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91

Omega General Help / Re: "automatic gearbox"

« on: 30 July 2008, 13:03:25 »

Hi there,
I had a similar problem with my 2.0. Can you read the codes to see if any are stored, as other problems can activate this warning.  With mine it turned out to be a crank or cam sensor. Light went out after changing sensor.

I've just had the same thing "Automatic Gearbox" triggered by a broken lambda sensor wire. But I didn't know until Saturday. The gearbox was slipping in 2nd and 3rd. Fearing the worst, I had already bought a replacement gearbox.  To my amazement, fixing the lambda wire also fixed the gearbox (so far at least <crosses fingers>)

I'm glad I've got the replacement gearbox though as my car has done 166,000 miles and if the 'box really does wear out I'll have its replacement ready.

92

Omega General Help / Re: V6 4 pot swap???

« on: 29 July 2008, 21:44:10 »

I don't know my Omegas, but the Carlton 2.0 had lighter drivetrain/suspension/brakes/rear axle compared with the bigger engined versions. On the 2.6 12v, 3.0 12v and 3.0 24v  all of this was significantly heavier and beefier. Things like the gearbox, propshaft, differential, rear wheel bearings, brake calipers, springs, etc, were all different. The 2.0 Carlton feels a much lighter car to drive than the 3.0, which is because it is lighter!

I imagine that the Omega range would be much the same?

93

Omega General Help / Re: radiator fans

« on: 28 July 2008, 21:50:53 »

I'm no expert but I was working on my own 3.0 Elite fans a week ago. I gather from what is on this forum that the three fans work in different combinations according to circumstances. There's a thread about this somewhere, not long ago.

94

Omega General Help / Re: omega engine type?

« on: 28 July 2008, 21:29:21 »

I have a Parkers guide here from 2002. There was what appears to be a base model Omega 2.0i Edition S from '94L to '95M, which had the 115 bhp 8v engine, and no electric sunroof (presumably manual).

I don't know my Omegas, so can't comment really except to say that according to the guide, the 8v was slower and less economical than the 2.0 16v, as you'd expect.  

95

Omega General Help / Re: LPG green LED blinking at me

« on: 28 July 2008, 22:10:23 »

I suspect the "welly" switch is actually an RPM threshold - most systems won't changeover until they reach 2000rpm AND deccelerating AND vapouriser up to temperature...Yours might be set a bit higher, being an Auto (what RPM does it change gear on your normal driving pattern?).  This sort of makes it a deliberate changeover to LPG, rather than it choosing, so giving you some control over it.  Stands a chance that the "S" button would have had the same effect!

Thanks, yes that makes sense. I'll see how it goes over the next few days. I am very new to all of this and it's been a bit of a challenge, to say the least, but without the help and advice of OOF members I'd probably still be struggling and wondering why my speedo doesn't work....thanks everybody.

96

Omega General Help / Re: LPG green LED blinking at me

« on: 28 July 2008, 21:46:28 »

(1998 3.0 Elite estate + LPG)

Out again today, pondering the rather slow switchover to LPG. Put my foot down and "click" I hear the valve go in the tank behind me, and light is solid green. So it seems that the system needs me to give it a bit of mild welly before switching over, rather than my must-save-petrol pussyfooting around!

So it seems that once it is up to temperature, it also needs the pedal depressed to make it switch over. Interesting. Anyway, it all seems to run fine, so I am at last feeling rather positive about my "bargain" eBay shed. I like the colour (metallic green), I like the light greyish leather interior, I like the performance (so far, as the multi-ram system needs a  replacement solenoid before it will really motor), I like the capacious estate body, I like the ride and handling, and I like the toys. Even the rather antiquated sat nav works really well. It got me home anyway! I especially like the price of LPG.

Why the broken Lambda wire affected the auto gearbox I have no idea, but it did. It works perfectly now. Next job will be a cambelt change as it is due about now and if I push my luck I fear a damaged engine.

