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166

Omega General Help / Re: Opening and closing the sun roof

« on: 19 May 2020, 16:07:46 »

It's all in the handbook

Cap off the control panel, insert whatever implement the orifice demands and turn. If this doesn't achieve the desired result, turn it the other way.

If you're bored, drop the headlining and remove the whole assembly. 

Thanks for the quick response. I have found that the Vectra manual tells me how to do it.

167

Omega General Help / Opening and closing the sun roof

« on: 19 May 2020, 16:00:51 »

2000 Omega 2.5 perol manual estate old shape
I had planned to scrap this car when the MOT expired in April, so I dumped all my manuals. Then the coronavirus changed all that. Trying to open my sunroof, all I achieve is its moving backwards. How do I close it again? Come to that, how does it work? Is there a guide?

168

General Car Chat / LOCTITE EA 9492

« on: 19 May 2020, 11:29:33 »

Just a word of warning about this epoxy adhesive. It  arrived without instructions, what you see in the pic above is all you get. It is left to your'good British common sense' to work out what to do with it. Oh dear.
I eventually concluded that the plug at the E end turns a quarter turn and can then be removed, and replaced by the tube dispenser. In the other end are two blue plugs, which I rumbled can be removed by screwing screws into them and pulling. Then I could screw 2 more screws into the pistons and push them in, thus expelling the adhesive. The dispenser tube then got blocked, so I threw it away and expelled the two components onto a piece of card, and mixed it with another screw. I then applied it to the item needing repair, and left it 24 hours to cure.
I replaced the plug on the end. I discarded the blue plugs. I put the container back for use later.
As described in my Vectra starter thread, on a test piece, after 24 hours the adhesive had cured well, and withstood 24 hours in boiling water without softening or weakening. I then used it to repair my Vectra plastic coolant pipe. If it fails I will tell you.

169

General Car Chat / Re: So what have you done to your car today?

« on: 19 May 2020, 08:36:11 »

2 years ago Today I started driving the Omega and waved goodbye to my Carlton
managed to haggle £90 off the insurance renewal , cheeky b******   

I presume that was the commendably rust free silver estate we saw at Brackley. At least the estates do not suffer the fatal rear suspension turret rot that goes on unseen behind the carpets on the saloons. My remaining Omega, a 1999 2.5 estate, came to me with a 10 year gap in its history while in Portugal, the coil pack strapped to the cylinder head, ablowing exhaust and a leaking clutch slave cylinder, but not too much rust. A LH exhaust manifold leak means that it was to be scrapped at MOT in April 2020, but the coronavirus has given it a new lease of life.

170

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra 1.8 starter will not turn

« on: 18 May 2020, 19:42:44 »

Thanks to all for advice. Fault is now traced and rectified.
Picture above shows the repair of the the pipe from thermostat to throttle box, using Loctite EA9492  high temperature epoxy adhesive, as recommended by Viral Jim. The adhesive is white.

I was perplexed that things improved after Marks DTM suggested I check for a spark at the plugs, while cranking engine by shorting solenoid lead to starter power lead. After removing the plug stick I turned the ignition key to crank; the engine cranked. After replacing the plug stick the engine started, ran briefly, then stopped. Removing plugstick got it going again, for as long as it felt like running, anything from 10 seconds to 90 minutes.
Today I tried unplugging the plugstick but not removing it. That got it going too, but not for long. With the ignition switched on, I tried wiggling the leads around the plugstick connector. As I did so, I heard clicks from the throttle box. I imagined a damaged lead in the harnesses. I wiggled each lead in turn, to locate a damaged lead. The guilty party was the cylinder head earth lead, which you see on the picture above to the left of the pipe repair. It was in place, but not quite tight. A quick tweak with a 10mm spanner, and all was well.
I keep starting it, now it's fine. Sounds unlikely, don't it?

171

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra 1.8 starter will not turn

« on: 17 May 2020, 11:49:48 »

Yesterday at 730am I switched on the ignition and the fuel gauge said half full. Since then checking every hour it has remained pretty dead, except on two occasions when the fuel gauge briefly sprang to life, only to die again within 30 seconds.
I thought it might be a relay, so I switched each relay in turn with the relays in Vectra estate YF57. Curiously the estate lacks the two black relays shown above at front and back, so I swopped them with each other. No joy, fuel gauge remained dead.
We are learning all the while things that are not the fault; I wonder what the fault is?

172

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra 1.8 starter will not turn

« on: 16 May 2020, 11:32:07 »

I got to about page 3 (no boobs  ) and thought IGNITION SWITCH. 

Give the key a really good wiggle when turning the key.

Thanks. Will give it a try.
 
This morning I rolled the car out of the garage, no puddle, and header tank still up to the line. My thanks to Viral Jim, for his recommendation of Loctite EA9492 as an epoxy adhesive that might repair my broken coolant pipe. As a preliminary test, see above pic, I stuck a disc of rear bumper plastic to a plastic tube lying on my garage bench, following your instructions, and next day I popped it into a dish of boiling water, tried to pull it apart, failed, boiled it on and off all day, and could not pull it apart. Thus encouraged, I stuck the pipe to the thermostat holder. It has not failed yet.

At 730am I switched on ignition, and the fuel gauge said half full.

