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[rollacorolla]

Hi all,

On Saturday I collected my Omega 3.0 V6 Elite W Reg. It has 69,000 miles on it (maybe a little more as the ABS ECU was out of action for a couple of months before being replaced). All seemed fine when I gave it a once over and took it for a test drive. The previous owner had replaced the cambelt and tensioner (he gave me the receipt and old parts as proof) and said it had just had an oil change.

But... I've now noticed the infamous hot oil smell inside the car when idling. I have looked through the forums and will give the engine a good clean (it's filthy), check the pollen filters, check the coolant hoses (these feel scrunchy, not firm, so will replace). etc. There does seem to be a fair bit of oil on and around the engine which could indicate the cam cover gaskets need replacing.

Also, the coolant sensor warning comes on so I'm planning a coolant flush. I will also change oil, fuel and air filters and the oil (which looks really dirty), but that's about the limit of my mechanical knowledge. I've had a look at the guide to replace the cam cover gaskets and that is beyond my capability. I'm thinking to change the ATF fluid too if that's not too difficult.

Otherwise the car looks good, the interior is fine, it drives fine.

I have e-mailed a Vauxhall agent to ask them if they can give it a once over and give me a report. I would appreciate any advice from other forum members - is there an Omega expert anywhere near High Wycombe who could take a look at it and advise me? Do I have any recourse with the seller - he assured me there was nothing wrong with the car and sold it to me as a trader even though it was his personal car.

Many thanks.

[Nick W]

That's all  normal! I've yet to see an Omega that didn't have a filthy engine. The cause of that, camcover gaskets, is a fiddly job not a difficult one. I'd say that the ATF change is a worse job.
A little basic maintenance should make a usable car.

[powerslinky]

Coolant sensor warning ?   do you mean "low coolant" warning?  Provided coolant is showing the correct level , it's usually

the float sensor in the coolant header tank. Try giving it a few prods with a screwdriver this sometimes will cure it . If not ,

sensor is not replaceable  . . . new header tank needed . . . but only about £35.

Am a bit concerned that you have asked a vauxhall dealer for a report . . . could come back with a list as long as your arm & a repair estimate close to a sizable lottery win

Hence VX dealers are known as "Stealers" on here.

Best to post up another request for one of the mechanics on here to check it out for you IMO

Unless an omega is purchased from a known source /friend etc. where full recent history is known , they all need a bit of sorting out .

If cam covers are leaking  . . it's too late, but regular breather cleaning is essential.

Any uneven wear on the front tyres ?   another omega nasty point to look for which means worn wishbones .

Hopefully you have got the wallet with the manuals in & more importantly the "Car Pass"  which is a credit card sized card

with the cars codes on for keys & radio/CD etc.

So . . .  have you brought a lemon ?     Unlikely . . . as said they all need some sort of work on them purely from the age .

On the upside  . .  most things are covered in the maintenance guides

HTH      regards, Al

[Sir Tigger KC]

I wouldn't bother with the Vauxhall Dealer for repairs.    Try sending JamesV6CDX a PM as he is near you and might be willing to check it over, although I'm not sure if he is doing work on cars at the moment.    Worth a try though. 

[robson]

James is the man in your area top man.

[Diamond Black Geezer]

In the nicest possible way, the Vauxhall Dealers know sweet fa about them. Only a few weeks ago one OOFer was in one, getting a part, and the chap at the desk casually mentioned "oh. I didn't know Vauxhall made a car called the Omega"

 

Every problem you've mentioned is actually very sortable, and, provided you havent paid the earth for the car in the first place, most likely got yourself a fair old bargain. Maintain the stuff that needs maintaining and she'll look after you for biiiig miles. We're talking a quarter of a million, if the German Police's standards are anything to go by.

additional:
Mechanic mate who mends Omegas took the 2 litre engine out of a scrapper, and fitted it in a local taxi. The engine was running sweet as a nut and done at the point of removal.....


333,329 miles.

 

[terry paget]

If it drives well and got you home, and has no engine light on, I reckon you're OK. Engine smelling of hot oil sounds like cam cover gasket gone. With engine hot open the bonnet and see if you can see smoke rising either side. If you can, that is the side that has gone. Changing it is quite a job, involving taking off the entire inlet manifold. It will have been caused by blocked breathers, so that will need doing as well.

