181
General Discussion Area / Coming out of the closet
« on: 07 January 2007, 19:24:46 »
Ok, who else keeps a full record of all work done on the car on Excel spreadsheet, noting the date, mileage, etc…?
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182
General Discussion Area / Christmas is officially over
« on: 06 January 2007, 09:02:32 »
...TB revved-back to the original icons…
183
General Discussion Area / Re: Coolant Flush & Change
« on: 04 January 2007, 13:56:23 »
See: http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1167917774
I don’t want to be a spoilsport, so I am posting this in a separate thread rather than as a reply to the existing one.
The post is excellent and the pictures are very good, it has been needed for some time now so well done! I wish I had seen it before flushing my radiator a couple of months ago…. Would have saved me some time.
However, there is one thing which I suggest needs changing.
I am referring to 'Now its time to add the new red coolant, I did’nt have a spare large bottle so I used a Robinsons 2Ltr bottle, I filled it half way up with red coolant and then filled it up to the top with water...'
You should never ever have toxic substance such as Ethylene Glycol in a container previously used for drinkables or edibles.... you might think it's only going to be there for a brief second, but it is not permissible under any circumstances... many accidents happened this way, and in fact I personally know of a case many many years ago (and in another country) where four people dies after the vehicle they borrowed broke down in freezing cold and they decided to keep themselves warm with a bottle of 'liquor' they found in the boot – and which turned-out to be antifreeze stored in a Banana Liquor bottle.
Again, it may seem that you were in full control of the bottle at all times and you would have presumably also destroyed the container after using it, but still the fact remains that safe habits prevent accidents. I posted it here rather than sending a PM because I think it is important that everyone is aware of this.
Tunnie, I suggest that you edit-out the pictures and text relating to the Robinsons bottle….
I don’t want to be a spoilsport, so I am posting this in a separate thread rather than as a reply to the existing one.
The post is excellent and the pictures are very good, it has been needed for some time now so well done! I wish I had seen it before flushing my radiator a couple of months ago…. Would have saved me some time.
However, there is one thing which I suggest needs changing.
I am referring to 'Now its time to add the new red coolant, I did’nt have a spare large bottle so I used a Robinsons 2Ltr bottle, I filled it half way up with red coolant and then filled it up to the top with water...'
You should never ever have toxic substance such as Ethylene Glycol in a container previously used for drinkables or edibles.... you might think it's only going to be there for a brief second, but it is not permissible under any circumstances... many accidents happened this way, and in fact I personally know of a case many many years ago (and in another country) where four people dies after the vehicle they borrowed broke down in freezing cold and they decided to keep themselves warm with a bottle of 'liquor' they found in the boot – and which turned-out to be antifreeze stored in a Banana Liquor bottle.
Again, it may seem that you were in full control of the bottle at all times and you would have presumably also destroyed the container after using it, but still the fact remains that safe habits prevent accidents. I posted it here rather than sending a PM because I think it is important that everyone is aware of this.
Tunnie, I suggest that you edit-out the pictures and text relating to the Robinsons bottle….
184
General Discussion Area / Movie Mistakes
« on: 28 December 2006, 12:47:33 »
For those of you who are into this sort of thing...
http://www.moviemistakes.com/
(Just ignore the annoying adverts)
http://www.moviemistakes.com/
(Just ignore the annoying adverts)
185
General Discussion Area / Another gem from Car Mechanics Magazine....
« on: 19 December 2006, 22:09:33 »
186
General Discussion Area / Warning to all Omega owners
« on: 13 December 2006, 00:02:39 »
If you happen to go up to Bletchley and get your ECU flashed by TB, and then the battery goes flat and you get the jump leads from the boot, and while putting the leads back you find a bag of pistachio nuts and you are hungry, DO NOT attempt to eat the pistachio nuts while driving back to London, because the bag may rapture and the pistachio could fall into the gap between the driver's seat and the armrest, blocking the seat rails and getting stuck in the pretensioner connector which will take you one hour and forty five minutes to painstakingly remove using various long, flexible, and sharp instruments, not to mention your fingers, and if on top of that you do this while parked in front of your office in Kings Cross at 21:45 at night, and then go into the office for two minutes to wash your hands, you could even get a ticket from an insomniac traffic warden which will cost you £50. So there, you’ve been warned!
187
General Discussion Area / Omega CVT...