173

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra 1.8 starter will not turn

« on: 15 May 2020, 21:45:23 »

More data.
At 1440 today, fuel pump still reading half full, I set a stop watch running and started the engine. It ran without hesitation  until 1615, with fan cutting in occasionally at 93 degrees. At 1615 I stopped the engine, then restarted it successfully. I stopped and restarted it again. It seemed fine to me. I switched it off.
At 1800 I tried to start the engine, switched on, fuel gauge dead, engine would not start. At 2130 it is still dead.
 

174

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra 1.8 starter will not turn

« on: 15 May 2020, 13:55:17 »

Something pinched when rebuilding

Or maybe something plugged into the wrong socket. I did that on the Rover Streetwise after a head gasket change. There were two identical sockets at the LH end of the head accepting two identical plugs, which I naturally switched. Engine started and ran, but would not idle properly.

175

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra 1.8 starter will not turn

« on: 15 May 2020, 12:56:39 »

There is a temperature sensor at the back of the thermostat holder with a 2 pin connector, held in by a spring clip. I changed it for a spare, and tried again. Engine started, but stopped after about half a minute, so I replaced the original sensor. There is also a temparature sensor with a 2 pin connector in the thermostat, again held in by a spring clip, but hard to remove and wired inside so not really changeable.
My laptop diagnoser gives live data. What could I usefully watch on it?

176

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra 1.8 starter will not turn

« on: 14 May 2020, 19:03:16 »

6.30pm. Put in key, turned 2 clicks, fuel gauge says half full.
Plugged in laptop diagnoser, ignition on, engine not running. Three codes came up:
P0014-63 unknown DTC
P0564-71 Cruise control interface malfunction
P0597-04 Coolant thermostat valve circuit open

When I bought the car the cruise control did not work, eventually fault traced to missing fuse FI 20
I have recently changed the thermostat housing and thermostat, that sounds the most likely troubls source, and maybe engine runs until coolant gets warm.
Please advise.

177

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra 1.8 starter will not turn

« on: 14 May 2020, 18:02:31 »

Right, can you try again to get fault codes read 

If its in the scenario where it will fire, fuel gauge giving a reading, you should be able to get the DTCs

I did try again with the cheapo reader, it seemed to get info, but said no codes stored. Car is currently 'dead' after the engine stop at 530 ish, now 6.01pm. Will try again.

178

General Car Chat / Re: Insurance mystery

« on: 14 May 2020, 17:57:26 »

Thanks to all for advice. I asked Hastings Direct why they tried to cancel Jonny's cover rather than cancel the other guy's. They replied they wrote to both parties, now I have responded my cover will remain. I have e-mailed Jonny to check his car's VIN number, as on the log book. He has yet to respond.

179

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra 1.8 starter will not turn

« on: 14 May 2020, 16:51:42 »

Not in the least bit surprised, there was enough juice to crank the engine so the ECU and other bits would be ok.

So to summarise, the engine does not crank, if you bridge the starter solenoid, it cranks but does not fire.

It points at an inhibit somewhere.

So first thing, with ignition on, can you hear the fuel pump running for a short period of time?

Can you see if you are getting a spark with ignition on and bridging the starter solenoid to get the engine to crank?

Have you managed to get the diag kit to communicate yet?

To check for a spark, I moved the car back over the pit, I removed the plug stick (or coilpack, whatever it's called), stuck two plugs in it and reconnected the connector. Wife walked into the garage. I opened the boot, to find the fuel pump, to listen for it; couldn't see it. Anyway, to show her what I wanted her to do, I turned the ignition key too far, and to my surprise the engine cranked. That surprised me! Also the fuel gauge showed the tank more than half full. I removed the plugs from the plug stick, replaced the plug stick on the plugs. I turned on the ignition 2 clicks. Fuel gauge again sprang to life and showed half full. I turned the key to crank and the engine started. After half a minute I left it idling and went indoors. After a minute I checked again. Engine was not running. I turned the ignition off and on again - fuel gauge now dead. Turned the key to crank - engine did not crank.

I wrote the above. I again removed the coil pack and inserted 2 plugs. I turned ignition two clicks; fuel gauge showed half full. I reported to wife, complaining the car was now mocking me.

I replaced the coil pack. Turned on ignition two clicks - fuel gauge showed half full. Switched off.

Waited 10 minutes - replaced key turned 2 clicks - fuel gauge half full.

Waited 10 minutes - replaced key turned 2 clicks = fuel gauge half full. Cranked starter, engine started, ran for a minute then stopped.

 In answer to your questions, I have not yet heard the fuel pump, but now know it is beneath the rear seat cushion. I have not seen sparks, but there must be some. I have not yet any diagnostics, my diagnoser does not seem to work on this Vectra or my other Vectra, though it works fine on the 2006 Astra.

I will try again later, to see if it works without removal of the plug stick. I find this new data encouraging, and it must help.

180

General Car Chat / Re: Vectra 1.8 starter will not turn

« on: 14 May 2020, 12:17:15 »

It took 10 minutes to organise the cars, ands 2 minutes to perform your test. I regret to report that engine did not crank. With sick Vectra headlights on, they did not dim on cranking attempt.