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Author Topic: Damaged rear height sensor  (Read 2689 times)

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terry paget

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Damaged rear height sensor
« on: 01 September 2018, 21:41:50 »

Omega 2.5 petrol manual estate
I have just finished changing the diff on this car, replaced the driveshafts, and carelessly damaged the headlight beam height sensor with the jack. I have removed it, but the bracket holding the sensor body was bent out of shape. I have hammered it flat. Should it be creased? I am having difficulty refitting it.

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Chazza12

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Re: Damaged rear height sensor
« Reply #1 on: 02 September 2018, 01:36:03 »

probably pushed the sensor past its limit, prob best just to replace it. 
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annihilator

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Re: Damaged rear height sensor
« Reply #2 on: 02 September 2018, 10:56:36 »

Top brkt. in your pic is not flat

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terry paget

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Re: Damaged rear height sensor
« Reply #3 on: 02 September 2018, 14:00:47 »

Top brkt. in your pic is not flat


Thanks for pic, but it depicts the front sensor mounting, which is not the same as the rear. I fitted a front sensor about  a month ago, bought off e-bay, came with bracket, and I have a spare on my desk like no. 5 in your picture. Rear is different. Have you a pic of that?
Chazza12, I don't think there is any limit on sensor motion. Fitting the front sensor it seemed not to fit ubtil I turned the arm through 180 degrees, when it did. Playing around with both my damaged sensors trying to make one good one, I found they come apart easily, pic follows, and there appears to be a square item (magnet or magnets?) in the centre of the operating arm, and a chip in the centre of the circuit board. I think it observes relative, not absolute motion.

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dave the builder

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Re: Damaged rear height sensor
« Reply #4 on: 02 September 2018, 14:12:15 »

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terry paget

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annihilator

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Re: Damaged rear height sensor
« Reply #6 on: 02 September 2018, 19:01:55 »

It shows both  :D no. 10
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terry paget

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Re: Damaged rear height sensor
« Reply #7 on: 02 September 2018, 19:14:46 »

It shows both  :D no. 10
Thank you. So it does. Clearly I bent it so seriously in my careless jacking that it became unrecognisable. I spent a lot of time last night guessing what shape it should be and bashing it about. My conclusion - flat - did not work out, now I see why. Happily one has turned up on e-bay which should sort me out. Thanks again for your help, and apologies for suggesting you sent the wrong picture.
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John-Ha

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Re: Damaged rear height sensor
« Reply #8 on: 08 September 2018, 18:25:35 »

You might want to seize the opportunity to add a metal plate to prevent the sensor arm from coming out.  This is the repair I did to my front sensor where I pop riveted the bracket with about 1mm clearance between it and the sensor arm.

Also, judging from your pictures, you need to free up the connecting rod ball joints.  I think a reason the sensors fail - search the forum with Low beam Fld/Vision for lots of posts about how the arm pops out of the sensor - is the ball joints get packed with muck and the connecting arm locks solid which helps to lever the sensor arm to pull it out of the sensor.  Whatever, it is rubbish design - a circlip in the sensor would hold the arm in.

You say "I think it observes relative, not absolute motion".  I don't think so or it would not keep the lights aligned.  I think the magnet? (it could be capacitive) and three chips must observe the "actual position of the sensor arm" which is a function of the suspension height and therefore the angle of the car, and therefore the angle the lights need to be rotated through so they don't shine upwards into approaching drivers' eyes.

« Last Edit: 08 September 2018, 18:42:39 by John-Ha »
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terry paget

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Re: Damaged rear height sensor
« Reply #9 on: 08 September 2018, 19:57:53 »

Hi John-Ha,
thanks for your 2 replies to my 2 xenon light sensor problems.
On the second failure I tried to make one good sensor out of the wreckage of the first two, but failed. As you observe, the joints in the linkage eventually got full of muck, stiff, seized up, so something had to give. These cars are not designed to last 18 years, more like 7. The front sensor failed through old age, first the joints seized up, then cable ties achieved a couple more years, then the joints simply broke. An e-bay replacement corrected things.
I broke the rear sensor after refitting the driveshafts. This one was harder to remove and replace than the front one, and the e-bay replacement came with seized joints, which I carefully freed with 3 in 1 oil and gentle manipulation. Exposed as they are to mud and water it's a miracle they last as long as they do.

I do think they note relative, not absolute, position. I do not see any adjustment on them, and over the years things change. It's asking a lot for the motorised headlights to chase the suspension movements from 2 separate sensors as I bounce along a rocky track at speed.

I own 2 2000 Omega CDX estates, one PFL, one FL. the PFL has simple twin filament bulbs, the FL xerox dipped and tungsten main beams. The FL is not vastly superior.

Thanks for your tip on containing the operating lever. I have not yet known one fall out, if it does I know what to do.
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terry paget

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Re: Damaged rear height sensor
« Reply #10 on: 08 September 2018, 22:02:19 »

Hi John-Ha,
thanks for your 2 replies to my 2 xenon light sensor problems.
On the second failure I tried to make one good sensor out of the wreckage of the first two, but failed. As you observe, the joints in the linkage eventually got full of muck, stiff, seized up, so something had to give. These cars are not designed to last 18 years, more like 7. The front sensor failed through old age, first the joints seized up, then cable ties achieved a couple more years, then the joints simply broke. An e-bay replacement corrected things.
I broke the rear sensor after refitting the driveshafts. This one was harder to remove and replace than the front one, and the e-bay replacement came with seized joints, which I carefully freed with 3 in 1 oil and gentle manipulation. Exposed as they are to mud and water it's a miracle they last as long as they do.

I do think they note relative, not absolute, position. I do not see any adjustment on them, and over the years things change. It's asking a lot for the motorised headlights to chase the suspension movements from 2 separate sensors as I bounce along a rocky track at speed.

I own 2 2000 Omega CDX estates, one PFL, one FL. the PFL has simple twin filament bulbs, the FL xerox dipped and tungsten main beams. The FL is not vastly superior.

Thanks for your tip on containing the operating lever. I have not yet known one fall out, if it does I know what to do.
Correction: for xerox read xenon.
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John-Ha

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Re: Damaged rear height sensor
« Reply #11 on: 09 September 2018, 11:35:29 »

While I had it out, but after taking the photo, I made a new link arm for less than £10.  I got a pair of Igus M6 Ball Joint Linkage, Metric Thread Standard, M6 Thread Size from RSComponents (Stock no.:712-4986, see https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/ball-joint-linkages/7124986/) and connected them with a length of M6 stainless threaded rod Loctite'd into place.  It works a treat. 
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Kevin Wood

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Re: Damaged rear height sensor
« Reply #12 on: 09 September 2018, 16:38:14 »

While I had it out, but after taking the photo, I made a new link arm for less than £10.  I got a pair of Igus M6 Ball Joint Linkage, Metric Thread Standard, M6 Thread Size from RSComponents (Stock no.:712-4986, see https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/ball-joint-linkages/7124986/) and connected them with a length of M6 stainless threaded rod Loctite'd into place.  It works a treat. 


That's useful information to know. :y
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