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[Doctor Gollum]

Not sure where it is advertised, but someone in Haywards Heath is selling a K Reg one with 212k on it.

Asking a grand apparently. Reg is K767MNP.

It’s probably on Faceachebook market place knowing the mate that sent it over

Obviously not my car, and of no real interest to me... Always preferred the face-lift Mk3 Granada saloon to the Senator/Carlton.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Which proves positive you have appalling taste in cars. 
I would only be interested in a 3.0 24v with digital dash myself though. 
In fact my current Omega has grown on me so much, I now reluctantly admit its a better car than the Senator was. 

[Raeturbo]

Which proves positive you have appalling taste in cars. 
I would only be interested in a 3.0 24v with digital dash myself though. 
In fact my current Omega has grown on me so much, I now reluctantly admit its a better car than the Senator was. 

                I had a 3.0 24V too on a L plate I miss that car

[Andy B]

....

                I had a 3.0 24V too on a L plate I miss that car

I miss mine too .....  :'(

[Lizzie Zoom]

And mine…….traded in for an Omega.

Should have kept it with it’s 3.0 engine, and a great feel about the whole car.  It was far easier to work on as well than the Omega’s I have had since.  No cam belt changes, plenty of room around the straight 6, and a lack of electronic sensors everywhere!

 

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Gotta have the cheesecutter grill.

[Doctor Gollum]

Which proves positive you have appalling taste in cars. 
I would only be interested in a 3.0 24v with digital dash myself though. 
In fact my current Omega has grown on me so much, I now reluctantly admit its a better car than the Senator was. 

Says the bloke with a Clit AND a Midlife crisis 

[GastronomicKleptomaniac]

I am trying to stop buying knackered old cars but if a reasonable ex plod Senny came along I think it would be rude not to...

[Raeturbo]

To be honest I think most of us daft buggers here would

[Andy B]

I am trying to stop buying knackered old cars but if a reasonable ex plod Senny came along I think it would be rude not to...

why ex plod?

[Doctor Gollum]

I am trying to stop buying knackered old cars but if a reasonable ex plod Senny came along I think it would be rude not to...

why ex plod?

It’s a thing

[Andy B]

I am trying to stop buying knackered old cars but if a reasonable ex plod Senny came along I think it would be rude not to...

why ex plod?

It’s a thing

My guess is that it's a 3 pedal thing .... 

[GastronomicKleptomaniac]

I am trying to stop buying knackered old cars but if a reasonable ex plod Senny came along I think it would be rude not to...

why ex plod?

It’s a thing

My guess is that it's a 3 pedal thing .... 

And would go nicely in the collection... Titled "things I probably willl never finish"

[cam.in.head]

i think the earlier series 1 senator still looks well but the later model now looks dated.same as mk3 astras and mk3 cavs whereas the omega facelift still looks sleek and modern. also has the edge for comfort and driving pleasure but only just.
and yes the early senator( or carltons for that matter were easier to work on in some respects and were quite forgiving of alignment angles too.they were however very prone to bad corrosion on the front chassis leg tops .
all great cars no doubt to anyone who has owned or driven any and missed by many!.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

I thought I spotted my dream Vauxhall on ebay today.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225019887255?hash=item34643afe97:g:yYYAAOSwBvJini3A

And then I saw this. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234578639868?hash=item369df9fbfc:g:grYAAOSwJV1hqkkK

[Andy B]

I thought I spotted my dream Vauxhall on ebay today.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225019887255?hash=item34643afe97:g:yYYAAOSwBvJini3A

And then I saw this. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234578639868?hash=item369df9fbfc:g:grYAAOSwJV1hqkkK

which 1 are you buying then ..... 

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Both - assuming I win the lottery this week.

P.S. I dont do the lottery. 

[Andy B]

Both - assuming I win the lottery this week.

P.S. I dont do the lottery. 

[TheBoy]

I now reluctantly admit its a better car than the Senator was. 

That sounds far too much like common sense taking over. What have you done with Albs?

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I thought I spotted my dream Vauxhall on ebay today.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225019887255?hash=item34643afe97:g:yYYAAOSwBvJini3A

And then I saw this. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234578639868?hash=item369df9fbfc:g:grYAAOSwJV1hqkkK

£45,000.....

Is your old one still alive or has it been cubed?

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Still alive. It was reshelled into an HSR shell about 20 years ag, I believe.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

I now reluctantly admit its a better car than the Senator was. 

That sounds far too much like common sense taking over. What have you done with Albs?

Well, I havent had the 3.2 flat out (getting too old), but I enjoyed getting the Senator flat out when conditions allowed, so there is still some doubt. 
I still also think that in its day, the Senator had more of a prestige feel and look about it than the Omega did in its day. 

[Andy B]

....
I still also think that in its day, the Senator had more of a prestige feel and look about it than the Omega did in its day. 

Course it did. The Senator was a peg above the Carlton ..... when the Omega appeared, it replaced both cars.

[Keith ABS]

And mine…….traded in for an Omega.

Should have kept it with it’s 3.0 engine, and a great feel about the whole car.  It was far easier to work on as well than the Omega’s I have had since.  No cam belt changes, plenty of room around the straight 6, and a lack of electronic sensors everywhere!

 

Only downside is the weak timing chain and lack of chain guide availability
Never had a Senny B myself but did have two Carlton Diamond Estates, both 24V and a 12v GSI manual.

