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31

Omega Gallery / NEC Classic Car Show 12/11/11

« on: 13 November 2011, 21:36:12 »

Well quite a lot actually - give it a few seconds to load
Hi all just thought I’d share these with you again this year. The Classic Car show at the NEC minus the MPH Show that was there last year.



I had to think a few times about the colour of this. ‘interesting’  was my first thought. By the time I’d walked all the way round and seen it alongside it’s original kinsman I couldn’t take my eyes off either of them  .. thank the Lord for millionaires who don’t mind sharing them with us.







A very impressive, subtly understated selection of Ferrari’s for a change 







The red car below is the new SLS. The panel fit and paint finish was shocking. Orange peal on pretty much every panel and gaps you could put cigarettes through







Just beautiful.



I have to admit this stand gets my best of Show Love ‘em or loathe 'em these Fords were immaculate, well done to the owners club for a very special display. Sorry guys I still love my miggy but this stand was just breath taking









I’d forgotten how good the old Vx’s looked, they are huge 



10 smartie points if you can guess what this is. There were actually 3 there. One had just come back from the ..oooh nearly gave it away   




Somewhere someone loves them they’re growing on me...



Cheers
Ian.
 

32

Omega General Help / Heater Pipe connection Water Leak - how do you seal it ?

« on: 02 November 2011, 22:47:06 »

  Hi all - hopefully just a quick couple of questions - but probably not a simple answer 

In the photo below - the lower pipe that has a green band round it (below the one with the purple coloured band) is leaking:



It looks like there is a tie wrap type band that has snapped (the green bit) and hence the joint is leaking.
Q1. What type of clamp is it and how do you fix/replace/repair it - is it a Vauxhall special 
Q2. In the interim to minimise the leak - is it possible to isolate this part of the heater pipework by turning the climate control 'OFF' - or am I dicing with a major artery here that if it comes adrift is going to steam clean the back of the engine for me  .

I need to know if I can get by until I can get it booked in asap by carrying a couple of gallons of water with and keep it topped up - or should I be limiting my journeys to a minimum in case it lets go ?? (I'm doing about 150 miles a day in it - and it stinks )

Any guidance much appreciated - cheers
Ian. 

33

Omega General Help / Self Levelling shock replacement

« on: 03 May 2011, 20:22:19 »

.. Hi just a quick one hopefully - just got a new set of s/l shocks for the car as they were snagged at the last service for leaking (I knew it anyway as I have the wheels off quite regularly).
Question: the new ones have come with a plastic binding looped round end to end I assume to keep them compressed. Is it safe to take this off before I'm ready to fit them - or is it best to cut it as I'm lining them up to fit in case they expand beyond what I can compress back (i.e is there any stored expanding energy in them that needs to be kept contained until the moment of fitting ?).
Sorry for daft question - never fitted shocks before - the guide on here looks like it should be pretty simple ( famous last words ) 

Cheers
Ian.

34

Omega General Help / Wheel rim band and transmitter

« on: 06 December 2010, 21:04:58 »

Hi all,
Just swapped my alloys over for a set of steel rims and tyres for the winter. I'd purchased the steels from another forum member in preparation back in the summer (no problem - but obviously had no history of their former life - still no problem). However - whilst having the tyres fitted - on (inside the tyre effectively)  two of the four rims was a jubilee band holding a transmitter device about the size about 3 - 4 inches long and an inch high. I've had them removed and wondered if anyone knows what they would be for and if they were for a particular spec car. My thoughts are they are probably tyre pressure sensors of some sort and I can only think that 'plod' cars might have used them. Anyway I have 2 spare if anyone can find a use for them (I obviously have no idea what they would transmit to or if they work)  :-?

By the way - I buffed up the hub caps, removed the centre badges to paint red behind them, polished the badges and re-secured and d'you know what - it looks the muts. I'll get some pics when a) the weather is warm enough to let me wash the rest of the car - but the wheels look fantastic..

Cheers
Ian.

35

Omega General Help / Sill cover removal

« on: 11 September 2010, 19:40:50 »

Hi all,
Thought I'd seen a guide about this somewhere - but can't find it now. :-/
Is there a knack to this or just a question of identifying all the plastic clips and poking the middles out ? Can you get these back - or are they lost for good in the box sections. Are there any hidden fixings to be aware of that need you take something else off to start with ?
 I'd like to take mine off to respray/re-laquer before fitting some colour coded mud flaps.

