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1

Omega General Help / Re: suspension bushes

« on: 26 November 2009, 22:24:38 »

Have a look at these:

http://www.vauxhall-car-parts.co.uk/acatalog/VAUXHALL_OMEGA_DRIVERS_SIDE_FRONT_SUSPENSION_ARM_-_90576789T.html

Description says "this is a new Vauxhall part". They can't say that if it isn't. Ask them if in doubt.

£23.95 inc VAT.

There is also the option of fitting BMW E34 bushes as a direct replacement for the Boge front pivot bush. This will transform the handling and straight line stability.

The part you need is the E34's upper control arm bush. I have found heavy duty items from Febi Bilstein to be very durable. Meyle also make a heavy duty item, but I haven't tried these..

The Febi Bilsteins on my '99 2.5 estate have now passed two MoTs and still show no sign of deterioration or inside edge wear on the tyres. They were about £10 a side cheaper than Powerflex polys.

These bushes have the same external dimensions as the original GM/Boge item and don't increase road noise by any noticeable amount.

Easiest way to remove old bushes is to knock the rubber part out with a largeish hammer and socket  then cut through the remaining outer sleeve with a hacksaw. When it splits it will just tap out. This is safer than burning them out.

You will need a press to fit the new bushes - a big vice isn't strong enough. I managed with a 6 tonne press. Make sure the arrow on the BMW bush points horizontally towards the centre of the car when fitting it to the wishbone. This will ensure that braking forces are correctly controlled by the plastic insert.

Did the job on my own car a while back and still happy with it...

Got some pics somewhere if anyone's interested.

2

Omega General Help / Re: Steering pulls to right & steering wheel goes left

« on: 06 March 2009, 21:49:42 »

Did the alignment check include camber? If the car's ventured off road it's not unheard of for the camber to slip its adjustment if the bolts weren't tight enough. If there's a significant difference between sides weird things can happen with steering. Aim for about -1 degree if adjustment needed.

Also, you may have "odd" wishbones - one GM and one pattern?

IME pattern items can be slightly different dimensions to GM.

These appear to be OE spec Vauxhall wishbones:

http://www.vauxhall-car-parts.co.uk/acatalog/VAUXHALL_OMEGA_DRIVERS_SIDE_FRONT_SUSPENSION_ARM.html

Have the rear brakes been looked at? Seized pads there can cause front brakes to become hyper sensitive. Not at all uncommon...

One other suggestion - count the number of exposed threads on the steering tie rods. If you find one side is screwed right in and the other side right out, you may well have found your problem. There shouldn't be more than one or two threads difference between sides.

I've gone for low cost / no cost items first.

Hope you manage to sort it cheaply...

3

Omega General Help / Re: Couple of things....

« on: 28 June 2009, 22:19:01 »

Re front brake judder.

Try freeing up the rear pads before buying new front discs.

Quite often this will cure your problem...

4

Omega General Help / Re: Tyre wear - worn bushes

« on: 26 May 2009, 17:02:40 »

I've fitted heavy duty BMW 5 Series E34 upper front control arm bushes to my Omega in place of the Boge wishbone pivot bushes.

I think they're made by Febi Bilstein and can be had for a tenner each + p&p from a guy on eBay called zeldautos.

He'll list them for you if there's none showing.

They are a superior design and a perfect fit. Expect them to last many times longer than standard cr*p.

They virtually eliminate toe-out under braking, which is what destroys the inner edges of the front tyres in such a short time.

When fitting make sure the arrow on the bush points towards the centre of the car with the arm horizontal.

This will transform the feel of the steering to something like you would expect these cars to drive.

Also check the steering idler for vertical play, which will aggravate the situation if it's worn.

New GM wishbones are available from Vauxhall car parts at £23.95 inc VAT.

They're on this catalogue page

http://www.vauxhall-car-parts.co.uk/acatalog/Omega-Front-axle.html

Could even be worth fitting BMW bushes to these at that price.

When tightening the pivot bolts either hold the arm as near to horizontal as possible before fitting the bottom ball joint pin into the suspension, or leave them slack and do it with the weight of the car on the ground.

The former is easier - you just need the arm nearly horizontal when tightening to avoid pre loading the bush and causing premature failure.

