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31

General Car Chat / Standard issue jack

« on: 27 August 2016, 19:35:29 »

Everyone is probably aware that the standard Vauxhall issue jack that came with the Omega, isn't an item which fills you with confidence when using it....... I've experienced the car rolling off it before now, and luckily didn't trap itself underneath before I got the wheel off.

I'm also not fired up with enthusiasm for carrying around my workshop trolley jack all the time, so just wondered if anyone had any suggestions as to a suitable / reliable means of jacking the jar up at the roadside, that doesn't take up a large proportion of boot space.

Hopefully (in an ideal world) I'll not have to use it, but surely there has to be something a bit more rugged and easily stowable ?   

32

General Car Chat / Didn't just pass MOT test - it 'cruised through'

« on: 13 August 2016, 10:05:28 »

Pleased to announce the silver 2.5 CDX estate has got a 12 month ticket, after sitting on the driveway (SORN) for over 4 years. The garage phoned up to say it cruised through with no advisories.   

It's gone through a full 6 month refurbishment to include underbody clean & protection, new suspension, wishbone bushes, shocks, discs, donut bushes and numerous other items.

I'll sit down this weekend and frighten myself as to how much I've spent on it this year 

33

Omega Gallery / My 2.5 V6 CDX, year 2000 Facelift Estate

« on: 31 July 2016, 10:48:42 »

I've owned this X reg estate since 2002, and bought at a time when silver was a fashionable colour...... with the many thousands of them still around it's no wonder they don't turn heads as much as other coloured Omegas.

It's been off the road for around 5 years now, withdrawn due to engine problems and suspension wear. It was easier and cheaper to just go out and buy another Omega estate - which is what I did (and the present ebay bargain W reg has kept me going, as a workhorse with very little having been done for the initial £399 outlay).

Due to the reasonable condition of the body, and having refurbished the top end of the engine, I decided to bring the rest of it back up to a good standard underneath - as a project car more than anything. The end of August brings the tax and MOT to an end on the ebay bargain, so I shall be looking to put it in for its test sometime over the next couple of weeks. OK, at the end of the day it will always be silver, but hopefully it will keep going for another few years, and then perhaps it really will be rare!!   

34

General Car Chat / Oh bugger!!!!

« on: 05 July 2016, 21:10:55 »

Gone and broken the petrol pipe connector on the inline filter. I was already under there, and had a new filter on the shelf, so thought it might be a good opportunity to change it. After 16 years of road crap and the likelihood it may start leaking any day soon (the area above the petrol tank is particularly susceptible to corrosion, causing fuel leaks) I tried very carefully to release the connector....... resulting in a lot of swearing and a broken fitting..... and the 3 x O-rings fell out and into separate pieces!

Thankfully it seems, I'm not the only one to have suffered at the hands of these connectors (even those with the proper tool to hand), but a quick search of this forum came to the rescue again, with particular thanks to Doctor Gollum & previous acquaintances!



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/250912389358?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&var=550053025262&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

500mm of pipe will get you to the position shown. I bought a metre of the stuff not knowing how long it might need to be, as access above the differential is tight to say the least.



Some things work out well, and despite my reservations it didn't turn out to be such a bad job in the end. The solution may have come to me eventually, but the OOF saved the day again. Thank you.

35

General Car Chat / A rust-free Omega?

« on: 18 May 2016, 11:17:59 »

Corrosion is the C word when it comes to any vehicle made of metal, as eventually Mother Nature tries to reclaim all the minerals that went into its making. I've been fortunate(?) in having an Omega Estate on the driveway for the last 4 years, slowly plodding my way through it from front to back, and being amazed at the amount of surface corrosion that is found behind various bits of panel and trim.... and an example that I thought was relatively tidy when I started on this venture, and I haven't even had the door cards off yet.



