Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: fatmann on 31 August 2009, 10:14:12

Title: CAM BELT ISSUES
Post by: fatmann on 31 August 2009, 10:14:12
Hi guys havent been around for a while.
ok so my son and i are out hunting for an omega for him got a nice one 2.6 elite auto on a Y plate £900.00 117,00 on the clock last cam belt at 80,000.
so i thought that we are looking at every 40,000 miles or so for new cam belt so this one is close.
not so my son says hes read the haynes manual and their is a statement saying that after 1997 Vauxhall had an on going improvement to cam belt which increased the mileage to almost double needless to say i havent as yet seen this statement.
so is there any truth in this ?
what mileage should i actually be looking at before changing a cam belt ?
thanks
Title: Re: CAM BELT ISSUES
Post by: Drinky on 31 August 2009, 10:19:58
Personally i completely ignore what VX say if it was my car it would get a full cam belt kit  :y

The rule i use is 4 years or 40,000 miles NO EXCEPTIONS and always always a full belt kit including a water pump !!!!!
Title: Re: CAM BELT ISSUES
Post by: MutantCav on 31 August 2009, 10:20:54
Same for all...40k or 4 years whichever is sooner...regardless of year...tensioners will most likely fail before belt so make sure you have the full kit fitted...and waterpump as its cheap and quick to do while you are doing belt :y
Title: Re: CAM BELT ISSUES
Post by: grijander on 31 August 2009, 10:29:25
80.000 milles or 8 years, that's right! but there is also a However down this lines adding that if you use the car with lots of stop-start you should think in 36.000 milles change.
In any case, change is easy to do and here you will find any help you need. :y
Title: Re: CAM BELT ISSUES
Post by: fatmann on 31 August 2009, 10:32:35
ah so there appears to be conflicting views here i thought myself 40,000 or there abouts but this 80,000 statement obviously does exist
Title: Re: CAM BELT ISSUES
Post by: Andy H on 31 August 2009, 10:47:32
Not sure exactly which vehicle launch it was but I think Vauxhall did announce 80,000 mile service intervals at some stage.

After a period of reflection (& probably some spectacular warranty claims) better sense has prevailed and 40,000 miles/4 years is now the official interval.

The problem for the buyer of a 10 year old car is: do you feel lucky? do you know that the tensioners were replaced when the belt was? do you believe the tick in the service book?
Title: Re: CAM BELT ISSUES
Post by: fatmann on 31 August 2009, 10:54:28
excellent point Andy when i bought mine the service booklet had an addition suspicious entry cam belt at 56,000.  lucky for me that that all the services had been done at a dealership and i checked their records turned out it was done at 38,000 
Title: Re: CAM BELT ISSUES
Post by: Rockhampton on 31 August 2009, 11:19:15
I agree - the ticks in the service book should be checked. I've read on a couple of websites also that the service interval for the toothed belt & pulley was stretched out to 80k, however the service book for my 02 model clearly states 40k/4 years (despite that, one of the previous owners stretched it out to 50400 before getting it changed  :-?). I've got a book full of VX service stamps, so it's easy to check.... I would certainly not chance it, especially as it's so easy to do on these cars :y
Title: Re: CAM BELT ISSUES
Post by: dbug on 31 August 2009, 13:19:36
Quote
80.000 milles or 8 years, that's right! but there is also a However down this lines adding that if you use the car with lots of stop-start you should think in 36.000 milles change.
In any case, change is easy to do and here you will find any help you need. :y

Incorrect and misleading to the OP!! >:( >:(

Official Vx statement for all Omegas is 40,000 miles or every 4 years whichever is sooner.  As said above replace belt and tensioners as a kit - its usually tensioners that fail first!

You should fit Vx kit NOT pattern - OEM manufacturers are Gates and Contitech - you can get a kit at a good price from these (Contitech kit) -http://www.buypartsby.co.uk/timing-belts-and-kits-final.php?year=2001&Submit=Next&make=Vauxhall&model=Omega&sub=&eng=2.6000
Title: Re: CAM BELT ISSUES
Post by: TheBoy on 31 August 2009, 13:45:55
Vx DID temporarily put the schedule up to 80k/8yrs to please fleet buyers, but reduced back to 40k/4yrs due to high failure rate (usually on the tensioner).

So, its 40k/4yr for all Omegas, regardless of how its driven.
Title: Re: CAM BELT ISSUES
Post by: Lee A on 31 August 2009, 15:00:11
My owners manual states 80k/8 years, that was from a 2000 facelift. Not that i would stick with that recommendation.....
Title: Re: CAM BELT ISSUES
Post by: I_want_an_Omega on 31 August 2009, 15:31:14
I had a '97 MV6 from new new and had the belt only changed @ 80,000 as that was what the Vx service book said to do @ the time.

A few weeks later I read in a trade paper that not only had the belt frequency been reduced to 40,000, but that the tensioners needed changing every 40,000 as well.

I called Vx customer relations and negotiated. The outcome was that I'd pay (trade price the tensioners parts) if they footed the bill for all the labour. They agreed so the car got its 2nd belt in 5k! The waterpump never figured into the equation at that time and I sold the car with 91k on still going strong.

HTH