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[purpledippy]

Hi all,

Just to report back.

Cam belt retensioned.

After changing spark plug boots, and the cam sensor (Siemens VDO), it is running exceptionally smooth.

I will report back on March 1st for the Pernod status, and am tempted to buy another Siemens VDO sensor for £20 just to keep in stock because that is a bargain.

The only reason I can see it not being is if:

- The Siemens VDO cam sensor is a fake part (- never heard of Siemens VDO being fake?)
or
- Something in the cam sensor deteriorates over a period of time and therefore being at risk of early failure if "end of line stock"

Is that the only two reasons why it is thought the part will not last til February?

Incidentally, when I got my belt changed 30,000 miles ago, the cam sensor (assume original from car being new) failed. So the garage sourced a new one from Vauxhall for me. It cost me £80, but not before the first part from Vauxhall he ordered and fitted for me failed and he had to wait for a second one to come in from Vauxhall. Both were Siemens parts btw. So I guess the cam sensors are quite sensitive and prone to damage no matter who makes them, but if it is Siemens, and it is in and working for what is now a couple of hundred miles, it stands half a chance of continuing to work. Hopefully!

Anyway, will post in early March as I say.

Thank you all for your help and advice and hopefully this topic will help others who experience similar issues to me.

Roll on Summer!

[purpledippy]

...  this is a really useful web page:

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/3-symptoms-of-a-failing-camshaft-sensor

... all symptoms which I experienced.

[Doctor Gollum]

Start again, as I am confused...

When was the cambelt last changed?

I presume from the nonsense you posted that the tensioners were NOT changed... Regardless of whether your £20 cam sensor lasts until the end of February... I very much doubt the tensioner pullies will last much past Easter.

Be yet another Omega needlessly scrapped due to skimping on maintenance...

[mandula]

For the belt tension, I changed mine about a year ago (for the first time for  this engine).

I adjusted the tension pulley to "new" mark and rotated engine by hand couple of rounds, everything was OK.

Then I cranked the engine and let it idle couple of minutes, just to be sure everything was OK before putting covers back on.

Then I turned off the engine and checked the tension pulley and it was past "used" mark. So needed to re-tension it to "new" mark again.

Dunno is that normal, but that "last checking" was not mentioned anywhere and I think it was good to check because belt would now be very loose otherwise.

Old belt (50 000 km) was also very loose, I think it may be last guy who did the job did not run the engine and check the tension like i did..

[Kevin Wood]

Hmm. Sounds odd, because the manufacturer cam belt tensioning procedure takes into account ageing of the belt and other parts to arrive at the correct tension after break-in (without the additional step of running the engine and re-checking).

When you checked it again, did you do so with the engine locked at TDC? The tensioner only gives a "true" picture at that engine position. Elsewhere, the pullies might be being loaded in other directions by the valvechain and this affects the tension on the spring in the idler.

[mandula]

Hmm. Sounds odd, because the manufacturer cam belt tensioning procedure takes into account ageing of the belt and other parts to arrive at the correct tension after break-in (without the additional step of running the engine and re-checking).

When you checked it again, did you do so with the engine locked at TDC? The tensioner only gives a "true" picture at that engine position. Elsewhere, the pullies might be being loaded in other directions by the valvechain and this affects the tension on the spring in the idler.

I don't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure I did rotate engine to TDC to see does markings align, before I re-adjusted tensioner.

But it was way over the "used" mark on tensioner, and after re-adjustment I checked it again after idling the motor and tension was unchanged.

Now got about 35 000 km on it and no problems occurred. Gonna check the adjustment during next oil/filter/plug/etc. change.