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31

Omega General Help / Re: Alternator

« on: 12 November 2023, 18:59:50 »

Let us know how your AS alternator from Autodoc goes   
oh , and get well soon 

Thanks Dave, and will do. 

Thank goodness for Autodoc who could supply the alternator in the first place, at the right price, with excellent service from Europe.  The way it's going, Omega parts will only be available from companies such as them.

32

Omega General Help / Re: Alternator

« on: 12 November 2023, 18:55:41 »

All the best Lizz, get plenty of good grub down you👍

Thanks
People joke about hospital food, but at least here in Ashford it is very good for mass catering.  Really tasty, sensible portions, and great trolley staff dishing it out, with plenty of laughed.  I'd of course sooner be at home, but the doctors won't let me , so, oh well, I'll let the good old NHS save me a good few quid on energy and food bills.  There is always a silver lining, so I am trying to make the best of it.  Thank God I am ot in a Gaza hospital, and my beloved car should not be bombed!!   

33

Omega General Help / Re: Alternator

« on: 12 November 2023, 18:34:24 »

Thanks TB, Andy, Baza

34

Omega General Help / Re: Alternator

« on: 12 November 2023, 18:31:15 »

Close call, Lizzie, sounds as if you've been through it, probably mentally as well as physically…….

Lizzie, fingers crossed for you. Be prepared after the operation to be affected emotionally. I went from not giving a shit to being emotionally shot to shit. I would well up over nothing during a normal conversation. Physically I was on the mend but emotionally I’m not sure it’ll ever leave me, so it may pay to forewarn your family of this.
I spent three months solid in Harefield Hospital (2 major operations just 2 days apart) and can’t praise them up enough. Good luck, I hope they get you sorted. 
Oh, and I wasn’t allowed to drive for twelve weeks, which did not please my Mrs as she became my chauffeur. 

Thanks


Oh yes, already I have had moments of really feeling sorry for myself.  Something that my parents did not do when they faced shit, and that is,normally., the way I am.  Hard, Businesswoman, who takes the falls and punches without much self pity.............not now though!!

35

Omega General Help / Re: Alternator

« on: 12 November 2023, 18:26:22 »

Oh My God good thing you phoned 999 and got a quick response.You know that I am nearby I will send you my phone number by message ring me if I can be of any help.Love Ron

Ah, thanks Ron.  That is kind 

36

Omega General Help / Re: Alternator

« on: 12 November 2023, 18:21:53 »

Close call, Lizzie, sounds as if you've been through it, probably mentally as well as physically. Glad things worked out the way they did, I'm sure you know how close you came to it happening in a different place at the wrong time.
I believe that women are far more likely to be unaware that they've suffered a heart attack than men. We tend to winge and moan about such things, whereas women just crack on. Stop worrying about that fickin old jalopy and start worrying about yourself.
A triple bypass is actually not as scary as you might think, a friend of mine collapsed playing tennis the other month and had to have a quadruple. He is up and about and feeling fitter than he has been for years. I sincerely hope you have a similar outcome.
You'll be sick with worry but, as you have made it this far, things should work out ok. Do nothing, let others take the strain, there is absolutely nothing that can't wait until you're feeling better.

Thanks for that Steve. That is reassuring.  I would be a liar if said I wasn't some what fearful of whatever is to come. But I am from a family of strong survivors, most who lived until their late 80's after big health events. I will survive!

My Omega certainly cannot be of any concern at the moment.  It will be when I can return to driving that it will again become very important to me

37

Omega General Help / Re: Alternator

« on: 12 November 2023, 16:41:38 »

....well, Futher to the above......
When I went to the Vx dealer to await the availability of the GSF alternator,  I did not feel good. In fact just walking from a taxi to the doors of the dealer, a matter of yards, a breathlessness that had been affecting me for about two weeks was considerable worse.  I virtually collapsed into the dealers waiting area seating and struggled to get some sort of breath.   After 10 minutes I was just able to meet the service manager and by then explain the latest difficulties in obtaining an alternator for my car that was still in their workshop.  I just managed to complete the exercise to purchase the AS product, and then go home via a lift given to me by Caffyns.

