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[2011venator]

Okay so wishbones all sorted but the battle-star Omega still wanders from one side of the road to the other it follows every camber change in the road and out in the fens we have plenty of them.
Had a good inspection of the idler arms and the rest of the joints but they all seem good with no play.
There is a slight bit of noise coming from the top of the suspension leg when you move the wheels it is the same both sides and no play as far as I can tell.
Could it be something in the actual steering column or box?
Scratching my head wondering what to replace next

[addy]

Possible worn top strut mountings?

[VXL V6]

Worn steering idler?

Has four wheel geometry setup been completed since new wishbones?

[2011venator]

Possible worn top strut mountings?

Possible but no play is evident and they look okay. I might try swapping the tyres as searching keyword 'tramlining' has brought up a lot of tyre issues maybe the omega is very sensitive to tyres with its complex or seemingly complex setup

[2011venator]

Worn steering idler?

Has four wheel geometry setup been completed since new wishbones?

Steering idler was my first guess but it seems okay jacked car up both wheels of the ground and can not find any play in the steering joints or any knocking grinding etc apart from the slight noise from top of suspension which is very slight and no play evident.
It was tramlining before I fitted wishbones which I hoped would cure it so not setup yet untill i have found the culprit.
car corners well enough steering is a bit heavy although I am usually low revs as it is auto so this may mean pump is working slower i suppose.
It does pull hard to the left? when going straight.

[Doctor Gollum]

The set up IS the culprit.

Best case it will be horrible and unpredictable to drive. Worst case you will be doing the front tyres every thousand miles 

Get it set up properly by someone who actually understands the Omega and report back

[2011venator]

The set up IS the culprit.

Best case it will be horrible and unpredictable to drive. Worst case you will be doing the front tyres every thousand miles 

Get it set up properly by someone who actually understands the Omega and report back

[Raeturbo]

Agree with DG, definitely needs to have the geometry setup properly.

[Terbs]

Just poking my dottery old two penneth in.....Did you tighten the wishbones up with the car on the ground on its own weight. Caused me issues a while back. Had them fitted in a garage, but the lad that did them got a telling off when I said about wandering. The Omega mechanic did it properly and problem solved in my case. (I did go to Chesham for the setup after)

[2011venator]

Just poking my dottery old two penneth in.....Did you tighten the wishbones up with the car on the ground on its own weight. Caused me issues a while back. Had them fitted in a garage, but the lad that did them got a telling off when I said about wandering. The Omega mechanic did it properly and problem solved in my case. (I did go to Chesham for the setup after)

Its not the wishbones as it was the same or even worse before I fitted them and yes I followed the excellent oof guide. I think it might well be set up.
However I am only dealing with a car I bought to tow my little boat 20 miles a few times in the summer so not sure I need or want to spend ££££ setting it up I will try adjusting the toe on the passenger side as it pulling to the left hard i imagine it would mean the wheel needs to toe in? a little more. Time is a commodity I have plenty of so will try a 1/4 turn at a time and see how it drives after.
It can not do any harm as I am a very steady driver (even more so now I have a ins consumption readout  ) Saying that I am getting 30mpg so not awful

[Doctor Gollum]

At risk of being rude, when that doesn't work, I will say "I told you so".

Take it to the place that Biggriffin suggested.

They might be cheap to buy, but they aren't cars to be neglected for very long. Either get it done properly or buy a different car

[2011venator]

At risk of being rude, when that doesn't work, I will say "I told you so".

Take it to the place that Biggriffin suggested.

They might be cheap to buy, but they aren't cars to be neglected for very long. Either get it done properly or buy a different car

Rude but no doubt true and probably why they are cheap in the first place as many home mechanic is not keen or not able to shell out for others to do what appears to the untrained eye an easy job.
I have turned the passenger side through one complete turn and it is a marked improvement not pulling to the left anymore, trouble is on the fen roads I inhabit its hard to tell if the tram-lining is better as it is like being on a roller coaster anyway. If I get chance to drive it over the next few days on some decent roads I will report back.
Different car is pretty high on the list as you suggest Doc I am not one for high maintenance vehicles I dont mind fixing them but spending best part of £200 to get them set up every time you replace something is not my cup of tea, shame though as it is a lovely comfy old barge and tows like a dream apart from the diabolical steering 

[terry paget]

Castor, camber, and rear end settings are all relevant, but the important setting is toe-in. I have run 6 Omegas/Senators for 15 years with none of your problems, and never been to a wheel alignment shop. Here is how I set my toe-in. Members here do not approve, but I have never had a structural failure. Ensure that the car is safe to go beneath to adjust the track rods.

1. Fit new track rods, or at least ensure yours are easily adjusted.
2. Jack up each front wheel in turn, and support the wheel end of the wishbone on an axle stand, with the wheel just off the ground.
3. Set the steering wheel central, with the long spoke horizontal.
4. Support a plank or other straight edge against and about half way up front and rear wheels on one side. Adjust the track rod that side so that the plank touches both wheels in 2 places .Clamp adjuster securely.
5. Repeat on other side.
6. Jack up again, remove axle stands, Job done. Test drive.

[2011venator]

Castor, camber, and rear end settings are all relevant, but the important setting is toe-in. I have run 6 Omegas/Senators for 15 years with none of your problems, and never been to a wheel alignment shop. Here is how I set my toe-in. Members here do not approve, but I have never had a structural failure. Ensure that the car is safe to go beneath to adjust the track rods.

1. Fit new track rods, or at least ensure yours are easily adjusted.
2. Jack up each front wheel in turn, and support the wheel end of the wishbone on an axle stand, with the wheel just off the ground.
3. Set the steering wheel central, with the long spoke horizontal.
4. Support a plank or other straight edge against and about half way up front and rear wheels on one side. Adjust the track rod that side so that the plank touches both wheels in 2 places .Clamp adjuster securely.
5. Repeat on other side.
6. Jack up again, remove axle stands, Job done. Test drive.

  You have given me a glimmer of hope terry.

[Nick W]

Terry's method relies on a reasonable alignment before replacing the track rods. Once you lose the camber setting, both it and toe need to be done from scratch. This rough and ready method is well worth doing before a proper alignment.


I've done several this way, and they drove OK. But the improvement after an intelligent session is massive and well worth the £100 it might cost. The place I use adjust front toe in the cost of putting it on the machine, further adjustments are priced separately. Last time was £45 for the setup, and another £24 to adjust the rear, which included freeing the adjusters. If the camber is right and the front toe close, it won't take someone who knows what he's doing very long to get it right.


20minutes too much camber will reduce tyre life to about a quarter of what it could be: 6000 miles instead of 24,000 in my case. Incorrect toe will kill tyres too, but it will be horrible to drive as it happens. How can you afford NOT to do it right?


It's also the main reason we suggest that the entire front suspension is serviced at the same time; wishbones, trackrods, shocks, top mounts and bearings, and springs. They'll be overdue on any used Omega, and won't need doing again. But it's going to cost as much in parts as you can pay for a viable car.