Holden Camira

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Holden Camira
Manufacturer Holden
Parent company General Motors
Production 1982 – 1989
Predecessor Holden Torana
Successor Holden Apollo
Class Mid-size
Layout FF
Platform J-body
Related Chevrolet Cavalier
Isuzu Aska
Opel Ascona C
Vauxhall Cavalier

The Holden Camira was a medium-sized family car produced by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors. It was Holden's version of GM's J-body family of cars, which also included the Opel Ascona and the Chevrolet Cavalier.

Contents

[edit] JB (1982-1984)

JB
Production 1982-1984
Body style(s) 4-door sedan
4-door station wagon
Engine(s) 1.6 L Camtech I4
Transmission(s) 4-speed manual
5-speed manual
3-speed automatic

The first Camira, the JB, was introduced in 1982 to replace the Torana, with a major trans-Tasman marketing campaign.

A wagon version was introduced the following year, and its bodywork was exported to Vauxhall in the UK for the Cavalier wagon. Some Camiras were also exported to right-hand drive markets in Southeast Asia, such as Indonesia and Singapore. The wagon variant was specifically a Holden design, and was actually a major demand Holden had in the overall J-car program. A 5-door hatchback, based on the Opel Ascona/Vauxhall Cavilier J-car was proposed for the Camira, however due to Holden's financial losses at that time it never made production.

The Camira was Wheels magazine's Car of the Year for 1982. While superior to most other cars of the day in terms of handling and ride, the 1.6 L 'Camtech' engine was somewhat underpowered, and the Camira suffered from a litany of quality control issues which included smoking engines in early models, lack of drainage holes in the doors, substandard paint and lack of adequate fan cooling resulting in overheating in Camiras fitted with air conditioning. This tarnished the name of the Camira from the start.

There was only one engine, the carburettered, naturally-aspirated, transversely-mounted 1.6 litre 4-cylinder engine delivering 64 kW (86 hp). The initial transaxle offering was a four-speed manual. A three-speed automatic with lockup torque converter was optional on the base model, but standard on the Executive and SL/E.

[edit] Trim levels

  • SL: Spartan, no air conditioning or power steering, though it is possible to find some with dealer-fitted air conditioning.
  • SJ : Sporty version, contained cosmetic upgrades only
  • SL/X: Few extras, one of the more common variants after the SL, also released as the Executive, as common with the Holden Commodore
  • SL/E: Top model, came with air conditioning, power steering, power mirrors and cloth trimmings as standard; central locking was optional. Power windows were not available. Alloy wheels were standard, with the styling reflecting that of the VH Commodore SL/E wheels (however using a four spoke/four stud design rather than the Commodore's five). These wheels are somewhat coveted by Holden Gemini owners, as they are interchangeable with the Gemini, which did not have the option of those particular alloys.

[edit] JD (1984-1987)

JD
Production 1984-1987
Body style(s) 4-door sedan
4-door station wagon
Engine(s) 1.6 L Camtech I4
1.8 L Family II I4
Transmission(s) 4-speed manual
5-speed manual
3-speed automatic

The second version, the JD, released in 1984 was a redesign rather than a facelift. The front of the car was more aerodynamic and a conventional front grille was not seen on this generation.

The differences were at first cosmetic, but a few months after the launch of the car, the engine was upgraded from 1.6 to 1.8 litres, upgraded to multipoint fuel injection. A five-speed manual transmission was standard. The multipoint injection gave the car 83 kW (111 hp).

However, during mid-1986, new regulations required that all cars manufactured in Australia must run on unleaded petrol.

This forced another reworking of the engine (all variants prior to this ran leaded petrol), during which time Holden was operating at a loss. The result was that Holden dropped the multipoint injection and reverted back to a single point, akin to a carburettor, and altered the tuning of the engine to suit. Power output was reduced by 20 kW (27 hp) to 63 kW (84 hp).

In New Zealand the second generation Camira was marketed as the Camira JJ. This comprised of two entirely different J-cars: the sedan version was a rebadged version of the Isuzu Aska from Japan and this decision was made by Holden New Zealand as sales figures of the Camira JB were poor for the New Zealand market: however the wagon version which was built and sold in Australia was retained from the previous generation and assembled locally.

[edit] Models

  • SL, SL/X, SL/E: Same as the JB
  • SJ: Deleted, the SJ was unique to the JB only
  • Formular: First seen on the JD model, the formular pack was optional to any model which had special pin striping and side skirts, this pack is so rare.

