Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: NiallyV6CDX on 28 May 2010, 18:53:39
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The omega did this to its self last night while parked! :o :(
http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx50/NiallyV6super/Stuff/Picture001-1.jpg
http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx50/NiallyV6super/Stuff/Picture003-1.jpg
http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx50/NiallyV6super/Stuff/Picture004.jpg
Looking at where it started I think in must have been something electrical, like the fusebox maybe.
A big thanks to WYFD for their prompt response :y
Anyway, not what I need right now >:( :( Anyone need any exterior or engine parts? :-?
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That's a mess, what a great shame looked a nice motor otherwise. :'(
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Oh Good Grief!!!! Sorry to see that......... :-/
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That wa syour powersounder...ours, and sveral others have done the same.
sorry for your loss...ours was less painful
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1259433462
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Yikes, sorry to see that, Thats got me worried now :o :o
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That is just aweful! :o :o :o :o What a mess! :( :(
I feel for you :'( :'( :'(
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I don't think it was the power sounder as it started inside and I didn't hear any noise. It wouldn't be so bad only there is £60 of petrol in the tank and I had just given it a good valet! >:( Fortunately the tax disc wasn't damaged so I can get most of that refunded.
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:'( :'( :'( :'( That's bad news. :(
SWMBO has just said I should get rid of my power sounder!
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£10 to 1p that was your powersounder, EXACTLY the right position, a known fire hazzard when car just parked up doing nothing, and they dont have to make any noise...ours was just a quiet whimper.
I can think of at least 3 reported on here recently.
you should be able to get at the tank cover in the boot to reuse your petrol :y
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what causes this to happen then, frayed wiring or something else?? i had a Peugeot go up in flames (dodgy wiring), i dont want that to ever happen again, though i did get to oogle the hunky firemen so it wasnt all bad ;D ;D :y
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The batteries get old, dont charge properly, and / or start to leak causing a short, then a fire.
Some replace the sounders, some can change batteries depending on type, most of us just remove (well unplug) them
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£10 to 1p that was your powersounder, EXACTLY the right position, a known fire hazzard when car just parked up doing nothing, and they dont have to make any noise...ours was just a quiet whimper.
I can think of at least 3 reported on here recently.
you should be able to get at the tank cover in the boot to reuse your petrol :y
yeah I will have a go at syphoning it off. Would be kind of ironic if the security feature is what caused it to go up. ::)
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Gutting to see that, dude - hope you can sort it somehow!
Maybe a silly question, but what is a power sounder?
Alarm related?
How does one disconnect it to avoid the misery of a fire?
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Maybe a silly question, but what is a power sounder?
Alarm related?
another way of dscribing the siren. ;)
How does one disconnect it to avoid the misery of a fire?
Unplug it :y :y
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defo looks like power sounder as cause, thats why its unplugged on all 3 of ours!
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Gutting to see that, dude - hope you can sort it somehow!
Maybe a silly question, but what is a power sounder?
Alarm related?
How does one disconnect it to avoid the misery of a fire?
It is a siren, but a siren with a difference, it has built in rechargeable batteries, and is hidden from the outside world.
Theory being, you can cut the horn wiring, disconnect power etc, but on detection of an alarm condition, or power loss, then this will sound on its own.
Great in theory....till it breaks down and causes a mess like above.
Its these that the warning under the bonnet about disconnecting the battery within 15 seconds of turning off the ignition is about, thats the 'command' not to go off.
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release torx bolt on drivers side scuttle, reach in and plug the pesky git :y
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2 jobs for tomorrow then - cheers guys!!!
I tried to disconnect the battery on the Elite once, and an alarm went off.
Put key in ignition and switched to 1 and then tried again, all well. (Trick remembered from my sad, V*ctra B days)
That the power sounder?
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2 jobs for tomorrow then - cheers guys!!!
I tried to disconnect the battery on the Elite once, and an alarm went off.
Put key in ignition and switched to 1 and then tried again, all well. (Trick remembered from my sad, V*ctra B days)
That the power sounder?
Yup, once disconnect you can change a battery in peace!
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Sorry to see this mate. :'( :'( :'(
Not sure i have a power sounder on mine as its an early one will have to check. :-/ :-/ :-/
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Is there not a possibility for an insurance claim?
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That's horrific ................ :o
So horrific it made me get up and go out to the garage / workshop and disconnect mine just now . It's sitting next to my Manta and all my tools and equipment for our Property Maintenance and Renovation business .
Doesn't bear thinking about....... :'(
I hope you get a satisfactory settlement for the car , good luck. :y
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sorry for your loss...
im going to disconnect mine in the morning (if i can find it)..
as olympia says "hope you get a satisfactory settlement for the car"
regards
shaun
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first thought, power sounder. But the damage inside the car does looks worse than that in the bonett/bulkhead area.
..... soldered new batteries into mine, hopefully they'll last another 7 years.