When I buy a used Omega I always make sure I can undo all the wheel nuts, then jack it up and see if I can get the wheels off. If you have a decent jack and an axle stand, you can support it safely to allow you to inspect the steering, suspension, exhaust, etc. If you cannot get nuts or wheels off come back here, get advice, and get them off.

Check that all the lights work, and all the electrics, wipers, horns, washers, radio, etc. they probably do and that will comfort you. Change air filter and pollen filter, they are easy, fuel filter is trickier, do it later.

Good luck and welcome to the forum. You will get lots of good advice here.

[rollacorolla]

Wow, thank you all so much for your replies - it's much more of a response than I had expected. I'm feeling a lot happier about my Omega now, and it's good to know that you guys on OOF are so willing to help. 

I've got all the manuals, paperwork and car pass. I'll jack it up and get all the wheels off to check underneath, give the engine a wipe down, change air and pollen filters. It has the old metal type oil filter so I'll see if I can get that off, change it and do an oil change (does anyone have a part number for that type of oil filter?). I'll have a go at changing the coolant too. Then I'll get in touch with James as recommended for the cam cover gaskets.

Oh yeah and I'll cancel my booking with the Stealers 

Many thanks again. You guys are brilliant 

[omega3000]

Any gunk/mayo in the oil filler neck ? Pull the breathers off and see if they are full of the same gunk .

[05omegav6]

Service items are cheaply bought genuine... the savings on pattern aren't worth worrying about imho, but always ask for best price. Same goes for oil, VX/Chevrolet often have 4 for 3 offers on, again insist on best price

[Diamond Black Geezer]

Wow, thank you all so much for your replies - it's much more of a response than I had expected. I'm feeling a lot happier about my Omega now, and it's good to know that you guys on OOF are so willing to help. 

I've got all the manuals, paperwork and car pass. I'll jack it up and get all the wheels off to check underneath, give the engine a wipe down, change air and pollen filters. It has the old metal type oil filter so I'll see if I can get that off, change it and do an oil change (does anyone have a part number for that type of oil filter?). I'll have a go at changing the coolant too. Then I'll get in touch with James as recommended for the cam cover gaskets.

Oh yeah and I'll cancel my booking with the Stealers 

Many thanks again. You guys are brilliant 

The good old VOF93 - been used on Vauxhalls since Henry VIII ran one.  Later V6, the 2.6 and 3.2s (and 2.5/3.0 FLs, as well?) have an inferior cartridge paper jobby that is knownt to break, may people retro-fit the older type filter on theirs.

Get on Autobahnstormers before you spend a penny, and join the Trade Club. Much written about this elsewhere on OOF, shan't repeat. Basically will save you more than the price of joining in the first trip to your Vx dealer in cheaper parts. As you're new to Omega ownership, you'd have plenty of bits to be buying. When you have a list of service items together, worth giving a member called Keith B a message. (he is a head honcho in the ABS, too) as he does cheap Vx service items for the Omega.

Welcome!

[Andy B]

... Later V6, the 2.6 and 3.2s (and 2.5/3.0 FLs, as well?)

. and 99 MFL 3.0s

have an inferior cartridge paper jobby that is known to break, many people retro-fit the older type filter on theirs.

 ....

Mine never broke in 90k miles worth of oil changes over 10 yrs ...... I put down to people not knowing how to use a 24 mm ring spanner/socket to undo it or have any idea what 25Nm of torque is ....... or maybe how to use a torque wrench. There have been cases here where people have even sheared bolts off when using said torque wrench  Did the wrench 'break' or did they not feel it 'break' and carry on swinging off it?

[TheBoy]

Find out if your local dealer does tradeclub, if so, get a card (ABS forum), and you'll save good money on standard service items.

Obviously we can guide you on when to buy genuine, and when not to.

Opinions will always vary. For example, I thing the later oil filter is better than the earlier type, far less messy to change. Others think opposite.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Hi all,

On Saturday I collected my Omega 3.0 V6 Elite W Reg. It has 69,000 miles on it (maybe a little more as the ABS ECU was out of action for a couple of months before being replaced). All seemed fine when I gave it a once over and took it for a test drive. The previous owner had replaced the cambelt and tensioner (he gave me the receipt and old parts as proof) and said it had just had an oil change.

But... I've now noticed the infamous hot oil smell inside the car when idling. I have looked through the forums and will give the engine a good clean (it's filthy), check the pollen filters, check the coolant hoses (these feel scrunchy, not firm, so will replace). etc. There does seem to be a fair bit of oil on and around the engine which could indicate the cam cover gaskets need replacing.