[edit] JE (1987-1989)

JE
Production 1987-1989
Body style(s) 4-door sedan
4-door station wagon
Engine(s) 1.8 L Family II I4
2.0 L Family II I4
Transmission(s) 5-speed manual
3-speed automatic w/ TC

The JE is the final generation of Camira produced before its replacement, the Holden Apollo (a rebadged Toyota Camry) was launched.

[edit] Models

  • SL, SL/X, SL/E: These versions were identical to the JB-series versions, available in sedan and wagon forms.
  • Vacationer - this was a special edition, based on the executive, painted light blue metalic (an HT Monaro colour) with red and white decals, SLX trim, SLE roofrack (wagons).
  • SLi 2000: This version was unique to the JE Series versions. It was a "sports" package based on the SL/X. Major differences were the addition of side skirts, a small spoiler and distinctive orange and silver pinstriping. In somewhat of a marketing ploy, the SLi was only available in red, in the sedan bodyshell with a 5-speed manual transaxle, and with a grey interior from the SLX.
  • Formula: Again, this was unique to the JE Series versions, as with the above model. Like the SLi 2000, it was based on the SL/X model, Skirting and pinstriping were also options. Buyers did have the freedom to choose the colour, however all versions had manual transmission and all had 'Formula' seats.

The SLi2000 and the formular are very rare (formular the rarest). The optional central locking and boot release are rare. Despite being available in all other J-car models, power windows were not offered on any Austalian models.

[edit] Common issues

  • All models suffered from some common issues. Firstly, models equipped with a manual transmission had a clutch firewall cracking issue, where the clutch mount would tear the poorly designed firewall mounting structure. This is easily rectified or prevented early on, but advanced stages of cracking are difficult to repair due to the awkward location and welding requirement.
  • Rust is evident in almost all sedan models underneath the rear windscreen. The reason why is unconfirmed. On wagon models, rust is usually evident in the bottom of the tailgate due to the lack of water drainage.
  • On models fitted with a manual transmission, the gear shift is at time difficult and temperamental. This is a common "feature" of the Camira, and the driver may take some time to get used to it. Furthermore, there are unconfirmed reports that the manual transmission sufferes from excessive end float and bearing wear.
  • On models fitted with an automatic transmission, the lockup torque converter switch malfunctions and keeps the torque converter locked in third gear when slowing down, stalling the engine upon the car coming to rest. This is due to the poor durability of the plastic switch. It is easily replaced.
  • The engine management computer is notorious for problems. Cracks in the circuit board will often cause the engine to stall (at speed) if the board bends, for instance through heat expansion.
  • Many Camiras suffer engine mount breakage, especially when driven roughly. The poor engine mount design was further worsened with the later fuel injection developments, which resulted in increased power and correspondingly increased stress on the Camira's rubber mounts.
  • Most Camiras by now have had their engines rebuilt or tinkered with. When removing the sump, care must be taken not to damage the sump gasket, as aftermarket cork replacements have a horrendous reputation for leaking profusely. The same can be said for the cork replacement for the rocker cover gasket.
  • The water manifold at the back of the engine is made of hard PVC and can split after many heating and cooling cycles, necessitating replacement.

[edit] End of production

With the 1989 model year, Holden replaced the Camira with the Apollo, a rebadged Toyota Camry. This was a result of the Button Plan introduced by the Australian government, which encouraged a reduction in the number of Australian carmakers and models. Holden most likely would have welcomed the move, as the Camira had gained a bad reputation from the early JB models.

In New Zealand, the Holden Camira was replaced by the European-sourced Opel Vectra, which was subsequently rebadged as a Holden.

In all, 151,807 Camiras had been built (85,725 JBs, 36,953 JDs and 29,129 JEs[1].

Overall, the engine in all its flavours sans the 1.6 L variety are well regarded and respected, with individual Camiras clocking up over 300,000 km without a rebuild.

Holden continued to produce the Family II engine for export after the Camira was discontinued. Over three million variants were produced, in 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 L configurations, the 1.8 and 2.0 L variants being fuel injected.

[edit] Used Car Safety Ratings

In Australia, the 1982-89 Holden Camira was assessed in the Used Car Safety Ratings 2006 as providing "significantly worse than average" protection for its occupants in the event of a crash.[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Holden Heritage. Factory issued booklet, Juli 2001 edition, p. 100.
  2. ^ [1]

[edit] External links

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