PS I can see an LPG conversion on my Monza coming up.    

97

Omega General Help / Re: LPG green LED blinking at me

« on: 28 July 2008, 00:05:16 »

Exciting update -EVERYTHING WORKS!

Yes indeedee, including the auto gearbox.

I went on a 60-mile trip this evening and the green LED stopped blinking and stayed on. So I was running on LPG, no problem. I was amazed to find that the auto gearbox, that had been acting as if it was worn out, is now miraculously cured and works perfectly (as far as I can tell).

It does take rather longer to switch onto LPG than I think is right though. I stopped briefly by a cash machine, and it was a mile and a half before it switched fully onto LPG again. So although it si working the switchover seems a bit lethargic. More work to there I think. Would that be the vapouriser not getting up to temp quick enough?

All I have to do now is replace the broken vacuum solenoid valve down by the crank pulley/back of multiram ducting, to restore full multiram operation,. and my car should be running nigh on perfectly.

Needless to say, I am thrilled to bits, after all the heartache and difficult working conditions in the crowded V6 engine bay.

98

Omega General Help / Re: LPG green LED blinking at me

« on: 27 July 2008, 18:56:33 »

The rapidly blinking EML has gone; that turned out top be related to a broken brown/blue O2 sensor wire where the LPG converters had tapped into it. When fixing my ABS ECU I must have disturbed it and it broke. That was what the fault code 13 Lambda sensor No 1 open circuit was all about.

But my green gas light is still blinking, so I guess there is another fault that I have to locate. Looks like I will have to check the whole LPG wiring loom, ECU, emulator etc.

But we're slowly getting there!

99

Omega General Help / Re: LPG green LED blinking at me

« on: 26 July 2008, 19:29:29 »

Thanks for your suggestions (and any yet to come!) I will have a look tomorrow Sunday and also take some photos.

But as far as my little LPG switch is concerned, it is just a rocker
switch with a big red LED for out of gas (goes off when on petrol), a big green LED (occasionally half red or all red) for running on gas, and in between four small bright green LEDs for approximate LPG fuel level in tank.  

When running on LPG properly, the big green LED should light up permanently. When switching to petrol, all LEDs go out.

100

Omega General Help / Re: LPG green LED blinking at me

« on: 26 July 2008, 18:11:49 »

PS. Which of the two Lambda sensors is No 1? LH or RH downpipe? Thanks.

101

Omega General Help / LPG green LED blinking at me

« on: 26 July 2008, 18:10:14 »

So.. back to my 1998 ex-eBay Omega 3.0 Elite auto estate with added LPG.

It passed the MOT on Friday! Oh happy day, after nearly two months of trauma with my exhaust manifold saga, ABS ECU saga, non-starting saga, replacing all metal brake lines for MOT saga, etc.

So I am now officially on the road and enjoying Omega motoring (with a gearbox problem -put a Snap-On Ethos diagnostic thing on it at the MOt place and it came up with Solenoid A electrical... but we'll deal with that later (all old fault codes were then reset). For the moment I can drive the car no problem as long as I stir the selector lever on the hills. I do have a replacement gearbox now, in case it really is worn out clutches etc.

But here is my latest question: doing a paperclip test, the engine management light blinks 13, lambda sensor 1 open circuit. This doesn't seem to affect running on petrol, at least not that I've noticed; the EML stays off.

However I think it is affecting runnning on LPG. The moment I switch to LPG, the EML starts blinking at me, at a fast rate, and the green LED on the LPG switch starts blinking too, more slowly. If I put my foot down to accelerate, the LED seems to go into half red, half green blinking. Take my foot off the pedal and cruise, and it goes back to green blinking. At no time does it stay non-blinking solid green all the time. However, the car seems to be running on LPG as the tank level is going down, also at idle the engine note changes quite noticeably as it switches over (slower and rougher idle on LPG).

