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Author Topic: "The Shed" - My Omega 2.5 TD CDX Auto Estate  (Read 11319 times)

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Scatmancraig

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Re: "The Shed" - My Omega 2.5 TD CDX Auto Estate
« Reply #30 on: 25 August 2016, 19:17:04 »

As the cooling issue continues, despite fitting a new water pump, I thought I'd bite the bullet and order a new radiator.  Tried a couple of UK based websites advertising them for less than £100, but both didn't actually have any, despite the websites showing that they have!

So in the end I found a German based company that did have some in stock, £96 delivered and it arrived yesterday...





It certainly looks a lot nicer than the one fitted to my car.  It has the correct unions for the autobox cooler pipes, and currently has blanking plugs where the two fan switches go.  The only thing that I noticed was that this replacement radiator is only about 2/3 the thickness of the one fitted to the car.  So i'm wondering if this will actually make any difference when fitted or not?  I've ordered a new thermostat as well, so with that, the radiator and the new pump fitted recently, there's no reason why it shouldn't stay cool unless there are other more worrying issues with the engine.

So with the extra day off this weekend, I will hopefully be carrying out the following jobs:

Replace the radiator and thermostat.
Change the gearbox oil filter, fluid and both sump gaskets.
Flush the engine oil and replace the oil and filter (I only did it 500 miles ago but I'm doing it again to try and shift any more crap that might be lurking within blocking things up).

The other job that I need to do is to investigate what appears to be a dodgy auxiliary belt tensioner.  My car has a tendancy to stall when cold, which I'm guessing is down to worn out glow plugs as its fine when hot.  If the car stalls, the engine suddenly stopping throws the tensioner wheel off so it completely slackens the belt.  A quick prod with a long bar usually springs it back into its correct place, but I've no idea why it does it in the first place?  It's only been happening since I slackened the belt to replace the water pump, so I guess I've broken something?
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Scatmancraig

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Re: "The Shed" - My Omega 2.5 TD CDX Auto Estate
« Reply #31 on: 17 September 2016, 21:09:44 »

Well its been a while since I've updated, so here goes...

A few weeks ago I changed the rather tired looking radiator for the shiny new one, see if you can work out which one is which....



At the same time as changing the rad, I also changed the thermostat too.  So the car now has a new rad, thermostat and water pump, lets see the bugger overheat now!!!

Also on the agenda a few weeks ago was a full transmission fluid and filter change.  Was straightforward enough to do, except I realised that a previous owner had bodged the filler plug on the large sump with chemical metal.  There was also evidence that the sump wasn't quite flat on that corner.  When I finally removed the chemical metal, the filler plug was a bit rounded off.  So I guess someone had made a very poor attempt at removing the plug previously.  Top that off with two of the large sump pan bolts stripping their threads (both next to each other too), and I was not having a good day.  But the need for a working car and a lack of a spare sump pan or helicoil kit meant that I had to throw it back together and hope for the best. 

Final job of the day was another oil and filter change, with an engine flush additive before I dropped the old oil.  I did this a few weeks ago, but I did it again just to give the engine every chance to be clean internally.  I managed to acquire a dipstick tube o-ring from the local BMW main stealers.  So now I have a dipstick tube that doesn't flop about!

Initial test drives showed a bit of progress, especially on the overheating front.  Not, the viscous fan only kicks in after the engine has been stood idling in traffic for a while, and soon stops again after getting back on the move.  Weirdly, the temp gauge still reads exactly the same as before, i.e. normal running temp is just over 90 degrees. It still gets hot fairly quickly if you floor it for long periods, but cools down just as quickly if you ease off.  But for me, I know I've made an improvement as that bloody noisy fan isn't deafening me all of the time.  I reckon that I could get it to run even cooler if I got a new rad the same thickness as the original one was, the one in it now is not much morethan half as thick.

Next on the list of jobs is to replace the auxiliary belt tensioner damper thingy.  When cold, the engine does sometimes stall if you wind too much steering lock on without any revs.  This then throws the tensioner off the belt.  It's easy enough to reach under and flick the tensioner back into place, just annoying to have to keep doing it.  After spending over £500 on a £250 car, I'm trying to eek as many miles out of it as I can before I spend anymore.  But I will get a new tensioner damper next time I'm paid.