Also, the coolant sensor warning comes on so I'm planning a coolant flush. I will also change oil, fuel and air filters and the oil (which looks really dirty), but that's about the limit of my mechanical knowledge. I've had a look at the guide to replace the cam cover gaskets and that is beyond my capability. I'm thinking to change the ATF fluid too if that's not too difficult.

Otherwise the car looks good, the interior is fine, it drives fine.

I have e-mailed a Vauxhall agent to ask them if they can give it a once over and give me a report. I would appreciate any advice from other forum members - is there an Omega expert anywhere near High Wycombe who could take a look at it and advise me? Do I have any recourse with the seller - he assured me there was nothing wrong with the car and sold it to me as a trader even though it was his personal car.

Many thanks.

Money down the drain, I'm afraid.....and costly.

[robson]

Do all VX dealers give Autobahnstormers discount.

[RobG]

Do all VX dealers give Autobahnstormers discount.

Nope

[05omegav6]

Do all VX dealers give Autobahnstormers discount.

Nope

Trade Club dealers only, but most will haggle on service items, hence always ask for best price/promotion/deal.

Expect to pay near full whack for special order parts, but if you buy enough then you should get summat off most things...

[rollacorolla]

Right, got started this morning with cleaning out the scuttle and removing the pollen filter. Removed 4 fistfuls of mud from the passenger side scuttle and the pollen filter looks like it's the original!

Now on to the air filter. I assume I just remove the torx bolts on the air filter casing? Can't find a guide so it must be pretty straightforward. (10 minutes later) Damn, spoke too soon. I can only get 2 of the 5 torx bolts loose - the heads of the other 3 are rusted and the torx driver just spins round. Seems like someone else tried to get them off before me. Any ideas?

One other thing - the driver's door does not stay open when in fully open position - it just swings back usually onto my leg or head  Is this something I can sort out?
Cheers.

[Andy B]

...
I can only get 2 of the 5 torx bolts loose - the heads of the other 3 are rusted and the torx driver just spins round. Seems like someone else tried to get them off before me. Any ideas?

Does the complete airbox come out with it's lid on?    Maybe saw a slot in the head for a flat blade screw driver 

One other thing - the driver's door does not stay open when in fully open position - it just swings back usually onto my leg or head  Is this something I can sort out?
Cheers.

http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=90510.0   

[Diamond Black Geezer]

May be worth, at some stage getting an earlier airbox, with clips, which means filters can be done easily by hand. No idea why they replaced a part which requires no tools, with one that does, and invariably will rust and wear - as yours has)

Seriously - unless you've already bought £50worth of stuff, get and join the ABS first - you'll be astonished at how cheap service items are - the VOF93 for instance is £1!! Yes, a pound! Keith at ABS does a service kit - 6 x plugs, pollen filter, air filter, fuel filter, oil filter for £29... that's a saving of about £5 over TC price, and about £15 over normal Vauxhall retail price, iirc (which I rarely do, but either way, it's ruddy cheap) 

[rollacorolla]

I will definitely join the ABS today. Haven't bought anything yet.

I'm trying to take the air filter box out now. I disconnected the outlet hose, pulled out the 3 push-in connectors, but I'm not sure how to disconnect the inlet hose...

[05omegav6]

It just pulls off

[TheBoy]

Do all VX dealers give Autobahnstormers discount.

Nope

Trade Club dealers only, but most will haggle on service items, hence always ask for best price/promotion/deal.

Expect to pay near full whack for special order parts, but if you buy enough then you should get summat off most things...

My Tradeclub dealer gives me TC prices on TC items (obviously), trade price on everything else (irrespective of if its special order etc).  And delivers for free (which is convenient, as its a 40 mile round trip).

[JamesV6CDX]

Where in Oxfordshire are you?

[TheBoy]

I will definitely join the ABS today. Haven't bought anything yet.

I'm trying to take the air filter box out now. I disconnected the outlet hose, pulled out the 3 push-in connectors, but I'm not sure how to disconnect the inlet hose...

Undo pipe going to MAF. First time you do, you may want to remove this elbow completely for space.

Lift the edge nearest engine (to release the peg going in the rubber grommet), you may need to manhandle around coolant hose on V6.

Pull edge nearest wing away to release the 2 pegs from their grommets.

