the better later wico's. Rings rarely give trouble and even if very worn will still run well, odds on the exhaust valve will be badly pitted. And/ or seat. Also honking the bore can work wonders.A lot of these engines had the oil bath filter as fitted to my howard 200 when on a cultivator, but if the clips are short it would of been the red filter, if I haven't got any left I know meetens still had some last time I asked but will have a look tomorrow when I'm at the unit.

Hi Darren let me know which model b10 carb it is, I may have a spare if I can find it.i also got some mk12 bits knocking about, just ask if there's anything you need.

Has allways worked for me, the flywheels are slightly different, but so long as you set the air gap right(use a spark plug box or cereal packet) then it's fit and forget, I usually pick up scrap mowers for around a fiver at sales to use as a doner.

Perhaps I shouldn't but when ever I have a Briggs of this engine playing up I usually obtain a later scrap one of similar size etc and simply cut the points out and bolt the coil with the built in electronic unit in place and never have any further trouble with it.

Finally picked this up yesterday, and got through 40quids worth of diesel. According to the computer my worst mpg was down to 5 but averaging around the 30's so quite pleased as its so nice to drive on the motorway and in towns but would still prefer a manual for the country roads.

couldn't agree more, my ten year old Labrador is still the size of a 8 month old pup, yet when she was small she had the biggest paws I'd ever seen, and her dad was huge. Nice looking pup mark, bet it's playfull.

Have you considered using a helicoiled nut? They are in use from the factory on a lot of the breakers that I work on. Stops things comming undone or stripping probably down to the wound spring gripping the threads tighter.

it was from the other direction but not this way, also when I went back up the road there was a very small sign that has been there for months,(scince they dropped the speed from 40 to 30) I could fight it but if I lose I will have to pay court costs, a bigger fine and could get 6 points. I know what will happen next time a copper asks for help... Simply be told to eff off! Out in the sticks with us they relie on the community helping them police the area, well I won't be anymore that's for sure. Ok I was technically breaking the law but I allways drive at a speed that I feel is safe for the conditions etc and can't be that far out as I've kept a clean licence for 18 years, only ever been done for speeding by the French police up till nowand that was with them hidding behind an embankment as I was comming down off a dual carriageway where the speed limit dropped drastically. I just wish they would target proper criminals instead of using motorists as a mobile ATM!

Sorry if any members are coppers but I'm starting to have enough. When we get broken into for the third time in months they don't seem to give a toss, (even when we recovered some of the items and gave them a name and address of the perportrator they still didn't prosecute ) yet on Sunday morning when driving my crap hole of a focus for the last time I got caught by a hidden speed camera doing 36 on a deserted road. Now they've sent me a letter giving me the chance to send them £100 in exchange for them sending me 3 points or the chance to send them £85 and do a safety course. Surely if it's about safety then they wouldn't have hidden behind a hedge?

I think you're going to need yet another shed soon...

Thanks, I forgot it's only Britain that calls them vauxhalls.

Ive never had a Vectra before, but used to have mk 3 cav's, at the time bar rust in the arches and track rod ends that used to sieze in the steering so you couldn't adjust the tracking,I never had any problems with them. My daily run around is a 1.7 Diesel Astra Van, regularly clocks over a thousand miles a week, and not to many issues with it. No where near as quick as the Vectra though but if driven sensibly on the motorway will genuinely return 70mpg+ (6 speed box). Apparently post 2005 Vectras had the suspension issues sorted so they now handle ok. I guess to a certain extent this new one is recapturing my youth with everything on it that I wanted as a teenager and yet had to do without because of the insurance issues and lack of money (still haven't got the money but insurance is only £260 a year for me and the wife). I also like the idea of shocking a few boy racers in a diesel automatic.

Just had a look on how many left and apparently there's only 36 of these autos in the country. Should make getting parts tricky...and expensive.

At least that means you can easily date the mower.

What engine is fitted to this one Paul?

But I'd keep having to go back for everything that flew off the trailer. Just googled it, apparently it's good for 143mph.

May be but I've got the restricted towing licence. If it's all ok after a month I'll probably fit a towbar and maybe get rid of my skoda fun to save on tax and insurance.Apparently this car has won towcar of the year by one of the big caravan clubs so should be up to the job of a combined 750kilo load. The problem is I may keep forgetting its behind!

Not that I've tried (haha) but triple figures are only about 2800rpm.

Thanks Paul, I had been looking at the 1.9 vectra's and I know that from a cost point of view the smaller engine would be the better buy, (tax, insurance,mpg and maintenance all quite a bit lower)however having had a test drive down the m4 all I can say is OMG! to hell with cost and lets start having some fun again. It hit the legal speed limit within seconds ( honestly I didn't go any quicker officer,lol).I've had to put up with the focus for 3 years and almost never driven it in all that time because I dislike it so much. Plus the amount of issues it's had I don't trust it-even if I was given a new ford I wouldn't accept it.This was quite a big cheaper to buy than the smaller engine vectra's due to people being frightened by the potential running costs.

I've been looking for a diesel automatic for quite some time due to no cartalidge in my left knee.As you may be aware good diesel ones aren't common unless you've a small fortune to spend. When I was a teeenager I allways loved my cavillers, and always wanted an sri but due to insurance had to settle for bog std 1600. This morning I've just purchased this wolf in sheeps clothing in the shape of a v6 3.0 turbo diesel automatic vectra sri.(didn't know they did such a beast) It's the first car I've ever had that genuinely throws you back in your seat if hit the throttle yet the insurance is only group 12. Should do in the late 30's mpg and drives way better than clarkson ever claimed. Let's just hope it's not an expensive mistake. Can't be any worse than my horrible focus. Can't wait to collect it in the week.

Are you using an iPad? I've found if I use mine, the photos come out upside when viewed with an iPad yet the right way up on a PC for some reason. Seems to do this on all forums.

Today I gave them both a run up, luckily both pumps are fine. Only 3 more packs to finish now. I did want to do a video but it starting peeing down, hopefully tomorrow. The beaver is giving 17litres a minute and the compact is giving 17.5. Even when brand new you are lucky to get around 18 so I am very pleased with the result.Anything over 15 will run a breaker fine.

Bar a few checks this Beaver and the Compact are now ready for a trail run and flow test. Today I wired up the stop switch,(new one obviously on the left) fitted the guard that I found for the oil cooler, (can see why so many got smashed off!). Fingers crossed that the pumps are ok as otherwise these projects start to get very expensive. Ive had no way of checking them until Ive got this far.