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[Doctor Gollum]

FL MV6 is basically CD spec internally.
MFL MV6 is basically CDX spec internally.

If goodies are what you want, start with a Elite 3.0/3.2 as a base (as the 3.0/3.3 not available on CDX).  Suspension is a service item

[anV6]

Yes, definitely. At this point I have a very good idea of what type of Omega I'm looking for. I'm just enjoying chatting and learning about the car with people who also like them and know way more than I do about them. 

But I'm going for motor, millage/condition, interior, colour, then the rest.

Any Service History would be nice, or having previous Owners who knew how to look after them, Low Millage would be handy as well as former number of Keepers, Re your other thread on Performance Mods, probably a better idea to try and find one that hasn't lost too many Horses in the first place rather than trying tune up a shagged out engine.

Yes, one with a good engine which hasn't lost too many horses would be great. But the first thing I will do when I get it is to do a partial engine rebuild, meaning from the head up. Then suspension with new dampers, bushings and most likely springs unless they look really good. Only then I will think about tuning the engine. 

A remap will be certain. From there I have been reading conflicting reports, also in this site and the old version of it about what works and what doesn't when tuning the V6 3.0 engine.

Although I feel a LSD also helps a lot on ice, snow or rain, even if not driving any close to the limit. But it won't be a deal breaker at all.

Probably a bit late in the day to search for LSD, bear in mind your looking at a 14+ year old car now, the chances of finding one is very slim these days.

You say that because you are referring to ex police cars as the source for LSD equipped Omegas? Or because by now even if they had a LSD it will be too worn out?

If the former, remember that I'm now living in continental Europe and here consumer cars may have come with LSDs. If the later, yes point well taken. I would have to look into rebuilding prices and see. But a worn out LSD mechanism is basically just a non LSD, so no loss there?

But oh no! The FL cars lost the air-conditioned glove box???  This is the feature that stuck on my mind the most as a neighbor had one and always bragged about carrying beer in there when I was a teenager. .

The tip about getting old brochures from ebay is a good one and I'm actually already on it. I was looking for the Haynes book on the Omega FL but only found it for the B1. Also checked brochures and other materials.

Haynes never did one for the Facelift.

I see. Are there any alternatives to the Haynes for FL cars?

I'm keeping my eyes open for a car that fits what I want. I guess the best compromise will be a 2000 car. So I can get a manual transmission with a 3.0 V6, not lose the cable throttle and get around the emissions strangle while getting most of the creature comforts of the FL cars. 2001 loses me the 3.0 manual and won't even get me more comforts as the next change was 2002. I think ESP for example only came in 2002 and later cars. At least TC was there from the beginning.

The front end will be easy enough to change to PFL if I really want it. It will all depend on how much of a problem is to change the rear.

By the way what does MFL mean? Mid-face lift?

PFL, MFL, FL = PreFaceLift up to 97/98, MiniFaceLift 97/98 to 2000, Facelift 2000 to 2003

What is a MiniFaceLift car? 1999 was the first year the FL cars were sold right?

[zirk]

Yes, definitely. At this point I have a very good idea of what type of Omega I'm looking for. I'm just enjoying chatting and learning about the car with people who also like them and know way more than I do about them. 

But I'm going for motor, millage/condition, interior, colour, then the rest.

Any Service History would be nice, or having previous Owners who knew how to look after them, Low Millage would be handy as well as former number of Keepers, Re your other thread on Performance Mods, probably a better idea to try and find one that hasn't lost too many Horses in the first place rather than trying tune up a shagged out engine.

Yes, one with a good engine which hasn't lost too many horses would be great. But the first thing I will do when I get it is to do a partial engine rebuild, meaning from the head up. Then suspension with new dampers, bushings and most likely springs unless they look really good. Only then I will think about tuning the engine. 

A remap will be certain. From there I have been reading conflicting reports, also in this site and the old version of it about what works and what doesn't when tuning the V6 3.0 engine.

Will be a Re Chip on the 3.0, yes it helps gives improvements but dont expect major gains, should give improved MPG as well, just dont buy the rubbish on ebay.

Although I feel a LSD also helps a lot on ice, snow or rain, even if not driving any close to the limit. But it won't be a deal breaker at all.

Probably a bit late in the day to search for LSD, bear in mind your looking at a 14+ year old car now, the chances of finding one is very slim these days.