« on: 12 December 2006, 20:52:31 »
TB updated the ECUs on my car, including the autobox one.
Suffice to say that I am no longer contemplating an ATF change…. the box shifts VERY smoothly, the ‘kick and klong’ when shifting-up disappeared completely, and the shift-down with kick-down is immediate and with no noticeable delay. In short, the transmission is now very civilised, fast, and smooth.
Interestingly, when I first noticed that the transmission was rough and ‘kicking’ on shift-ups, I asked Vx to check it. The ‘couldn’t fault it’ and said they checked the fluid level and all was OK. They either never heard of firmware upgrades, Tech2, or TIS, or just couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it…
So in short the autobox ECU update made a huge difference, highly recommended to anyone with an autobox.
What I forgot to do on the way back from Bletchley was to check how the transmission behaves in ‘Sports’ mode, in the past I found that the car was changing gears very violently when in this mode so I just stopped using it. I have a long drive tomorrow to Suffolk so will try it and report back…
As expected, the engine ECU update did not produce any noticeable improvement, though I will compare the mpg statistics to see if there is a difference there.
Thanks TB!
Suffice to say that I am no longer contemplating an ATF change…. the box shifts VERY smoothly, the ‘kick and klong’ when shifting-up disappeared completely, and the shift-down with kick-down is immediate and with no noticeable delay. In short, the transmission is now very civilised, fast, and smooth.
Interestingly, when I first noticed that the transmission was rough and ‘kicking’ on shift-ups, I asked Vx to check it. The ‘couldn’t fault it’ and said they checked the fluid level and all was OK. They either never heard of firmware upgrades, Tech2, or TIS, or just couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it…
So in short the autobox ECU update made a huge difference, highly recommended to anyone with an autobox.
What I forgot to do on the way back from Bletchley was to check how the transmission behaves in ‘Sports’ mode, in the past I found that the car was changing gears very violently when in this mode so I just stopped using it. I have a long drive tomorrow to Suffolk so will try it and report back…
As expected, the engine ECU update did not produce any noticeable improvement, though I will compare the mpg statistics to see if there is a difference there.
Thanks TB!
188
General Discussion Area / A H-U-G-E Thank You to TheBoy!
« on: 12 December 2006, 20:39:20 »
…for updating the ECUs on my car, with great persistence and while braving the elements on this cold, windy, and wet afternoon! 
…and for helping me start it later when the battery went flat...
…and for helping me start it later when the battery went flat...
189
General Discussion Area / Quiz - what's wrong in this picture
« on: 07 December 2006, 10:47:53 »
Well it's not actually a quiz as such, but can anyone spot what's wrong in this picture? It was snapped this morning in central London in case you were wondering, and no it is not re-touched with Photoshop....
190
General Discussion Area / The definitive oil thread… Part 1 – Synthetic Oils
« on: 06 December 2006, 17:47:39 »
I know this subject has been done to death… but being a bit of a boffin I decided to do some proper research on this topic (that’s just a fancy name for googling…). I can’t guarantee that the info below is the gospels, it is what I found on the Internet, but having cross-referenced several sources it seems very likely that the information provided is indeed correct. So here goes:
1. Modern engines burn lean mixtures in order to improve economy and reduce emissions, which results in typically higher working temperatures. Under these conditions oil tends to break-up and this is why higher-quality oils are needed, i.e. semi or full synthetic, which have better resistance to higher temperatures.
Or this is the official version anyway… the real story behind high-performance oils is the drive by motor manufacturers to increase service intervals. This is a major issue for fleet buyers – and manufacturers sell cars on the back of low running costs. The fact is that if the manufacturer’s official oil change service schedule are ignores (for Omega, it’s 10,000 miles for the 2.5/3.0 and 20,000 miles for the 2.6/3.2) and the oil is changed at the traditional 3,000-5,000 miles interval, it does not really mater much which oil type you use… any modern good quality oil, be it mineral (yes, even mineral), semi, or full synthetic will perform well during this relatively short period.
There is no doubt that full-synthetic oil provides better protection than semi or mineral oil, but the point is that this is marginal under normal use and when the oil is new. Where the full synthetic really shines is if you actually keep the oil in the engine for the full duration of the official service schedule interval – but this is something that we here don’t recommend anyway….