Once I walked into my flat, via, thank God,  a lift, I could only fall onto my bed.  Decided to phone my doctors in an attempt to see them before my booked appointment, but no luck.  Just offered a possible phonecall that afternoon.  I explained that would be too late.  I needed to speak to my doctor "now".  Predictably when I explained my symptoms I was advised to ring 999!
So I did, and was given a full emergency status after the initial 999 booking with a senior ambulanc call handler asking for further information.  An ambulance turned up within minutes, and two full paramedics immediately connected me to their electronic devices, with ECG printouts produced.  The senior of the two looked at all the readings,and additional manual checks on me.  He said one part of the ECG readings were "needing further urgent assessment. He rang the Cardiac department at the Ashford main regional hospital.  The ECG was wired to them.  The response was a great shock. .I has suffered a heart attack about two weeks before!  The instruction of the cardiac doctors was to rush me in at full emergency speed direct to their operating theatre for an attempt to give me surgery. 

On blues & two's the ambulance took just about 5 minutes to get to the hospital, which normally takes me 15 to 20 minutes to arrive at.

Once there I found myself surrounded by the two paramedics and 8 cardiac doctors / surgeons.  I was taken into the operating theatre and for almost three hours their leading surgeon attempted to unblock three main blood supplies to my heart.  He failed to do so.  I was then given a brief explanation that my heart was damaged, and i
t was being fed blood via just one remaining main source.  Only a full corrective operation would save me .  I was transferred to the CCU for full monitoring, assessment, x-rays, further eggs, and temporary medication to delay further damage and possible death.
Currently I am awaiting transfer to the St Thomas Hospital London who have accepted me as an emergency case, where they will assess the situation and decide on the correct operation(s) to be carried out. I have been advised that a triple heart bypass is very much an option. 

So, not only has my beloved Omega broken down, but so have I!  Cannot really believe it all - I still don't think I have had a heart attack, as it just did not happen as I thought heart attacks did!

Oh well, I hope in about six weeks I will be able to legally and physically drive my Omega again. But we shall see.
,

38

Omega General Help / Re: Alternator

« on: 12 November 2023, 15:40:24 »

I'll happily help you out Lizzie, and you sure as hell won't need a loan for the privilege... it's what forums are all about

Ah, thanks James

I may need your help with my Omega......

None of you may believe this, but my alternator break down became almost a fatal disaster, not just for the car but me!..

First the  Lucas alternator that my dealer and I sourced from Eurocar parts, although listed for a 3.2 Omega, could not be fitted after the defunct original was removed.  Mechanically it did fit....the problem was the electrical terminals at its rear were in the wrong place!!  The live in particular was too far away for the wiring o reach, and even the run of the neutral  across the back plate was all wrong!  No matter how the VX mechanic tried, only the special ordering and manufacturing of new cables, which the service Manager said could cost as much as the alternator would, could resolve the issue.  We both agreed this was not viable.  The Lucas product was immediately returned to the local Eurocar parts store just across the road for a full refund.
So the Vx Service Manger Marc,
 and I researched the few alternators now available for an Omega online (ignoring a Bosch original at £611 , and so called replacements on eBay due to the associated risks of such purchases , and the distinct possibility of having badly positioned terminals that we could not verify!!!!) .

First I ordered the (it was agreed it was cheaper for me to buy it rather than it go through the dealers books) Elstock alternator from GSF, a supplier used by the Vx dealer which had the same positioning of terminals as the original. Waited for the part to arrive at the GSF branch just up the road...and waited until the day they said it would arrive.. waited in the Caffyns main dealer......then GSF rang me and explained the alternator would not be delivered due to no stocks being available! 

So,sat down again at the service managers computer and looked at alternatives with the right terminals - time and time again, wrong terminal positioning or simply no stock available for a Vx 3.2 Omega!!   Eventually Marc found a AS alternator at Autodoc that fitted the specifications required.  Ordered it and after four days it arrived via Poland and Germany.  My daughter delivered it to the Vx dealership after being correctly sent to my home address, and it was successfully fitted the next day.  Hurray!!! ! It also cost just £107, £90 cheaper than the others ordered and without  the surcharge hassle.

But, there is more to this story.....
..

39

General Car Chat / Re: Wrote my car off today!

« on: 12 November 2023, 14:35:21 »

That is awful bad luck Varche
, but at least you or noone else was hurt

Hope you soon find a replacement car.

40

Omega General Help / Re: Alternator

« on: 22 October 2023, 15:57:27 »

[quote author=Lizzie Zoom link=topic=150604.msg2032576#msg2032576 date=1697978228]
.......
  Yep Andy, age catches up with us and things we would easily do in our 20's suddenly becomes very hard.

