Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: ffcgary1 on 23 May 2007, 22:20:47

Title: tow bars
Post by: ffcgary1 on 23 May 2007, 22:20:47
Hi guys ,as i am going to thr lakes for the mother of all meets,i have bought a tow bar for the estate,was wondering if this needs to be pro fitted or ar the mounting holes already there..Traier tent ready to go. ;)
Title: Re: tow bars
Post by: Martin_1962 on 23 May 2007, 22:23:25
Holes are marked - instructions should mention the positions
Title: Re: tow bars
Post by: miggy on 23 May 2007, 22:24:17
Quote
Hi guys ,as i am going to thr lakes for the mother of all meets,i have bought a tow bar for the estate,was wondering if this needs to be pro fitted or ar the mounting holes already there..Traier tent ready to go. ;)

Had one fitted to my saloon and the mounting bolt holes were there, score marks, the fitter just had to drill them out, had it fitted by whitter as I had the double electrics for the caravan

 [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif] [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif] :y
Title: Re: tow bars
Post by: Kevin Wood on 23 May 2007, 22:59:41
I've fitted tow bars on a few cars, my Omega saloon included, and it's not a bad DIY job. On the Omega the positions of the holes are all punched and the body is thinner in these areas to aid drilling. I prefer to fit myself to ensure that everything is well rust-proofed.

A coat of Hammerite around the holes and a generous coating of waxoyl over everything disturbed is a good idea.

Should be possible in 1/2 a day I'd say. You'll need some drill bits of various sizes up to about 12mm to drill the body and a hot air paint stripper to remove some of the sound deadening on the boot floor.

Kevin


Title: Re: tow bars
Post by: Elite Pete on 24 May 2007, 08:31:01
It depends on which tow bar you have bought. If its the type that most of the metal work is internal then you should be OK :y
Title: Re: tow bars
Post by: bigall on 24 May 2007, 09:19:50
Instructions with the bar should show clearly the location of the points of attachment.

iirc estates have their towbar body fastenings behind each rear wheel  so fittings in a  w- e direction- wheras saloons have them behind diff and below boot lock  ie n - s direction.

just looked at witter website they have diagrams for installing their products - looks straight forward . To locate the dimples for drilling it is usually necessary to remove some of the sound deadening mastic

fitted them to saloons takes about 2  to 3 hours max then there is the electrics and thats a whole new ball game - plenty of postings on this site
Title: Re: tow bars
Post by: Kevin Wood on 24 May 2007, 09:26:15
Quote
To locate the dimples for drilling it is usually necessary to remove some of the sound deadening mastic

This is where I came unstuck initially. Tried chipping it away with a chisel and it was rock hard. Then i noticed an object that looked like a hair dryer in the instructions and got my hot air paint stripper out and job done.

Sounds easier on the estate if anything. Electrics is not too difficult, especially if you can make do with single electrics. All the signals you need are brought out to a multi way connector in the boot, although I'd advise picking up the brake light feed straight from the light cluster rather than messing around bridging the bulb failure sensor.

Good luck and see you in the lakes with trailer tent hopefully!

Kevin
Title: Re: tow bars
Post by: Dave-C on 24 May 2007, 18:51:09
Quote
Instructions with the bar should show clearly the location of the points of attachment.

iirc estates have their towbar body fastenings behind each rear wheel  so fittings in a  w- e direction- wheras saloons have them behind diff and below boot lock  ie n - s direction.

just looked at witter website they have diagrams for installing their products - looks straight forward . To locate the dimples for drilling it is usually necessary to remove some of the sound deadening mastic

fitted them to saloons takes about 2  to 3 hours max then there is the electrics and thats a whole new ball game - plenty of postings on this site


Good point this!  Fitted my Eclipse towbar plate over this, torqued it up, the weight of the van puts stress on the whole bar assembly..  Did a routine check before towing and the bolts had losened slightly...  removed more mastic, fitted longer bolts and put an extra locking nut on mine...  been OK since!!  Worth checking the security of bars regularly...  You never know if they've been fitted properly in the first place...  

Dave C
Title: Re: tow bars
Post by: VX1 on 24 May 2007, 21:00:54
Where abouts is this multiplug in the boot for wiring the single electrics? I keep hearing about this multi plug but never seen it. SO WHERE IS IT!!!!!! Would make life alot easier to install the electrics.
Title: Re: tow bars
Post by: Kevin Wood on 24 May 2007, 21:15:34
On a saloon it's behind the trim at the rear of the boot, offset to the driver's side. (the trim panel that covers the lock mechanism, etc.)

Not sure about the estate but it's been mentioned on here before IIRC.

Kevin
Title: Re: tow bars
Post by: Weds on 24 May 2007, 23:03:39
On my Estate it tucked up behind the car jack in the wheel well.
Title: Re: tow bars
Post by: VX1 on 25 May 2007, 19:17:21
Quote
On a saloon it's behind the trim at the rear of the boot, offset to the driver's side. (the trim panel that covers the lock mechanism, etc.)

Not sure about the estate but it's been mentioned on here before IIRC.

Kevin

Thanks I will check that out. Is it the same for the facelift model as well? Also I fitted the electrics (on my facelift model) and the indicator buzzer, but the buzzer does not work when the indicator's are on. Does anyone know what the problem is?
Title: Re: tow bars
Post by: Kevin Wood on 25 May 2007, 19:23:35
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Thanks I will check that out. Is it the same for the facelift model as well? Also I fitted the electrics (on my facelift model) and the indicator buzzer, but the buzzer does not work when the indicator's are on. Does anyone know what the problem is?

Yep, mine's a facelift.

Regarding the buzzer, if the indicators work it's just a matter of making sure the negative connection to the buzzer is connected and that each light is wired correctly through the buzzer.

If it all looks OK make sure the trailer has 21 watt bulbs in the indicators. Lower wattage bulbs may not pull enough current to trigger it.

Kevin
Title: Re: tow bars
Post by: VX1 on 25 May 2007, 19:50:01
Everything is connected to the right wire's and I am using a trailer board to wire it all up. Is there supposed to be a relay somewhere or is that just for the bulb on the dash?
Title: Re: tow bars
Post by: Kevin Wood on 25 May 2007, 23:33:19
You can add a current sensing device for the brake light (looks like a relay) to give you a brake light warning on the MID.
You can also change the flasher unit to give an output for the dashboard trailer indicator light, but both of these are optional.

The audible warning should work OK on its' own. Doesn't need any relays, etc. They annoy the tats off me so one that doesn't work sounds like a godsend  :y

Kevin
Title: Re: tow bars
Post by: ffcgary1 on 28 May 2007, 15:30:36
Thanks  guys for all your info.fitted the bar yesterday,and all ok,but as for the electrics,i will get that done by someone who knows whai they are doing. My estate is a tourer and based on a gls spec and DOES NOT HAVE THE TRAILER PLUG,thanks vxh. >:( >:( >:(    See you all art the lakes.Gary.
Title: Re: tow bars
Post by: Weds on 28 May 2007, 15:35:01
Quote
DOES NOT HAVE THE TRAILER PLUG,thanks vxh. >:( >:( >:(    See you all art the lakes.Gary.


Can't believe it doesn't come with a trailer plug, they were fitted back when I had a Carlton as standard..