Lift airbox out and back, the inlet hose will either detach or come out with airbox, doesn't matter which.

[rollacorolla]

Thanks Taxi Al 
I've now joined ABS after calling local Vx Stealer who wanted £21.50 for an air filter 

[rollacorolla]

Where in Oxfordshire are you?

Hi James, I sent you an e-mail. Will pm you now.

[TheBoy]

Thanks Taxi Al 
I've now joined ABS after calling local Vx Stealer who wanted £21.50 for an air filter 

Not sure which dealers in Oxfordshire still do Tradeclub. I know Skurrays in Kidlington do, as that's who I use.  I *think* Bellenders in the Benson/Dorchester area might...

[05omegav6]

Thanks Taxi Al 
I've now joined ABS after calling local Vx Stealer who wanted £21.50 for an air filter 

Fair enough when I was doing 1000ish miles a week, I was buying a fair amount of service items and only ever paid trade for off the shelf parts. You really have to insist sometimes with oil offers, but find a Tradeclub dealer and you should be sorted with an ABS card

[TheBoy]

Thanks Taxi Al 
I've now joined ABS after calling local Vx Stealer who wanted £21.50 for an air filter 

Fair enough when I was doing 1000ish miles a week, I was buying a fair amount of service items and only ever paid trade for off the shelf parts. You really have to insist sometimes with oil offers, but find a Tradeclub dealer and you should be sorted with an ABS card

The 4 for 3 offer on semi synth has ended now (still on fully synth), but TC price for a 20l drum is £26+VAT

[05omegav6]

That's a bloody good price... When does it end?

[TheBoy]

That's a bloody good price... When does it end?

Dunno, my logon has stopped working.  I'll have to reactivate the email addr I used

[TheBoy]

Got back on to TC, its either ended, or was a dealer offer (though I'm sure the leaflet he was getting part numbers from was a TC flyer)

[terry paget]

Thanks Taxi Al 
I've now joined ABS after calling local Vx Stealer who wanted £21.50 for an air filter 

Not sure which dealers in Oxfordshire still do Tradeclub. I know Skurrays in Kidlington do, as that's who I use.  I *think* Bellenders in the Benson/Dorchester area might...

Sorry to say Bellingers Grove and Abingdon no longer do trade club

[terry paget]

Right, got started this morning with cleaning out the scuttle and removing the pollen filter. Removed 4 fistfuls of mud from the passenger side scuttle and the pollen filter looks like it's the original!

Now on to the air filter. I assume I just remove the torx bolts on the air filter casing? Can't find a guide so it must be pretty straightforward. (10 minutes later) Damn, spoke too soon. I can only get 2 of the 5 torx bolts loose - the heads of the other 3 are rusted and the torx driver just spins round. Seems like someone else tried to get them off before me. Any ideas?

One other thing - the driver's door does not stay open when in fully open position - it just swings back usually onto my leg or head  Is this something I can sort out?
Cheers.

Driver's door strap failing is a well known Omega problem. There is a repair kit of bits you can buy from Vauxhall dealers to repair it. It is all described in a maintenance guide.
i

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Do all VX dealers give Autobahnstormers discount.

Nope

Trade Club dealers only, but most will haggle on service items, hence always ask for best price/promotion/deal.

Expect to pay near full whack for special order parts, but if you buy enough then you should get summat off most things...

My Tradeclub dealer gives me TC prices on TC items (obviously), trade price on everything else (irrespective of if its special order etc).  And delivers for free (which is convenient, as its a 40 mile round trip).

...........and that Rob is what I enjoy at Caffyns, Orbital Park, with first my ABS card, then it became the norm for years now!

[rollacorolla]

Thanks for all the advice, guys. So far I've managed the coolant flush (the old coolant was looking distinctly yellow  ), removed the pollen filter, cleaned the mud out of the scuttle drains, removed the air filter and cleaned the box. Coolant warning has gone but now I'm getting a brake light warning, so will check wires, connectors and bulbs tomorrow. I'll get onto Keith at ABS and order the service kit, fit the pollen and air filters and change the oil and oil filter. I've made an appointment with JamesV6CDX in a couple of weeks for the rest of the stuff that's beyond my limited mechanical knowledge 

[terry paget]

May be worth, at some stage getting an earlier airbox, with clips, which means filters can be done easily by hand. No idea why they replaced a part which requires no tools, with one that does, and invariably will rust and wear - as yours has)