2. Not all ‘synthetic’ oils actually synthetic… apparently enhanced mineral oil can also legally be called synthetic.
The paragraph below is from Honest John (he wouldn’t tell a lie, would he?):
‘The most stable products on the market and those which are being chosen by manufacturers for extended service are fully synthetic PAO (PolyAlphaOlefin). This includes Castrol SLX, Esso Ultron and Mobil 1. These products are extremely stable in extremes of performance….’
Note: Castrol SLX is not the same as Castrol Magantec. In fact Mobil sued Castrol claiming that Castrol call their Magnatec oil ‘synthetic’ were it is actually enhanced mineral oil, but sadly Mobil lost the case and the result is that enhanced mineral oil can now be legally marketed as synthetic…
But is it possible to know which oil is which? Yes, if we look at the Mercedes-Benz spec. MB have several oil specs: MB 229.1, then MB 229.3 (and its diesel subset MB 229.31), and the latest is MB 229.5. Only real fully synthetic PAO oils can meet MB 229.3 or higher.
Going back to point number one, as long as you buy good quality oil and change it frequently is shouldn’t matter much is the oil is ‘real’ synthetic or not. But even if using mislabelled oils may not actually damage the engine, you do want to know what you are buying and where your money goes….
3. As for Esso Ultron, it is made by ExxonMobil. My parts manager swears that it is the same oil as Mobil 1, coming off the same tanker, and that buying Esso Ultron is really just buying Mobil-1 for less. Whether this is actually the case it is difficult to say, but what seems to be clear is that they are both made from the same base oil (though potentially with different additives), so Esso Ultron is a very high quality full-synthetic oil and does cost less than Mobil-1.
What is even more interesting is that several sources on the Internet claim that Halfords’ own-brand full-synthetic oil is actually Esso Ultron – if this is true, then buying it from Halfords with Trade Card will be on par with buying Vauxhall own-branded oil on Vauxhall Trade Club.
4. This is all for boffins… I don’t know which oil Vauxhall use as own-brand, but again, it does not really matter - if you change oil frequently as you should then either Vauxhall semi or full-synth will be very good choices, especially on Vx Trade Club or when they are available on 4-for-3 special offers!
1. Modern engines burn lean mixtures in order to improve economy and reduce emissions, which results in typically higher working temperatures. Under these conditions oil tends to break-up and this is why higher-quality oils are needed, i.e. semi or full synthetic, which have better resistance to higher temperatures.
Or this is the official version anyway… the real story behind high-performance oils is the drive by motor manufacturers to increase service intervals. This is a major issue for fleet buyers – and manufacturers sell cars on the back of low running costs. The fact is that if the manufacturer’s official oil change service schedule are ignores (for Omega, it’s 10,000 miles for the 2.5/3.0 and 20,000 miles for the 2.6/3.2) and the oil is changed at the traditional 3,000-5,000 miles interval, it does not really mater much which oil type you use… any modern good quality oil, be it mineral (yes, even mineral), semi, or full synthetic will perform well during this relatively short period.
There is no doubt that full-synthetic oil provides better protection than semi or mineral oil, but the point is that this is marginal under normal use and when the oil is new. Where the full synthetic really shines is if you actually keep the oil in the engine for the full duration of the official service schedule interval – but this is something that we here don’t recommend anyway….
2. Not all ‘synthetic’ oils actually synthetic… apparently enhanced mineral oil can also legally be called synthetic.
The paragraph below is from Honest John (he wouldn’t tell a lie, would he?):
‘The most stable products on the market and those which are being chosen by manufacturers for extended service are fully synthetic PAO (PolyAlphaOlefin). This includes Castrol SLX, Esso Ultron and Mobil 1. These products are extremely stable in extremes of performance….’
Note: Castrol SLX is not the same as Castrol Magantec. In fact Mobil sued Castrol claiming that Castrol call their Magnatec oil ‘synthetic’ were it is actually enhanced mineral oil, but sadly Mobil lost the case and the result is that enhanced mineral oil can now be legally marketed as synthetic…
But is it possible to know which oil is which? Yes, if we look at the Mercedes-Benz spec. MB have several oil specs: MB 229.1, then MB 229.3 (and its diesel subset MB 229.31), and the latest is MB 229.5. Only real fully synthetic PAO oils can meet MB 229.3 or higher.
Going back to point number one, as long as you buy good quality oil and change it frequently is shouldn’t matter much is the oil is ‘real’ synthetic or not. But even if using mislabelled oils may not actually damage the engine, you do want to know what you are buying and where your money goes….
