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1

Omega General Help / Re: Head gasket fail or other root cause?

« on: 01 September 2018, 15:03:34 »

Thank you. Well, it survived our holidays going to the West Country for a couple of weeks and towing a trailer full of bits and pieces here and there.

Its now done 1700 miles since the HG and thermostat change and not a drop of oil or coolant lost.

Hopefully it will continue to be happy.

Cheers!

2

Omega General Help / Re: Head gasket fail or other root cause?

« on: 29 July 2018, 21:17:59 »

Thank you all. I have ordered a new thermostat from eurocarparts for £14 using JULY70 offer code, normally £20.

Collecting tomorrow and will fit tomorrow evening. Only a couple of spring clamps and star bolts and easy to get to.

It was one of the easiest things to take off / refit.

Thank you again. 

3

Omega General Help / Re: Head gasket fail or other root cause?

« on: 29 July 2018, 12:38:01 »

4

Omega General Help / Re: Head gasket fail or other root cause?

« on: 29 July 2018, 12:23:54 »

Hello.

Just a quick update on how it went. Its been three months but that's because we've had other things to sort out house, job and work wise.

So, we got the gasket replaced with the odd hours here and there gradually over the last three months. Its been an excellent learning curve. Confident of doing another HG replacement in future (although God forbid not needed!)

It looks lke the main leak was at the back right of the head - and funnily enough the CH bolt at that back corner was the easiest to undo with the bar so was probably not torqued up in the first place I guess.

Since buttoning it all back up two weeks ago, it has since done over two hundred miles without any loss of coolant or oil. Coolant smells as it should and oil looks as it should.

Took the opportunity to clear out all the breather pipes, idle valve and also tested the thermostat. All good.

It is running fine. Takes about 10 mins to get up to 85 degrees then temp fluctuates between 85 on straight runs and 88-90 if stuck in traffic so all good. No back pressure and water loss from expansion tank like there was previously. No white steam whatsoever out of the exhaust. Touch wood she'll be good for ages now.

Washed the car whilst it rained this morning.

I'll post some pics later today of what we took whilst doing it.

Thank you again for all your messages and help offers.

5

Omega General Help / Running temperature poll

« on: 24 March 2018, 17:51:59 »

Jut curious: What is your car's normal average running temperature?
Let's say running in a straight line on a flat road, 50 mph or so.

2 votes available for those with multiple cars or had experience of other Omegas of different size engines.

6

Omega General Help / Re: Head gasket fail or other root cause?

« on: 24 March 2018, 17:43:46 »

Thanks James and all.

Yes pump was changed too. It mentions pump, belt and tensioners all changed on the receipt that came with the car paperwork.

When steam (lots of it) was coming out of the exhaust there was a rich chemically petrol-ish type smell from the water, but now there's no steam coming out of the exhaust I cant really smell anything from the water bottle, albeit there is just mainly water in there now and what little antifreeze I had left in the garage. I will not run the car again until after hubby and friend have tackled it and will also ensure the correct level of antifreeze is put in.

Here's hoping!

Thank you again all for your help and suggestions.

7

Omega General Help / Re: Head gasket fail or other root cause?

« on: 24 March 2018, 08:33:48 »

Thank you for your kind offer James.
I would have replied yesterday evening but hubby's uncle got admitted to hospital on Thursday night with suspected heart attack so yesterday evening was unexpectedly busy. Thank you also for your PM.
I've also had a previous PM from another member who has given me some advice which I will do this weekend in flushing the system and also hubby knows a mechanic at work who lives local who may also be able to help.
I will keep you all posted on progress soon and may take you up on the offer if my hubby's friend has taken a look and says he is unable to resolve.

I have some receipts that came with the car and the timing belt, pump and tensioners were changed last October (1000 miles before I inherited the car) and I did notice that the water in the bottle was a very bright pink so I am assuming that when they changed the timing belt they overdid the antifreeze which may then have caused the issue if I read the posts above correctly.

Anyway, I will keep you all posted on progress.

Thank you all.

8

Omega General Help / Re: Head gasket fail or other root cause?

« on: 22 March 2018, 19:18:39 »

You are now probably getting symptoms/issues as a result of the K-Seal, which will be complicating the matter.