You say that because you are referring to ex police cars as the source for LSD equipped Omegas? Or because by now even if they had a LSD it will be too worn out?

If the former, remember that I'm now living in continental Europe and here consumer cars may have come with LSDs. If the later, yes point well taken. I would have to look into rebuilding prices and see. But a worn out LSD mechanism is basically just a non LSD, so no loss there?

As in, you probably wont find one, but you can always try and prove me wrong.

But oh no! The FL cars lost the air-conditioned glove box???  This is the feature that stuck on my mind the most as a neighbor had one and always bragged about carrying beer in there when I was a teenager. .

The tip about getting old brochures from ebay is a good one and I'm actually already on it. I was looking for the Haynes book on the Omega FL but only found it for the B1. Also checked brochures and other materials.

Haynes never did one for the Facelift.

I see. Are there any alternatives to the Haynes for FL cars?

Nope, not really needed, whats not covered has been pretty much discussed on here.

I'm keeping my eyes open for a car that fits what I want. I guess the best compromise will be a 2000 car. So I can get a manual transmission with a 3.0 V6, not lose the cable throttle and get around the emissions strangle while getting most of the creature comforts of the FL cars. 2001 loses me the 3.0 manual and won't even get me more comforts as the next change was 2002. I think ESP for example only came in 2002 and later cars. At least TC was there from the beginning.

The front end will be easy enough to change to PFL if I really want it. It will all depend on how much of a problem is to change the rear.

By the way what does MFL mean? Mid-face lift?

PFL, MFL, FL = PreFaceLift up to 97/98, MiniFaceLift 97/98 to 2000, Facelift 2000 to 2003

What is a MiniFaceLift car? 1999 was the first year the FL cars were sold right?

Yea, very few FL came from 99 as did few MFL in 2000. it was a change over year, also if you remember 2000 was where the UK cramped all the final Alphabet in preparation for the index numbering.

MFL basically as the name suggests some minor changes to the older PFL, before the FL or what you the B2.[/color][/size][/color]

[Mr Gav]

Although I feel a LSD also helps a lot on ice, snow or rain, even if not driving any close to the limit. But it won't be a deal breaker at all.

Probably a bit late in the day to search for LSD, bear in mind your looking at a 14+ year old car now, the chances of finding one is very slim these days.

You say that because you are referring to ex police cars as the source for LSD equipped Omegas? Or because by now even if they had a LSD it will be too worn out?

If the former, remember that I'm now living in continental Europe and here consumer cars may have come with LSDs. If the later, yes point well taken. I would have to look into rebuilding prices and see. But a worn out LSD mechanism is basically just a non LSD, so no loss there?

Although if you took a LSD to a specialist he would probably say it would need a full rebuild but this doesn`t mean it doesn`t work. My old Senator had 350k on the clock and the LSD still worked 

One thing to bear in mind when sourcing one is how it has been stored if it hasn`t been used as the oil can gum up the cutch plates up to the oil level and if that happens it`ll definitely need new clutch plates.

[anV6]

Yes, definitely. At this point I have a very good idea of what type of Omega I'm looking for. I'm just enjoying chatting and learning about the car with people who also like them and know way more than I do about them. 

But I'm going for motor, millage/condition, interior, colour, then the rest.

Any Service History would be nice, or having previous Owners who knew how to look after them, Low Millage would be handy as well as former number of Keepers, Re your other thread on Performance Mods, probably a better idea to try and find one that hasn't lost too many Horses in the first place rather than trying tune up a shagged out engine.

Yes, one with a good engine which hasn't lost too many horses would be great. But the first thing I will do when I get it is to do a partial engine rebuild, meaning from the head up. Then suspension with new dampers, bushings and most likely springs unless they look really good. Only then I will think about tuning the engine. 

A remap will be certain. From there I have been reading conflicting reports, also in this site and the old version of it about what works and what doesn't when tuning the V6 3.0 engine.

Will be a Re Chip on the 3.0, yes it helps gives improvements but dont expect major gains, should give improved MPG as well, just dont buy the rubbish on ebay.

Although I feel a LSD also helps a lot on ice, snow or rain, even if not driving any close to the limit. But it won't be a deal breaker at all.

Probably a bit late in the day to search for LSD, bear in mind your looking at a 14+ year old car now, the chances of finding one is very slim these days.

You say that because you are referring to ex police cars as the source for LSD equipped Omegas? Or because by now even if they had a LSD it will be too worn out?