Cheers
Ian.

36

Omega General Help / 4 bleeps when turning off the ignition ?

« on: 02 September 2010, 21:28:29 »

I don't think this has been happening long - as I only noticed it the other week as I got out of the car in a hurry. It doesn't do it every time though.
Scenario: Pull up and stop the car, ignition off, key out and open the door. I don't think opening the door is related as I think it happens as I take the key out as I still get the buzzer if it's still in as the door opens.
But I'm getting 4 very distinct bleeps/blips I'm assuming from the power sounder as it's definitely coming from under the bonnet near the driver's side (but I'm sure TB had informed me it's actually disconnected).
Any ideas what this is about ? everything else is fine as far as I can tell 

Puzzled
Ian.

37

Omega General Help / Broken Locking Wheel nut

« on: 25 April 2010, 21:20:26 »

Hi all,
This is slightly off mark I'm afraid - but hopefully I can draw on some of the vast experience on here. My other car is a Volvo XC90 (begins with a V doesn't it  0.
Probably know as one of those 'oh no!' moments.
Today as I attempted to remove one of the wheels - with the Locking Wheel Nut adapter in place and socket bar attached - as I turned it anti clockwise to undo it - the head of the nut with the keyway in it sheared off and came away leaving the stud still attached to the hub....
The stud has what looks like a small torx style head on it that might be possible to get some purchase on - but nothing I had in my toolbox (torx or socket) will get enough grip on it.
The collar piece that has sheared off has a radial crack in it which then failed completely by the look of it.
Does anyone have any experience of getting the rest of the stud out - is it a dealer job to get the right tool that can fit the stud head that is exposed - or should an experienced  indy garage be able to tackle this without wrecking the wheel and hub ?
Having already had all the other 3 wheels off - I very carefully went round and removed all the other locking nuts and replaced with standard studs - just in case a trend lining up to happen in 3's..

Any guidance - much appreciated.

Cheers
Ian.

38

Omega General Help / LED replacement bulbs

« on: 31 October 2009, 20:57:09 »

Hi all,
Has anyone here done the rounds with LED replacements for the following bulbs:
Front Sidelight x2, Indicators x4 + flasher can replacement, Reverse lights x2, Rear Fog x2.
Any recommendations on what's best for some or all would be much appreciated.
It'll be for a f/l 2.6 Elite saloon.

Thanks
Ian.

39

Omega General Help / Oil leak - potential camshaft/cam cover leak ?

« on: 06 February 2010, 18:16:34 »

Hi again,
At the risk of repeating myself - the maintenance guides on here are fantastic and a credit to those that have taken the time to put so much detail in them. Absolutely worth trawling through them before jumping to conclusions.
Next question though I'm afraid:-
Drivers side camshaft bank at front of the engine - even though I've had new cover gaskets (GM) - it appears I've got a leak around here somewhere. What I'm trying to determine if it's still the gasket on the right angle corner is as it goes over the camshaft for either cam shaft. I definitely have oil trace on the lower front corner of the lower cover. I also have a trace that is flowing directly down below the end of the lower camshaft on the timing belt back plate - you actually need a mirror to see this.
My question here is (because liquid won't run uphill) - is it possible for the upper cam cover to leak on its front edge (round the camshaft seal) and appear behind the timing belt back plate without having to run past the lower half of the cover. It's impossible to see from the top.
Potentially it looks like I have a camshaft seal leak which you can see with the mirror - or the covers are leaking through to make it look like a camshaft seal - is this possible ?
Point to note - out of burning curiosity I checked the oil breather circuitry - and it was stuffed with crud and mayo so I'm certain this was not cleaned when the garage did the gaskets 2.5k miles ago and has now blown them rather than the camshaft seal. I've cleaned out the top pipes today - ran out of time to get to the bits at the back so will need to revisit.
I assume until these bits at the back are cleaned out - there's no point doing the gasket again anyway (the big Y pipe looked pretty bunged up)
I'v eprobably rambled a bit here - but hopefully those of you that know - will know where I'm talking about (using the mirror) in order to hazard an educated guess at just the cam cover again - or sorry it's camshaft seal as well.
Advice much appreciated.
Cheers
Ian. :-/

40

Omega General Help / Oil leak - oil pressure switch ?