I'm assuming that the suspect 02 sensor is affecting the LPG running more than the petrol, and the blinking EML and blinking green LED are warnings. Is this correct? I've read over on an LPG site that the LPG ECU rides piggyback on the petrol injection ECU, and if an O2 sensor goes duff the petrol ECU defaults to one of three safety readings. The LPG ECU doesn't seem to like this, hence the blinking. Am I right?

If I switch back to petrol, the EML lamp stays off. It only blinks rapidly when I switch to LPG.

I expect I could solve this by getting under the car and either replacing the O2 sensor or checking for a  bad plug contact, but I'm hoping one of you will say "oh yes, that's exactly what is happening", then I can save myself the trouble of pondering any other possible faults.

I don't know what make the LPG system is. It was installed in 2001 and the service notes say Sebelle. But I can't find that brand of system anywhere on the 'net. It is a sequential system and seems to run fine apart from the green blinking.

Postscriopt to previous pleas for help -I found out where the long vaxcuum pipe went, to a broken vacuum reservoir No 2 down on the air intake ducting. I've replaced it with one from a Senator stuffed under the scuttle, and also checked all the vacuum pipe connections thanks to the help and diagrams on the Maintenance section of this site. Brilliant help, thanks.  

102

Omega General Help / Re: rear wheel bearings

« on: 25 July 2008, 21:06:16 »

I have replaced lots of rear wheel bearings on Monzas (although not on Omegas -I've just checked the EPC though and can see that the design is basically the same).  Those on the Senator B, Carlton Mk 3 and Omega are similar to the Monza/Senator A, inasmuch as the wheel hub/stub axle passes through the bearing, then an inner drive flange is pressed on over splines and secured with a large nut done up to a very high torque. You need the correct purpose-made pullers and presses to do the job. If you don't have these, or an ingenious way of adapting existing pullers/presses, don't even think about it. If you have access to an engineering workshop or commercial garage and a collection of assorted  tools, pullers, presses etc that can be adapted, it is possible to do the job with the trailing arm off the car. For an amateur mechanic on a suburban driveway, trying to do it on the car, and with only basic tools, it is next to impossible.

103

Omega General Help / Re: Omega Elite X25XE engine rear view pics wanted

« on: 26 July 2008, 18:14:21 »

There are some good rear view pics in the Maintenance section on this site. If your water leak is from the transfer pipe joint at the block, it is right down at the back of the engine, in the middle, just above the gearbox bellhousing. I know because I've recently been there! And what a pig it is to get to.

104

Omega General Help / Re: Aircon compressor - noisy pulley

« on: 05 July 2008, 10:11:07 »

It sounds as if a clutch spring is broken. The noise could be the friction disc part of the clutch rubbing on the pulley. The leaf springs are supposed to hold the friction disc away from the pulley except when the compressor itself is running, when the solenoid part of the clutch is energised, holding the friction disc against the pulley.

The clutch can be changed but you need a special puller(s) to do it; check out air con specialist suppliers on the 'net. I don't know how easy it is to do this with the compressor in situ on an Omega, as I'm a  bit of a newbie to the cars, but I have experience with the Senator/Carlton compressor which is very similar. On my Omega 3.0 Elite the compressor looks very difficult to extract complete and I don't know how easy it is to get at the clutch from inside the engine bay.

105

Omega General Help / Re: Coolant Low - SAFE showing on display -won't start

« on: 21 July 2008, 15:29:06 »

Update on my woes ('98 3.0 Elite estate auto, LPG, 166,000 miles.....)

I adjusted the throttle cable and I now have kickdown. Great. But the gears are still slipping. During a ten mile drive to fill up with LPG the TC light came on and the EML started flashing quickly at me, as the gearbox went into limp-home mode.

Are these warning lights and gearbox behaviour what you'd expect with a knackered auto gearbox? It does work, after a fashion, and still manages to struggle up hills, but the writing is on the wall!

I've got a good gearbox en route to me and we are all set to change the gearbox as soon as it arrives.