There's no doubt that any car which has endured several British winters in its early years, will have started to rot away from the inside, and the whole chemical process of oxidisation may even have started as early as when the car left the factory! The areas around spot-welds are particularly prone to early signs, and when you get into the depths of Concentration Cell Corrosion it becomes obvious how the rot starts off due to stresses within the bodyshell and minute cracks forming a convenient channel for oxygen. Once you see the surface rust bubbling away, it's a good indication that there is rot within the confines of the seam joint working its way out. You'll never really get rid of it unless it's cut out and replaced with new metal, but there are several ways to treat it and keep it under control. I'm not promoting any remedial action, just giving a few pointers at this stage.



I haven't started this thread to frighten anyone, but maybe just bring to your attention what I've found. Eventual corrosion when holes start to appear is a sure sign of a scrapper (and not a bad thing when there's still a few knocking about), so always worth spending some time doing simple things like removing the sill covers to see what's lurking behind there. The resultant trap of moisture and grott is a gateway to trouble, so I hope my findings will be of help.

36

Omega General Help / Estate tailgate

« on: 05 May 2016, 20:53:09 »

Hello OOfers

Does anyone know if an estate tailgate complete, will fit into the back of an estate for transporting? Simples.

37

Omega General Help / Screen washers & pump

« on: 22 April 2016, 13:05:32 »

I had to clean the little filter which the screen washer pump sits on, as mounted on the washer bottle at the front of the car. After only 2 months the black gunge had come back with a vengeance, so both pumps out (screen & headlight) and a good flush out will hopefully keep the mouldy black stuff at bay. Just wondered if a drop of bleach added to the fluid may help, or not? Is there an anti-mould additive available, or just a matter of keeping things clean with regular flushes?

On a similar note, it appears the same pump provides water to the front screen and rear screen (estate), depending on which lever is operated on the column.... so the question - is there a solenoid valve or something which directs the flow of water to the front or the back, depending on which operation is selected?

38

Omega General Help / Rear subframe bolt

« on: 03 April 2016, 14:53:32 »

I'm in the process of tidying up the sills, and access near the rear subframe (inside edge of sill) is very tight to get in there to clean down.

The assembly bracket is held in place with 3 bolts (to chassis / body), and a central bolt for the subframe. The central bolt is obviously mated with a captive nut at the top which is not accessible when everything is in place.......  so the question is -

Is the captive nut held fully or just in a channel? I imagine once the central bolt is undone and removed, the nut may be lost, and I'd have to end up stripping out the whole rear assembly to find it again.

39

Omega General Help / Windscreen removal

« on: 23 March 2016, 13:24:26 »

I'm in the process of cleaning out the scuttle drains and have noticed surface rusty grot starting to accumulate around the bottom edge of the windscreen, on the horizontal metal body strip which the scuttle affixes to (and the little clips twist into). The screen is starting to delaminate in the corner, with signs of a slight crack starting, so it's fubbarred anyway.

I'd like to take the screen out and clean up and tidy those areas, cut back to metal and repaint.

Is it easy to remove the screen, not worrying about and cracking or damage to the glass?

Once cleaned up a new a new screen can be fitted by the windscreen people, but will calling them out first just to remove incur further costs, when removal might be easy DIY?

40

Omega General Help / Caliper cradle mix up - should I be worried?

« on: 15 March 2016, 17:43:29 »

As part of the front suspension overhaul, I've been careful so far not to mix things up, and kept the O/S separate from the N/S.

However during the cleaning process, I've not got a clue which carrier / cradle is which, and dimensionally they both appear to be the same..... apart from the numbers cast into them.

5593/2 <> 2
5593/2 <> 4

Anyone know which is which? AFAICS they are interchangeable and shouldn't pose a problem on reassembly, but thought I'd ask anyway.

41

General Car Chat / GM lower ball joint (wishbone outer) obsolete?