If the former, remember that I'm now living in continental Europe and here consumer cars may have come with LSDs. If the later, yes point well taken. I would have to look into rebuilding prices and see. But a worn out LSD mechanism is basically just a non LSD, so no loss there?

As in, you probably wont find one, but you can always try and prove me wrong.

But oh no! The FL cars lost the air-conditioned glove box???  This is the feature that stuck on my mind the most as a neighbor had one and always bragged about carrying beer in there when I was a teenager. .

The tip about getting old brochures from ebay is a good one and I'm actually already on it. I was looking for the Haynes book on the Omega FL but only found it for the B1. Also checked brochures and other materials.

Haynes never did one for the Facelift.

I see. Are there any alternatives to the Haynes for FL cars?

Nope, not really needed, whats not covered has been pretty much discussed on here.

I'm keeping my eyes open for a car that fits what I want. I guess the best compromise will be a 2000 car. So I can get a manual transmission with a 3.0 V6, not lose the cable throttle and get around the emissions strangle while getting most of the creature comforts of the FL cars. 2001 loses me the 3.0 manual and won't even get me more comforts as the next change was 2002. I think ESP for example only came in 2002 and later cars. At least TC was there from the beginning.

The front end will be easy enough to change to PFL if I really want it. It will all depend on how much of a problem is to change the rear.

By the way what does MFL mean? Mid-face lift?

PFL, MFL, FL = PreFaceLift up to 97/98, MiniFaceLift 97/98 to 2000, Facelift 2000 to 2003

What is a MiniFaceLift car? 1999 was the first year the FL cars were sold right?

Yea, very few FL came from 99 as did few MFL in 2000. it was a change over year, also if you remember 2000 was where the UK cramped all the final Alphabet in preparation for the index numbering.

MFL basically as the name suggests some minor changes to the older PFL, before the FL or what you the B2.[/color][/size][/color]

Ok, thanks. Which chip or remapping would you recommend then? By the way, is chip and remap the same process?


So I would be fine with buying the Haynes for the PFL cars and using it to work on a FL car?

What were the changes in the MFL cars?

[anV6]

Although I feel a LSD also helps a lot on ice, snow or rain, even if not driving any close to the limit. But it won't be a deal breaker at all.

Probably a bit late in the day to search for LSD, bear in mind your looking at a 14+ year old car now, the chances of finding one is very slim these days.

You say that because you are referring to ex police cars as the source for LSD equipped Omegas? Or because by now even if they had a LSD it will be too worn out?

If the former, remember that I'm now living in continental Europe and here consumer cars may have come with LSDs. If the later, yes point well taken. I would have to look into rebuilding prices and see. But a worn out LSD mechanism is basically just a non LSD, so no loss there?

Although if you took a LSD to a specialist he would probably say it would need a full rebuild but this doesn`t mean it doesn`t work. My old Senator had 350k on the clock and the LSD still worked 

One thing to bear in mind when sourcing one is how it has been stored if it hasn`t been used as the oil can gum up the cutch plates up to the oil level and if that happens it`ll definitely need new clutch plates.

That's all great info, thanks! 

[Diamond Black Geezer]

That's fine, as has been said, much of the differences between PFL/MFL and FL is cosmetic. So a Haynes will cover you fine. At the same time, it's perfectly doable to run an Omega for years without buying one, as so much is on here, now. However don't be surprised if you ask certain things and get the response "it's in the Haynes!"

where this site is at its best is that certain procedures that Haynes did on a brand new vehicle really aren't as simple on a 20 year old one; and various methods they use are needlessly 'round the houses' but on this site the how tos are written by people who've done it maybe a dozen times, and can speak from experience how is best/easiest.

Still worth getting one, as I say, if nothing else but torque wrench settings. 

[anV6]

Great to know. Thanks! 

I've been doing some reading on differentials etc.

The manual V6 has a Final Drive Ratio of 3.70, which is not bad at all. It's the same a the VXR8 too. Not as biased towards top speed as the Lotus Carlton's 3.45, but then again neither could it go nearly as fast.

The automatic cars have a 3.90 FDR.

What surprised me though was the gear ratios of the V6 manuals. Much shorter gears than for example the Monaros. Never drove a Monaro but are they pretty lethargic to drive?

Anyhow it seems the manual V6 is good enough in the differential department to turn into a performance saloon. I guess the suspension is also not a problem. Now is on to tuning the dreaded V6 engine. 