Seriously - unless you've already bought £50worth of stuff, get and join the ABS first - you'll be astonished at how cheap service items are - the VOF93 for instance is £1!! Yes, a pound! Keith at ABS does a service kit - 6 x plugs, pollen filter, air filter, fuel filter, oil filter for £29... that's a saving of about £5 over TC price, and about £15 over normal Vauxhall retail price, iirc (which I rarely do, but either way, it's ruddy cheap) 

It would help if we knew where in Oxfordshire you are. I reveal my postcode, then the forum marks me on a map. No member has called in 4 years.
I mention it as I have an old type air box on my garage floor awaiting dumping. In case JamesV6CDX fails to open yours I could deliver mine to you any Friday if you are in the right area of Oxfordshire, as I travel to Didcot every Friday.

[rollacorolla]

It would help if we knew where in Oxfordshire you are. I reveal my postcode, then the forum marks me on a map. No member has called in 4 years.
I mention it as I have an old type air box on my garage floor awaiting dumping. In case JamesV6CDX fails to open yours I could deliver mine to you any Friday if you are in the right area of Oxfordshire, as I travel to Didcot every Friday.

Thanks for the offer, Terry, but I finally managed to get the air box off.
Cheers.

[rollacorolla]

A couple more things I've noticed on my Omega:
1. A couple of times recently I've noticed a whirring noise coming from the drivers side of the engine when I turn the ignition before starting. Could that be the fuel pump? Is it normal? Maybe its just the cold weather recently...
2. Yesterday the fuel light came on... just after I had put in 20 litres  The fuel light glows bright when I am low on fuel, but this was different - it was just lit dimly. At one stage the gauge went from about 1/4 full right down into the red (together with bright fuel light), then after about 5 minutes recovered back to 1/4 full and dim fuel light.
3. I've flushed the coolant and replaced with fresh and am still getting the coolant level warning. The float inside the tank seems to be ok. I guess I can live with regularly checking the coolant.
Grateful for any advice as always 
Cheers.

[05omegav6]

First thing will be the self leveling pump for the rear suspension. Perfectly normal

The petrol light should always be lit as brightly as the rest of the gauges, getting brighter when the level gets low... tbat it is on and oiff intermittently suggests a connection issue with the bulb...

Does it need topping up? If no, then sender is faulty. New coolant tank is the only fix.

If yes, you have a leak in one of three places (usually): HBV, radiator or oil cooler cover plate

[biggriffin]

Thanks Taxi Al 
I've now joined ABS after calling local Vx Stealer who wanted £21.50 for an air filter 

Fair enough when I was doing 1000ish miles a week, I was buying a fair amount of service items and only ever paid trade for off the shelf parts. You really have to insist sometimes with oil offers, but find a Tradeclub dealer and you should be sorted with an ABS card

The 4 for 3 offer on semi synth has ended now (still on fully synth), but TC price for a 20l drum is £26.00+vat

Is that 5/30 demos?

[05omegav6]

Read that to be 10w40, with 5w30 still being on 4 for 3...

[YZ250]

Thanks Taxi Al 
I've now joined ABS after calling local Vx Stealer who wanted £21.50 for an air filter 

Not sure which dealers in Oxfordshire still do Tradeclub. I know Skurrays in Kidlington do, as that's who I use.  I *think* Bellenders in the Benson/Dorchester area might...

Gurneys of Benson ceased trading altogether in early 2009 I believe. 

[rollacorolla]

Thanks Taxi Al 
I've now joined ABS after calling local Vx Stealer who wanted £21.50 for an air filter 

Not sure which dealers in Oxfordshire still do Tradeclub. I know Skurrays in Kidlington do, as that's who I use.  I *think* Bellenders in the Benson/Dorchester area might...

Gurneys of Benson ceased trading altogether in early 2009 I believe. 

Burnham Garage in Slough is the closest I can find who do the 20 litre drums of 10W40 and still take TC (£26.50 + VAT). Apparently only 80 TC outlets remaining in the UK now.

[rollacorolla]

Oh and I take back what I said about buying a lemon. There are a few things to sort out on her, but so far I love my Omega 

[Diamond Black Geezer]

Oh and I take back what I said about buying a lemon. There are a few things to sort out on her, but so far I love my Omega 

HAHAAARR!! Glad to hear it!! Cant wait to see more of your progress