And speaking as an older male, things that used to be very hard in your 20's aren't so hard, or don't stay as hard for so long.   
[/quote]

  Did we want to know that!  

41

Omega General Help / Re: Alternator

« on: 22 October 2023, 13:37:08 »

I'd do the same  Lizzy .... I even paid someone recently to replace the brake shoes & cylinders on my Smart  .... and I use spanners for a living.

    Yep Andy, age catches up with us and things we would easily do in our 20's suddenly becomes very hard.

42

Omega General Help / Re: Alternator

« on: 21 October 2023, 17:35:19 »

Rarely the alternator dead. Usually the regulator on the back of the alternator needs replacing. I got mine from the company below, on the recommendation of Kevin Woof if my memory serves.

https://www.rotatingelectrics.co.uk/search?q=Vauxhall+omega+regulator&options%5Bprefix%5D=last&type=product

Mid Ulster Rotating Electrics are very helpful  , RobG put me on to them.

Lizzie:
Removing/re-fitting the alternator is fiddly rather than difficult, mainly due to undoing the bolts by feel from above rather than sight. Once removed, the regulator takes about two minutes to swap so no issue there.    It’s just a shame that the alternator won’t drop out the bottom, it has to come upward. From memory, disconnect battery, disconnect lead from alternator **, remove air filter to ram intake pipe, remove alternator belt and then feel for the bolts with a socket and spanner. Once removed, swap regulator for the new one and reassemble. I’m sure others will correct me if I’ve forgotten anything. Definitely doable though. 

**  You can either jack the car up and crawl under it to undo the alternator lead or remove the lead from above once the alternator is free from its fixings. 

In my day I would have done all that, and more, but not now.  My joints, fingers and back just can't take it.  And with the current weather..............

43

Omega General Help / Re: Alternator

« on: 21 October 2023, 17:33:22 »

Well it will be easier than changing the one on my Austin A40 hot rod as it sits on top of the chassis

    there have been many times when I wish I still had the simplicity of the mechanics of an A40!!

44

Omega General Help / Re: Alternator

« on: 21 October 2023, 17:30:08 »

That price probably excludes the excess for the exchange part, so your maths might be round the wrong way LZ

I agree, the alternator fault is more likely to be the regulator pack on the back, which is the cheaper fix.

Alternator is a bit fiddly on the Omega, but not difficult.  Like many jobs, access can feel tight.  Be defo do-able.


But the first thing you must do *RIGHT NOW* is get that battery off and on charge.  Leave it a day or 2 and I promise the battery will be shagged.

Well all I can say is that the AA guy, who was a Vx mechanic working on the Carltons, Senators, and Omegas did his diagnostic check and concluded the alternator had expired.  Not surprising really on a 20 year car with the original in place.  I had one expire on a 6 month old Ford Cortina estate back in the day, and what I experienced then was the same this time.

Frankly, for the price all in, and yes I have had confirmation that I get my £47 back with the old unit, which comes at a nett price inc. VAT of £87, I cannot deal with all the hassle of mucking around now.  nA Vx dealer who I know and trust is assisting me with all the arrangements, and the AA are on standby to take it to them on the day using one of their own batteries that will cover the short distance.  Before they left me the other day, they used a charger to start the car and recharge the battery just a little for all the electrics to work.  I understand though that the 2.5 year old battery could now be u/s, but I'll cross that bridge on the day.

Thanks for all the advice though, but it is just a shame that I, now 70 years young,  cannot deal with all the hassle of doing it all myself on a part that is fiddly to get to.  Also, for the set price quoted professionals can check everything out.  I may well get them to test the regulator pack before fitting the new alternator. They can aLso check the battery as suggested.

 

45

Omega General Help / Re: Alternator

« on: 20 October 2023, 16:56:29 »

Caffyns, my local main dealer, has been the first to come back with a price.  £200 for fitting, I supply the £134 alternator.

I think that is fair, and I am even getting a 4 month 0% interest loan to pay for it.  Then I also get £47 back on the old part when returned to Europarts.

No I can relax over the weekend, as I expected a far higher overall bill knowing only all too well what Omega's cost to keep going!!   It will be a £1,000 for this year with cam belt changed, rear brake pads replaced, steering box fluid changed, two new rear tyres, new double exhaust back from cats, and now alternator replacement!   Oh well, such is life