Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: Dan Hope on 27 December 2009, 10:36:32
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Hi all, hope you had a great xmas!
Since driving in the heavy snow last week, my car has developed a new 'thing' to annoy me.
Whenever i move the gear selector, the selector light which shows you what mode you're in jumps to the 'number 2' light, then all the lights light up so you can't tell what mode you are in, then a minute or so later it catches up and you finally find out what you've selected.
Luckily i'm used to the position of the stick so can tell if i'm in drive or reverse etc, but does anyone know what this might be?
Doesn't affect gear selection or drive at all, just hoping its not the start of something bigger and more expensive as i've already got other issues with this car and i'm close to going Basil Fawlty on it.
Hope someone can cheer me up
Many thanks
Dan
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Have a look in the maintenance guides index for cleaning the selector switch :y
What else is on your list? Where are you?
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Yes it does sound like dirty contacts. I would not be worried, the lights don't actually tell you what mode you are in, just what gear you have selected.
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Thanks guys, you have successfully cheered me up a bit ;-)
i'll try and find the guide on cleaning those contacts. haven't had the car that long. its my second omega but the last one didn't give me nearly as much of a headache as this one, i thought vauxhalls were easy to fix.
aaaaanyway, other problems are the drivers side heating doesn't work, only blows cold no matter what selection you make on the climate thingy. followed the guide with checking the motor in the passenger footwell that apparently controls the blend flap?? but that was all connected and working as it looks like it should, so no joy in fixing that problem. im not bothered about the heat, but the windscreen on my side won't demist so bit dangerous really :-(
the other problem is the passenger side door lock doesn't work off the central locking, but thats no big deal really, sure thats just a dead solenoid or something, haven't fought with that yet, waiting for warmer weather hehe
im in farnborough in hampshire so had fun in the snow recently!
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Climate possible fix:-
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1196616207
Central Locking fix:-
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1152618707
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thanks for that but unfortunately that was the first thing i tried. i could see that the arm was still connected to the motor and it moved up and down as it should when i changed the temperature.
i did wonder though if whatever is at the other end of the arm had come off but i don't know where it goes up to, any clues?
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hi
as a new (and expected) development, the omega auto gear box has now started playing up.
i put it into reverse a short while ago and the spanner sign appeared and the traction control light came on.
when i put it into drive, it drove away like the snow button was on (low revs and in 2nd gear). ive used the snow button a bit recently and now wondering if this has caused something to get stuck. also noticing a hot sort of/burning clutch kinda smell.
im off to the nearest tree to break off a big branch...
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hi
as a new (and expected) development, the omega auto gear box has now started playing up.
i put it into reverse a short while ago and the spanner sign appeared and the traction control light came on.
when i put it into drive, it drove away like the snow button was on (low revs and in 2nd gear). ive used the snow button a bit recently and now wondering if this has caused something to get stuck. also noticing a hot sort of/burning clutch kinda smell.
im off to the nearest tree to break off a big branch...
As already said, get to Maplins for a big tin of switch contact cleaner and remove, clean and refit selector switch :y
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hi me again
i can't find any guides on the selector switch, would it be called something else? sorry, not particularly great with technical jargon etc with cars
thanks for the advice :)
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http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1231586488
;) :y
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see why couldn't i find that when i searched 'selector' and 'switch' in all sorts of combinations in all places :(
hmm, im worried this is gonna turn into something i'll wish i never started and should possibly leave to the experts. if i break this car im screwed for gettin anywhere.
i can't say ive ever even looked underneath the car so gonna have a look tomorrow and see if i can even find the damn switch first and then see how brave i feel, gulp
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It's easy to spot ;) Do you have car ramps?
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i can get some :D
i was just thinking, during the fun in the snow, i drove over something that i felt hit the underneath of the car, possibly a large brick or something similar. is this switch in a place that could be hit by such an object?
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i can get some :D
i was just thinking, during the fun in the snow, i drove over something that i felt hit the underneath of the car, possibly a large brick or something similar. is this switch in a place that could be hit by such an object?
No very protected where it is.
To get extra clearance using car ramps..... Reverse about 3' on to a pavement or highish curb then put ramps under front wheels and get someone to watch you up them. That'll give you loads of clearance :y
Let the exhausts cool before you try getting at the switch though as it'll take the skin clean off your hands! You'll see the switch passenger side of the gearbox about 3 or 4 inches before the floor turns from the flat floor into the bulkead :y
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ok you've inspired confidence, im gonna attempt it tomorrow...uh oh!
thanks for all your help :) much appreciated!
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I've just seen a new variation to the tell tale lamps on my gear selector. I pressed the snow button while trying to get out of the street, and then to disengage the winter mode, I moved the selector to 3 and ........ HEY PRESTO ALL the lights lit up! :-? All returned to normal when I selected D again. I've just put it down to another Omega 'quirck'! ;D ;D ;D
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I have the christmas tree selector switch, does the switch have any effect on the engine?