« on: 29 February 2016, 18:26:38 »

I'm in the process of refurbishing the front suspension on my 2.5 V6 CDX, with replacement rear wishbone bushes (genuine GM bought off OOF member  ) and new Powerflex polys on the front. Knowing the GM quality is consistent and reliable, I took a trip to the parts counter at Bayliss in Hereford to find out price and availability on lower ball joints. The computer says no, and it's an obsolete part said the man - no longer on the system..... but he did offer me the whole wishbone assembly!

Are these common-user parts really not available from GM now?

I guess there will come a time when most parts won't be stocked by the main dealer, especially for anything that was last produced over 12 years ago, so the bay of e, or motor factors offering after market parts will be the norm. Quality can be hit and miss, and it's no problem doing a track rod due to premature failure, but a lower ball joint is a different matter and a lot more work.



Options so far can range in price, so word of mouth sometimes helps.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KEYPARTS-KBJ5323-BALL-JOINT-LOWER-L-R-fit-GM-Vectra-95-on-Omega-94-on-/400803837878?hash=item5d51c537b6:g:5qgAAOSwibFUX6OW

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BORG-BECK-BBJ5323-BALL-JOINT-LOWER-L-R-fit-GM-Vectra-95-on-Omega-94-on-/400803632768?hash=item5d51c21680:g:MtAAAOSwzOxUXzRS

Cheers




   

42

Omega Gallery / A diary of Omegas

« on: 05 February 2016, 19:29:52 »

Hello All,

In case anyone is interested, I've just updated my Omega diary which can be viewed here http://www.emgauge70s.co.uk/project_omega01.html

It's not meant to be in competition with what the forum offers, more an archive of my own regarding the 2 Omegas sat on the driveway which I thought I'd share with you all.

Both in the very scarce silver colour, but you can't have everything!!



[interest spurned on by the good weather yesterday - almost made me want to get the jack out]

43

General Car Chat / Power sounder for X25XE engined Vectra

« on: 29 September 2015, 19:45:08 »

Most of us are aware of the power sounder issues on the Omega, and I assume the same arrangement is in place on the Vectra fitted with the same engine / ecu / etc year 2000.

Does anyone know the location of the power sounder?

44

Omega General Help / MOT failure - track rod end dust cover

« on: 13 August 2015, 23:05:58 »

Hello Chaps and Chapesses,

My Omega failed its MOT test today on 'offside rear track rod end ball joint dust cover excessively deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt'

Knowing how difficult these rod ends are to separate from the rear hub assembly  - you've only got to see the threads on here to see how difficult they are to remove (heat, cursing, and even possible destruction in some cases) just to replace the rubber boot. I have a splitter and a big hammer, but there's no wear in the joint, despite it being on there for 15 years, so wondered what people think of these replacement split gaiters?

http://www.egmcartech.com/store/UNIVERSAL-SPLIT-BALL-JOINT-TRACK-ROD-END-RUBBER-BOOT-GAITER-KIT-FITS-ALL-CARS_151767524631.html

45

Omega General Help / Handbrake cable

« on: 13 August 2014, 14:30:08 »

Just getting the Omega Estate ready for its MOT test, and have adjusted the brake shoes and all seems well, apart from the fact the handbrake cable is only actuating the nearside. The offside is fine if the lever is pulled by hand on the back of the hub, so decided to have a look behind the heat shields to find out what's going on. I've owned the car 3 years now and haven't needed to do any work on the brakes apart from replacing pads.


First thing I see is the equalising bar is only pulling the nearside cable, and is not at a right angle as it should be, so am beginning to think the outer cable has pulled through its anchor point, hence the slack.


With the rear heat shields moved out of the way, it can be seen that the cable is in good condition, as are the anchor points.




All looks well at the back of the cables too, so I'm puzzled as to why the offside cable isn't operating (it's free enough in the outer sheath) and very slack.

Looking at the maintenance guide http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=102410.0  it states the cables are different lengths, and am beginning to wonder if this conundrum is as a result of a replacement handbrake cable being fitted wrong handed in previous ownership?

Would swapping the cables over cure this problem, or should I be looking elsewhere?