[Kevin Wood]

....
I still also think that in its day, the Senator had more of a prestige feel and look about it than the Omega did in its day. 

Course it did. The Senator was a peg above the Carlton ..... when the Omega appeared, it replaced both cars.

Yep. First nail in the coffin of decent Vauxhalls was styling them like an Astra. Final nail was driving the wrong wheels like an Astra.

[TheBoy]

Well, I havent had the 3.2 flat out (getting too old), but I enjoyed getting the Senator flat out when conditions allowed, so there is still some doubt. 

The 3.0 was the best of the Omega engines from a performance point of view.  And proven to be a little bit faster than a 24v Senny.

The 3.2 Omega against a 24v Senny will probably be pretty close I reckon...

[Varche]

Or,

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/13456623

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

A lotus Elise with the gorgeous body removed and replaced with a very ugly one, 

[Lizzie Zoom]

And mine…….traded in for an Omega.

Should have kept it with it’s 3.0 engine, and a great feel about the whole car.  It was far easier to work on as well than the Omega’s I have had since.  No cam belt changes, plenty of room around the straight 6, and a lack of electronic sensors everywhere!

 

Only downside is the weak timing chain and lack of chain guide availability
Never had a Senny B myself but did have two Carlton Diamond Estates, both 24V and a 12v GSI manual.

That was not my experience, with my example getting to 240,000 miles without a problem.  Indeed, my Vauxhall dealer at the time stated they NEVER had to replace the timing chains on the Senator with them knowing examples going to 350,000 miles without trouble.  They may have gained a bit of a rattle, but never failed.

A bit different that's for sure on the Omega's timing belt having to be replaced very 40k miles or 4 years.  I would have my Senny back tomorrow!

[Raeturbo]

Timing chain guides were indeed a problem on high mileage 24V Senator/Carlton’s. They simply wore out

[BazaJT]

Only ever had the 12v Senators a chrome bumper one a couple of the later plastic bumper ones[one of which was a 2.5 manual] and then a couple of Senator B's,but I'd take one of those over an Omega any day of the week.

[Andy B]

And mine…….traded in for an Omega.

Should have kept it with it’s 3.0 engine, and a great feel about the whole car.  It was far easier to work on as well than the Omega’s I have had since.  No cam belt changes, plenty of room around the straight 6, and a lack of electronic sensors everywhere!

 

Only downside is the weak timing chain and lack of chain guide availability
Never had a Senny B myself but did have two Carlton Diamond Estates, both 24V and a 12v GSI manual.

That was not my experience, with my example getting to 240,000 miles without a problem.  Indeed, my Vauxhall dealer at the time stated they NEVER had to replace the timing chains on the Senator with them knowing examples going to 350,000 miles without trouble.  They may have gained a bit of a rattle, but never failed.

A bit different that's for sure on the Omega's timing belt having to be replaced very 40k miles or 4 years.  I would have my Senny back tomorrow!

The original 12 valve had a duplex chain, when they added another cam to make it 24 valve, they replaced the crank duplex sprocket with a simplex sprocket which drove a duplex sprocket on one cam. Another simplex chain drove the other cam from the duplex sprocket.

[TheBoy]

That was not my experience, with my example getting to 240,000 miles without a problem.  Indeed, my Vauxhall dealer at the time stated they NEVER had to replace the timing chains on the Senator with them knowing examples going to 350,000 miles without trouble.  They may have gained a bit of a rattle, but never failed.

A bit different that's for sure on the Omega's timing belt having to be replaced very 40k miles or 4 years.  I would have my Senny back tomorrow!

Wasn't the chain (although they could wear if the car was poorly serviced), it was the guides that wore and sometimes even broke.  Bit of a faff to replace them.

The cambelt on an Omega isn't too bad, mostly because its easily accessible with just the removal of a few parts.

[dave the builder]

pretty sure many chains where replaced by dealers under warranty after some failures early on in production
denoted by a paint dot somewhere on the engine ,can't remember where now 

[Keith ABS]

  Yes, they had to get a stronger chain made

[LC0112G]

There was a batch of bad chains, and these were replaced under warantee (by a dodgy method). I have a copy of the dealer recall notification dated May 1994. From memory the dealers marked the rocker cover with a blue dot of paint when this had been done. The letter says it was bad case hardening in the timing chain rivets for chassis numbers P1131527-P1222241, and engine numbers 01031600-01033000, so around 1400 engines.

I had a chain snap on the LC which was not part of the bad batch of chains, and that got expensive. It appears the failure mode is that the chain goes slack enough for it to climb up on one of the prongs of the cam sprocket, and as the snagged link goes over the top, the chain either stretches or snaps a link. The method of the chain going slack enough for this to happen is either the curved timing chain breaking up, or the hydraulic tensioner not working properly. The tensioner is pressurised by engine oil through a very small hole. If the plunger seizes or the hole gets blocked by crud in the oil, then it stops working. There are also instances of cars running rough due to the cam chain jumping a link on the sprocket and then throwing the timing out.

Whilst snapped timing chains on C30SE and C36GET weren't that common, they are/were a thing to be aware of.  Regular oil changes reduces the risk of the tensioner getting blocked with crud, and removing the tensioner occasionally to check it is still free to move (say at 15-30K mile intervals) is IMHO the best way to be safe.

AFAIK it was never a problem on the 12V with it's duplex chain.