« on: 01 February 2010, 20:57:00 »

Hi all,
Is it me - or aren't Omega's happy unless they're leaking something ?
Ok - I've seen on another thread that the pressure switch may be vulnerable to leaking. I haven't long had the cam gaskets done etc. (<2k miles) + Oil cooler top plate etc. I now have the tell tale pool of oil on the front of the sump pan - having cleaned around it thoroughly yesterday to try and trace it today - a 70 mile trip this morning replenished the pool quite thoroughly too. Despite the mess everywhere - looked like it was originating from the pressure switch. As far as I'm aware - this hasn't been disturbed since I've had the car (i.e not removed or replaced) - so is it highly likely that the switch component bit is leaking and it's worth starting off with a replacement anyway, or do I take it out and try new seals first ? Is the electrical terminal on the front the weak point for the seal to break on these ?
I assume it's a fairly straightforward job to undo and replace ?

Cheers
Ian.

41

Omega General Help / Airbag Warning lamp on

« on: 28 December 2009, 11:39:37 »

Hi all,
I've seen a few threads mention on here about the A/B warning lamps - but haven't found anything to suggest probable causes (unless you unplug wiring under the seats without disconnecting the battery.
Anyway - driving along last week - usual journey and bingo - on it comes...
The Garage that serviced it last week read the fault code and said it indicated high resistence on the circuit and may be just a poor connector contact that needs reseating. They didn't pursue any further at the time (which I was Ok with for other reasons).
Firstly - is there any particular place I should look first (under the driver seat connectors ? passenger seat ?) - my kids were sat in the back at the time !
Before I check anything should I disconnect the battery ( or is that only to prevent the warning lamp coming on to start with ?) as a safety precaution anyway ? Is there any way of telling if I've fixed it as am I correct in thinking only someone with the right tool can reset it anyway ? or is there a way of reading this yourself somehow
It's a 2.6 Elite saloon by the way.
Any pointers would be much appreciated - thanks.
Ian.

42

Omega General Help / 2.6 Elite rattle from rear underneath ?

« on: 16 October 2009, 22:01:53 »

Hi all,
Anyone point me in th eright direction for what appears to be a rattle coming from somewhere behind the drivers side rear wheel underneath (at tickover with the drivers door open you can hear it quite clearly). It sounds like a sort of relay'ish type clatter - but random rather than a ticking pattern - it quietens down if you increase the engine revs and returns as you drop back to idle.
I must admit I haven't noticed it from cold - but usually after a run - or when everything still seems to be warm. The car does have Xenons - so was wondering if it was anything to do with the self levelling suspension - or is their a fuel pump or something tucked away under there that could be worn out ?
Any pointers would be much appreciated before I start removing wheels and crawling underneath with the engine running ...!

Thanks
Ian.

43

Omega General Help / 2.6 Exhaust replacement

« on: 10 October 2009, 21:49:38 »

HI everyone - fairly new on here - regular viewer but not posted much - some terrific advice on here.

I have a quick question if I may - I have just bought an 03 plate 2.6 Elite Saloon - it looks absolutely stunning in black metallic. However the exhaust is looking a bit jaded and will probably need replacing in the next 3-5k miles. Do you know if it's possible to use a twin tail pipe back box with the standard middle boxes - does it make any difference to performance - or any suggestions for something that looks tastefully 'the business' without upsetting the neighbours at 6 in the morning...

Cheers
Ian.

44

Omega General Help / Front disc replacement 2.5 facelift

« on: 26 October 2008, 20:27:34 »

Hello all - can I ask for some advice on when to change the front discs on a 2.5 facelift (Cd estate).
Is there a minimum thicknes spec I can measure - or is there a rule of thumb regarding the 'lip' around the edge of the disc ? I've also heard the term 'matched' replacement pads ?
I'm happy to go the genuine part route - do you know which diameter discs they are too as there seem to be 2 sizes on Autovaux site ?

Cheers
Ian.

45

Omega Gallery / Oxfrod #2 Signature collection

« on: 03 May 2010, 19:31:26 »

OK if you look at the Events and meets thread there is also a link to these in there  .
But hey ho - thought we'd share these with you rather than keep them to ourselves  .
There is also a link to all the original shots too - but as we all know what Omega's look like - I took a slightly more creative approach with a few for that distinctly moody look and unmistakeable profile that we all love so much.
The password for the site is SLICED LOAF (don't ask) - and looks best if you run it as a slide show.

http://www.cig.canon-europe.com/p?p=DrpfEDs4N4g

Enjoy.
Cheers
Ian