By the way, the Omega is definitely available with a LSD here. I have seen a few listed. At least this is what I think they mean by "locked differential" or 45% differential.

[Doctor Gollum]

Monaro? Lethargic?

They weigh less than an Omega, and start with 330ish bhp... their gearing is quite lazy, but you simply use second if you're in a rush, otherwise pull away in fourth and straight into sixth at around 40mph and leave it there... all the way to well over 150mph (space/legalities permitting )

[Diamond Black Geezer]

Hmm.... 'locked diff' sounds more like a welded one to me, could be wrong....   

[anV6]

Hmm.... 'locked diff' sounds more like a welded one to me, could be wrong....   

What do you mean by welded one?

[anV6]

Monaro? Lethargic?

They weigh less than an Omega, and start with 330ish bhp... their gearing is quite lazy, but you simply use second if you're in a rush, otherwise pull away in fourth and straight into sixth at around 40mph and leave it there... all the way to well over 150mph (space/legalities permitting )

I didn't mean it is slow in top speed or anything. I mean exactly that the gears are overlong. This makes for less exciting driving anyway you look at it. 

So it's lethargic in that way. And just doing some more research on the Monaro, Clarkson complained about the same thing. 

It was so much of a problem that the newer ones in Australia got a new gearbox with shorter gears.

[Kevin Wood]

Monaro? Lethargic?

They weigh less than an Omega, and start with 330ish bhp... their gearing is quite lazy, but you simply use second if you're in a rush, otherwise pull away in fourth and straight into sixth at around 40mph and leave it there... all the way to well over 150mph (space/legalities permitting )

I didn't mean it is slow in top speed or anything. I mean exactly that the gears are overlong. This makes for less exciting driving anyway you look at it. 

So it's lethargic in that way. And just doing some more research on the Monaro, Clarkson complained about the same thing. 

It was so much of a problem that the newer ones in Australia got a new gearbox with shorter gears.

You have to remember that the power delivery of the engine will be very different between the V6 and V8, and this accounts for the change in gearing. An LS2 will probably deliver double the torque of the V6, and there's no point having the gearing deliver more torque than you have traction, so you make the gears longer. In addition, the maximum speed will be much higher and the engine will probably deliver maximum power at a lower RPM than the V6.

IME they aren't particularly "lazy" cars to drive.

[Mr Gav]

Great to know. Thanks! 

I've been doing some reading on differentials etc.

The manual V6 has a Final Drive Ratio of 3.70, which is not bad at all. It's the same a the VXR8 too. Not as biased towards top speed as the Lotus Carlton's 3.45, but then again neither could it go nearly as fast.

The automatic cars have a 3.90 FDR.

What surprised me though was the gear ratios of the V6 manuals. Much shorter gears than for example the Monaros. Never drove a Monaro but are they pretty lethargic to drive?

Anyhow it seems the manual V6 is good enough in the differential department to turn into a performance saloon. I guess the suspension is also not a problem. Now is on to tuning the dreaded V6 engine. 

By the way, the Omega is definitely available with a LSD here. I have seen a few listed. At least this is what I think they mean by "locked differential" or 45% differential.

The LC has a 6 speed gearbox and IIRC top speed was hit in fifth as sixth was too tall for the revs to rise any further.

[anV6]

Monaro? Lethargic?

They weigh less than an Omega, and start with 330ish bhp... their gearing is quite lazy, but you simply use second if you're in a rush, otherwise pull away in fourth and straight into sixth at around 40mph and leave it there... all the way to well over 150mph (space/legalities permitting )

I didn't mean it is slow in top speed or anything. I mean exactly that the gears are overlong. This makes for less exciting driving anyway you look at it. 

So it's lethargic in that way. And just doing some more research on the Monaro, Clarkson complained about the same thing. 

It was so much of a problem that the newer ones in Australia got a new gearbox with shorter gears.

You have to remember that the power delivery of the engine will be very different between the V6 and V8, and this accounts for the change in gearing. An LS2 will probably deliver double the torque of the V6, and there's no point having the gearing deliver more torque than you have traction, so you make the gears longer. In addition, the maximum speed will be much higher and the engine will probably deliver maximum power at a lower RPM than the V6.

IME they aren't particularly "lazy" cars to drive.

I understand what you are saying. But Holden did change it to shorter gears later on. So they must have seen a problem with it too.