The symptoms (and temporary workaround of air release) were happening (and temporarily resolving) before I bought K-Seal, but I take your point, thank you. It was a calculated risk on my part. KSeal seems to have resolved the loss of coolant, but not the build of of air pressure which is why I think maybe its a blockage in the water system somewhere. Unless it had a gasket issue before I inherited it and the person before used something like Kseal to "fix" it?

I'd start off by doing a pressure test on each cylinder. Do you have one?

Unfortunately no, but I have a local garage who I guess can probably do it.

What is the temperature gauge reading when its starts to "play up"

85 degrees but i dont think its a temperature related trigger because it runs OK for 3 or 4 miles at that same temperature before I have to release the pressure again. So, time wise:

Starting from cold in the morning, with the engine and water dead cold, I drive about a mile and a half and the needle rises to 80degrees.

If I am stuck in traffic or go up hill it goes to 85. Then on straight runs, drops to 80. After about 3 or 4 miles you can feel the engine running rough / vibrating.

At which point I hop out, lift the bonnet, release the pressure from the water bottle until it stops hissing, tighten the top of the bottle and she is good at 80 or 85 degrees for another 3 or 4 mile after which I repeat the process. I drove from Manchester to Preston the other day, doing the above (so it took me a while, stopping in petrol stations and pub car parks but I got threwre in the end, and back, without any other issue, engine runs fine until it vibrates, then I release pressure and I'm good for a few short miles more.

I've never seen it go above 88 degrees or so.

It is as if something is preventing the water circulating somewhere around the system. Heater in the car is still nice and warm. Someone at work today said it might be a stuck theromostat that could have caused the head gasket to go and this could still be an issue as being the root cause. Is this right? Or could it be something else common fault?

If its hard to diagnose, do you think its worth taking it to local garage for a pressure test? If so, how much do you think they will charge me on average? Thank you.

9

Newbie Welcome Area / Re: Hello from the Nutty Knitter

« on: 22 March 2018, 18:57:03 »

Thank you. And no. haha. Just dolls, scarves and shawls mainly with perhaps a blanket here and there. 

10

Omega General Help / Head gasket fail or other root cause?

« on: 22 March 2018, 13:44:02 »

Hello,

I inherited a lovely Vauxhall Omega 2.2 CD in January (52 plate) with 70 odd thousand miles on the clock. It has run fine for 1,600 miles but recently it had an amount of white steam coming from the exhaust and water being low in the water bottle which I assume is head gasket failure.

Since then, due to the large expense of head gasket repair, I decided to buy some K-Seal as recommended by a friend to see if this cured the issue. Remarkably, after a few days, no more steam out of the exhaust and the car inside the cabin is still warm as my friend said it might gum up the heater and be cold.

The car runs fine for about three miles from cold but after which then starts to run rough so I park up, and find if I release the pressure from the water bottle to let the air out, the car runs superb again for another few miles, but then I have to repeat the process. The car seems to be keeping the water in OK (apart from any bubbles popping out of the water bottle when I release the cap.

Needlessly to say I am only using if for short runs at the moment, but my question is, could there be an underlying "common to Omegas" root cause causing pressurisation which in turn blew the head gasket that is an easy fix? Or is it pretty much game over as my son would say?

As I say, very little to no steam now out of the exhaust, - just ike any other car I guess, and it runs fine for a few miles from cold.

Any help on things to check would be grateful.

Also some information in the picture after a 5 mile run in the car from cold.

Thank you.

11

Newbie Welcome Area / Hello from the Nutty Knitter

« on: 22 March 2018, 13:22:47 »

Hello all,

I'm from Manchester and like to knit.

Apart from that I had the good fortune in early January to inherit a lovely and comfortable Vauxhall Omega (2.2 CDX), a big car which I am sure you know which has wonderful comfy and heated seats to help my sore back.

It has been running wonderfully since early January and I have covered 1600 miles in it since getting it. It has done 70 odd thousand miles and (did) run like a dream.

A friend recommended me to this site as he is also a member I believe, and he said you may be able to help me out if possible. I will post my problem the other part of your forums.

Thank you and hello again from me!