3. As for Esso Ultron, it is made by ExxonMobil. My parts manager swears that it is the same oil as Mobil 1, coming off the same tanker, and that buying Esso Ultron is really just buying Mobil-1 for less. Whether this is actually the case it is difficult to say, but what seems to be clear is that they are both made from the same base oil (though potentially with different additives), so Esso Ultron is a very high quality full-synthetic oil and does cost less than Mobil-1.
What is even more interesting is that several sources on the Internet claim that Halfords’ own-brand full-synthetic oil is actually Esso Ultron – if this is true, then buying it from Halfords with Trade Card will be on par with buying Vauxhall own-branded oil on Vauxhall Trade Club.
4. This is all for boffins… I don’t know which oil Vauxhall use as own-brand, but again, it does not really matter - if you change oil frequently as you should then either Vauxhall semi or full-synth will be very good choices, especially on Vx Trade Club or when they are available on 4-for-3 special offers!
191
General Discussion Area / Quiz for Omega boffins...
« on: 04 December 2006, 11:41:45 »
Which dashboard control is present on lower-spec vehicles but blanked-out on the higher-spec models? 
192
General Discussion Area / A spot of maintenance part 2
« on: 04 December 2006, 11:34:55 »
For those of you who actually recall my previous post....
The sunroof was making and odd noise for some time now, in fact for the past two years. When opened, about 2/3 of the way through it would make a loud thud but open normally otherwise. I actually asked Vx to check this when the car was booked-in for service, their technicians 'could not fault it Sir, but we have lubricated it for you'. So I lived with it.
A couple of months ago, the roof wouldn't close. It went forward through 2/3 of the way, but then it stopped and opened again. On closer examination, the wind deflector flap at the front was not folding down, and the mechanism that is supposed to prevent accidental amputations by backing-up when sensing resistance was opening the roof again.
This seems to be a deterioration of the previous condition, i.e. the flap wasn't moving freely and the thud noise was the result of the flap popping-up at once instead of gradually lifting, and eventually is partially seized - it worked if you pushed down the flap by hand, but not when the roof was closing.
Looking at the rails, it seems that Vx applied a generous amount of grease to the actual tracks on both sides of the roof but not to the flap pivoting points at the front which were dry. Applying a spot of my ole' faithful multi-purpose grease directly on the flaps pivots solved the problem - the roof now closes first time, and opens quietly and without the thud!
The sunroof was making and odd noise for some time now, in fact for the past two years. When opened, about 2/3 of the way through it would make a loud thud but open normally otherwise. I actually asked Vx to check this when the car was booked-in for service, their technicians 'could not fault it Sir, but we have lubricated it for you'. So I lived with it.
A couple of months ago, the roof wouldn't close. It went forward through 2/3 of the way, but then it stopped and opened again. On closer examination, the wind deflector flap at the front was not folding down, and the mechanism that is supposed to prevent accidental amputations by backing-up when sensing resistance was opening the roof again.
This seems to be a deterioration of the previous condition, i.e. the flap wasn't moving freely and the thud noise was the result of the flap popping-up at once instead of gradually lifting, and eventually is partially seized - it worked if you pushed down the flap by hand, but not when the roof was closing.
Looking at the rails, it seems that Vx applied a generous amount of grease to the actual tracks on both sides of the roof but not to the flap pivoting points at the front which were dry. Applying a spot of my ole' faithful multi-purpose grease directly on the flaps pivots solved the problem - the roof now closes first time, and opens quietly and without the thud!
193
General Discussion Area / A spot of maintenance
« on: 28 November 2006, 14:11:29 »
I noticed recently that a metallic clong has developed from the base of the auto gear selector when going over bumps in the road (of which there are many in London). I took off the leather cover and had a closer look, and saw traces of lubricant covering the moving parts – so I took some ordinary multipurpose grease and smeared a fine layer on the lower toothed bit and especially on the plunger at the bottom of the stick – the one you move by pressing the lever on the gear knob – and it’s all nice and quiet now. Just something else to look at…
194
General Discussion Area / How much does the indicator flasher relay cost fro
« on: 24 November 2006, 13:43:47 »
My indicator flasher relay died. Went to Vx to ask how much it costs (yes, I know you can buy after-market ones cheaper...). No they didn't have it in stock. Guess how much it is for a unit identical to my 'GM - made in Tunisia' one?