Very sorry to see this Nially, very best of luck with the insurance.
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It happened to me too
now i disconnect the power sounder the first day i buy an omega
Doug
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Well thanks for all the condolences. :-/ :) I told the insurance what happened and they said I would lose 2 of my 5 years no claims if I claim for it. that would bump my premium up to over £3000 living here. For a payout of £300 if I'm lucky, I'm better off not claiming salvaging what parts I can from it otherwise I will not be able to afford to get another car with premiums like that. Most of the engine and exterior are still good as are the wheels and exhaust. So Im hoping I could get a couple of hundred for those.
Just out of interest, is this power sounder problem shared with other vauxhalls or just the omega?
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Well thanks for all the condolences. :-/ :) I told the insurance what happened and they said I would lose 2 of my 5 years no claims if I claim for it. that would bump my premium up to over £3000 living here. For a payout of £300 if I'm lucky, I'm better off not claiming salvaging what parts I can from it otherwise I will not be able to afford to get another car with premiums like that. Most of the engine and exterior are still good as are the wheels and exhaust. So Im hoping I could get a couple of hundred for those.
Just out of interest, is this power sounder problem shared with other vauxhalls or just the omega?
Common across most of the Vx range.
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Well thanks for all the condolences. :-/ :) I told the insurance what happened and they said I would lose 2 of my 5 years no claims if I claim for it. that would bump my premium up to over £3000 living here. For a payout of £300 if I'm lucky, I'm better off not claiming salvaging what parts I can from it otherwise I will not be able to afford to get another car with premiums like that. Most of the engine and exterior are still good as are the wheels and exhaust. So Im hoping I could get a couple of hundred for those.
Just out of interest, is this power sounder problem shared with other vauxhalls or just the omega?
Common across most of the Vx range.
I have seen 3 different types used on Omegas. Not sure spontaneous combustion is a speciality of any particular model though.
The problem as I see it, is that the supply wiring to the power sounder is not adequately protected against a fault. The wires to the power sounder are tiny (no problem there. It takes about a quarter of an amp, and the wires are probably safe up to a few amps).
The problem is, this puny wiring is protected only by an 80 amp fusible link in the positive distribution box, and nothing on earlier cars without the box.
I suspect this is why the dash tends to go up too. Wiring is damaged through the loom until it reaches an adequately rated feed, probably by the fuse box.
Why, oh why didn't GM follow the fundamental rule of electrical safety and fuse the wire appropriately at the point where it is fed?
Kevin
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Another one toasted, sad to see.
Can we not have a warning sticky on this for Newbs? makes sense to me.
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There 2 "devices" in that area, both are unplugged on mine - one is defo a horn type device - but whats the other one for?
Would an insurance co get upset if you disconnected it?
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The problem as I see it, is that the supply wiring to the power sounder is not adequately protected against a fault. The wires to the power sounder are tiny (no problem there. It takes about a quarter of an amp, and the wires are probably safe up to a few amps).
The problem is, this puny wiring is protected only by an 80 amp fusible link in the positive distribution box, and nothing on earlier cars without the box.
I suspect this is why the dash tends to go up too. Wiring is damaged through the loom until it reaches an adequately rated feed, probably by the fuse box.
Why, oh why didn't GM follow the fundamental rule of electrical safety and fuse the wire appropriately at the point where it is fed?
Would it be an idea to fit an inline fuse holder near the powersounder to act as an early blow device?
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Would it be an idea to fit an inline fuse holder near the powersounder to act as an early blow device?
That would certainly help. :y
Kevin
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:'( :'( :'( :'( That's bad news. :(
SWMBO has just said I should get rid of my power sounder!
Mine`s already gone. :y
Seeing what damage (and danger) they cause I`m amazed there isn`t a thermal fuse built into the charging circuit: after all, the 12V. source can supply (briefly) limitless current. :o
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Mine`s already gone. :y
Seeing what damage (and danger) they cause I`m amazed there isn`t a thermal fuse built into the charging circuit: after all, the 12V. source can supply (briefly) limitless current. :o
No sign of any protection inside the power sounder at all.
There is a piezo sounder driven via a transformer inside. A theory I have based on partial failure of my sounder is that leaking battery acid causes the drive to the transformer to go leaky resulting in DC current through the transformer and it or the wiring feeding it gets hot.
Eventually I guess it gets hot enough to start a chain reaction resulting in combustion and probably melting and shorting together of the supply wires to the sounder. Brake fluid reservoir is not far away and once the brake fluid goes up there is a lot of heat.
Not sure how it gets into the interior. I guess either burning brake fluid getting into the interior or that the wiring to the power sounder originates here and it overheats over its' entire length.
I guess they didn't want to fuse the feed to the power sounder for fear that it would be easily disabled but if you aren't going to fuse a circuit then you need to size it to handle any likely fault current. :(
Kevin