Other than the above, the car has been faultlessly reliable.  Done a couple of longer journeys in it, and getting over 40mpg too.  There's such a massive gap between the mpg around town and on the open road. I really struggle toget more than 25mpg around town, I'd like to meet the idiot that decided that a super-slippy torque converter was a good idea, the punch him hard in the face.  I'm not interested in accelerating quickly, I just want to waft about on the cheap!!!
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Doctor Gollum

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Re: "The Shed" - My Omega 2.5 TD CDX Auto Estate
« Reply #32 on: 18 September 2016, 14:33:48 »

If you can buy high stall TCs, then presumably you can buy low stall ones :-\
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Nick W

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Re: "The Shed" - My Omega 2.5 TD CDX Auto Estate
« Reply #33 on: 18 September 2016, 15:13:51 »


Other than the above, the car has been faultlessly reliable.  Done a couple of longer journeys in it, and getting over 40mpg too.  There's such a massive gap between the mpg around town and on the open road. I really struggle toget more than 25mpg around town, I'd like to meet the idiot that decided that a super-slippy torque converter was a good idea, the punch him hard in the face.  I'm not interested in accelerating quickly, I just want to waft about on the cheap!!!


But that's what this gearbox does! Even if you give it full throttle you can still feel each gear gently  slip into the next one. A tighter converter will make for much 'harder' and quicker shifts.


Your round town MPG is poor because constantly accelerating 1700kgs takes a considerable amount of power.
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Diamond Black Geezer

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Re: "The Shed" - My Omega 2.5 TD CDX Auto Estate
« Reply #34 on: 19 September 2016, 09:46:00 »

Also I weep at 25mpg round town. 19mpg is my real-world round town mpg, but when I owned the Weasel it wasnt much better. My average indicated is on the display 22mpg on Pissy, and was about 22-24mpg on the Turbo Weasel.

Honestly, 25 to the gallon round town sounds pretty good, actually, mate.


Also re: "Next on the list of jobs is to replace the auxiliary belt tensioner damper thingy.  When cold, the engine does sometimes stall if you wind too much steering lock on without any revs. " I can say the Weasel did similar (didn't quite stall, but clearly wasn't far off.)  :)


Are you sorted for a replacement sump pan, yet? Got mine back, all spick and span, minus the plug. (which was rounded)  :)
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Re: "The Shed" - My Omega 2.5 TD CDX Auto Estate
« Reply #35 on: 19 September 2016, 21:29:33 »

Have you striped down the viscous clutch on the fan? you can refurb then to run better I used to have a tutorial for it when I had my bmw, Im sure I can find if you need it
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Scatmancraig

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Re: "The Shed" - My Omega 2.5 TD CDX Auto Estate
« Reply #36 on: 21 September 2016, 10:23:00 »

Also I weep at 25mpg round town. 19mpg is my real-world round town mpg, but when I owned the Weasel it wasnt much better. My average indicated is on the display 22mpg on Pissy, and was about 22-24mpg on the Turbo Weasel.

Honestly, 25 to the gallon round town sounds pretty good, actually, mate.


Also re: "Next on the list of jobs is to replace the auxiliary belt tensioner damper thingy.  When cold, the engine does sometimes stall if you wind too much steering lock on without any revs. " I can say the Weasel did similar (didn't quite stall, but clearly wasn't far off.)  :)


Are you sorted for a replacement sump pan, yet? Got mine back, all spick and span, minus the plug. (which was rounded)  :)

I've kind of got used to the poor fuel consumption around town now.  Its the (in my mind) excessive slipping that does my head in. 

Yes I will still need the sump pan please.  I'll also need to source a replacement filler plug from somewhere too.  And I now need a couple of replacement sump pan bolts as I have two that have stripped the threads out of the gearbox.  Fortunately it isn't leaking from that part of the the sump gasket, yet.

I now have a new problem.....

Tried to drift the car around a dirt track island this morning, which resulted in the air-con belt making a bid for freedom, taking the auxiliary belt off at the same time.  Now I have to put the auxiliary belt back on, which means removing the fan etc.  And I have to do all of this in works car park, which is fortunately large enough for me to do it in a "quiet" corner out of the way of everyone.

Managed to find a diagram of the correct auxiliary belt route.  Won't bother replacing the air-con belt as there's no gas in the system anyway.  I'm guessing that the auxiliary belt tensioner jumping about has probably caused this problem, so I'll order one of those shortly too!

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Diamond Black Geezer

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Re: "The Shed" - My Omega 2.5 TD CDX Auto Estate
« Reply #37 on: 21 September 2016, 10:33:47 »

If you want, just leave it in Sport mode all the time... the irony being that the peak/all the engine torque is around the 3000rpm mark, so leaving the engine revving up to 5k doesn't really do much on the Weasels, however, it will certainly mean you're sitting in the 3-4k rpm more often, feel a bit 'pokier' ?

I think sump plugs are readily available, fairly ordinary thread, Humbucker got one recently  :)


Pan here waiting for you whenever.  :y
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