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well mine didn't seem to do anything, but i just had a hunch (and now i've got the hump) that it was going to turn into something worse, and sure enough the engine is now in 'limp' mode. im off to maplins now to get some switch cleaner as recommended earlier in this thread and then im gonna attempt to clean the switch n hopefully that will help.
call me pessimistic but I just have a feeling this is going to be the start of something that is going to cost me lotsa money and cause me plenty of stress as thats how things seem to go with me and cars haha.
will let you know how i get on :)
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The selctor switch lighting all the lights will put the engine ECU into limp home mode. Clean your selector and it should rectify the limp mode.
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jeeez it took me nearly half an hour to get the car on the ramps, bloomin rear wheel drive! ;)
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ok i've spent the best part of the afternoon underneath this car and only been able to get one bolt off, the easy one at the bottom.
not a single tool (spanner, socket set etc) me or my brother possessed would get to the hidden bolt at the top. I give up, im gonna have to pay someone and once its fixed i'll be sellin the bloody thing because i don't trust it now, its gonna leave me stranded i just know it :(
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im sure when i did mine i just used a normal spanner,fiddly like 1/4 turn at a time iirc but i was down a pit which makes it easier.
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im sure when i did mine i just used a normal spanner,fiddly like 1/4 turn at a time iirc but i was down a pit which makes it easier.
Yep, normal spanner. Just takes a bit longer ;D ;D
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i'll try again tomorrow, im just a bit more fed up cos once i was under the car i saw that there was quite a lot of oil under there so somethings leaking quite badly...more hassle :( . im scared now that once i take it off i'll never be able to get it back on again cos it was so fiddly
silly question i'm sure, but do you have to clean this thing while its still attached to the car?? or will it come right off?
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Undo the two bolts, release the multi-plug connector (can be a bit tight with the retaining clips). Switch off then undo the torx grub screws to split it. Good clean, refit and set :y
Oil could be camcover gaskets leaking. Seems to drip onto bottom of gearbox flange area :-/
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i think its been pooling somewhere n now the cars tipped up to one side its running off.
i think this car needs a damn good service so i know where i'm at with it once and for all cos now i don't trust it. i need to do long journeys in it which is why i got it in the first place and it needs to be reliable
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Shame you're not closer Dan, I'd have helped :(
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i know, tis a shame, i'd have loved a hand as im a total novice at mechanics but i'll always have a go first before getting done over by vauxhall etc
ive had plenty of vauxhalls in my time and theyve always been pretty reliable or easy n cheap to repair. i do have a habit of taking things to bit though and then putting it back together n having bits left over haha...still works though ;)
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i have come to the conclusion i either have an odd omega, or i'm attacking completely the wrong thing on the car.
there is no way the switch is easy to remove, the top screw is impossible to get to with any tool, normal spanner, socket set, i can't get the damn heatshield off (which noone has mentioned yet which made me wonder if i was indeed going for the wrong thing) to make it easier to get to either
it's peein it down, im cold, wet, fed up and in the middle of writing the ebay advert for the last omega im ever gonna own :( :( :( i need to have this/a car working by the 4th of Jan >:(
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hiya, is there anybody in the area that could possibly help? i don't wanna have to take it to vauxhall and get ripped off, pulleeeease
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Hi Dan, There should be no reason to release the heat shield. I used a 1/4" drive with a long reach socket to undo mine, you do have to search with your fingers to find the bolt or use a mirror & torch to see what you are looking at. I found it had to be a 1/4" drive though as other size drives seem too big. Quicker than a bit of turn with a spanner as once the bolt is loose just use the socket between your fingers to spin the bolt out.
Try the mirror & torch to locate the bolt first though.
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hi there,
ive found the bolt, i just cant seem to get any purchase on it whatsoever with any weapon i can find.
what im more scared of now is that at the moment the car drives, once i get this thing off i don't think i'll be able to get it back on n then im proper screwed for a car.
im not confident with this kinda thing at the best of times n am willing to pay someone to help me, but i know the likes of vauxhall will rip me off n tell me i need a whole new switch etc
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If you haven't a 1/4" drive & can get another socket on the bolt which protrudes a bit you can also use mole grips to get it started. If you are not confident then help is the best idea, I removed , cleaned , checked contacts were working with a meter & replaced it in under an hour [ although mine wasn't the problem, still using it as a manual :-[ ]
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It's FIXED!!! Guffer (Matt) thanks so much, i'm so pleased!!you've really taken the pressure off :) just let me know if there's anything I can do for you :y
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No worries mate, it was a nice learning experience for me and that spare box in my garage helped with guessing the location of that hard to reach bolt.
FYI those with facelifts it would seem that the access is made more difficult through various heatshields and the like which are not present on my prefacelift. I used 10mm sockets of varying lengths to get at the bolt because of them.
Dan here is a website about the thing I was telling you:
http://www.payitforwardmovement.org/
The theory is that favours you pay forward come back through strangers at the most unlikely (and most needy) moments. It's a little bit hippy karma-tastic but I beleive in it :y
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cool, well it worked for me so i'll certainly give it a look once ive thawed out properly ;)
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Nice to hear you got sorted Dan thats what OOF's all about and well done guffer for helping out a member in need. :y :y