Regards

Martyn H

5

Omega General Help / Re: 2.5 V6 - Juddering and poor MPG

« on: 16 March 2009, 23:02:47 »

HT leads are arranged in pairs on the DIS pack. Can't visualise the numbering sequence off hand, but if someone with a spare DIS pack can take a look to see if 1and 5 are a pair then I think you've found your problem. Use a 1999 model year DIS pack for best results. There won't be any obvious signs of failure as the fault occurs internally (usually insulation breakdown).

Your HT leads look shot and it would be well worth replacing them. Also check to see if you've got platinum tipped plugs. These place a huge strain on the HT system and I would recommend using only copper cored NGK (BKR6EK) or Vauxhall's own brand plugs in this engine.

6

Omega General Help / Re: Worn steering idler or wishbones?

« on: 16 March 2009, 23:11:56 »

I see you've sorted it now but have you checked rear pads are not seized in their calipers?

If they are it'll make the fronts hyper sensitive. Worth an hour or so to pull 'em out and free everything off. I guarantee you'll notice the difference!

7

Omega General Help / Re: 1997 2.5 v6 pulling to the right

« on: 16 March 2009, 23:28:13 »

Also check wishbone pivot bushes, rear pads (seized in calipers) and possibly steering idler bush.

8

Omega General Help / Re: Oil leak AGAIN

« on: 16 March 2009, 22:44:05 »

Could be the gaskets have shrunk and/or hardened. There's a lot of junk out there at the moment.

I bought a set from a reputable source which set like concrete in six months.

Only cure for me was a set of metal covers off a Vectra which cost me £50 but worth every penny.

9

Omega General Help / Re: 2000 mv6, whiring noise when cold

« on: 16 March 2009, 23:19:08 »

Most importantly it adds extra air to burn off any unburnt fuel before reaching the cats. Disconnecting it will likely shorten the life of the cats.

The SAI system is not fitted for the fun of it...

10

Omega General Help / Re: Omega Elite 2.5 v6 Rough Running

« on: 06 March 2009, 22:39:48 »

Idle speed should be 600rpm. Tacho needle should sit on first line of gauge.

Do not be tempted to adjust throttle valve stop if it's running too slow.

Your ignition problem is the most likely cause of low or rough idling. Expect to find plug wells full of oil

Tranny could benefit from software update. Downshifting on light throttle was an issue on earlier models. There's a clever few on here who can update gearbox ECU software

11

Omega General Help / Re: 2.0 CD Auto Estate - steering wheel oscillates

« on: 06 March 2009, 22:53:07 »

Agree with previous posts - sounds like you have a high spot on one tyre.

If this is towards the inner edge you may still feel it if it's put on the rear.

When swapping change front to back on same side to keep rotation the same.

Diagonal swapping wears tyres at frightening rate!

12

Omega General Help / Re: camber

« on: 06 March 2009, 22:31:56 »

IIRC estate rear camber is less than saloon (slightly more upright). I believe the only difference is spring length with all other parts the same. The difference in camber is caused only by the estate's suspension sitting higher.

If you appear to have excessive negative camber, check the inner edges of the rear tyres for excessive wear (providing they haven't previously been on the front!). If there is too much toe out, this can cause the camber to appear incorrect as the trailing arms' bushes will be strained out of their normal position.

There is an adjustable link rod which can wear at the ball joint or the inner bush (usually soaked in diff oil) can become soft with age allowing wheel alignment to drift out of tolerance.

First thing to check is rear toe out before proceeding further...

13

Omega General Help / Re: Xenon Headlights on Elite Estate

« on: 06 March 2009, 23:07:19 »

I had headlamp fault message on dash display. This turned out to be the rear level sensor full of water - seal had failed.

It's 99% certain to be a sensor fault and when you see where they are situated you'll see why. Failure after MoT is quite common as the suspension has been jacked during the test.

If main beam is too low you'll likely find the adjusters broken as mentioned previously.

The xenon system is required by law to default to maximum dip if a fault is detected in order to prevent dazzling of oncoming drivers. These lights can damage your retina if set too high.

14

Omega General Help / Re: Front camber setting.

« on: 01 March 2009, 01:26:39 »

Thanks for this..appreciated.

I'm in West Wales....

Are the bushes availbale from Vauxhall dealers, as I have one locally?...or from online parts suppliers?

I can do the work without any problem.....I just don't want to see another pair of front tyres go down the tubes.....especially as I have just fitted them myself!

Many thanks again,

Mike.

Wishbone bushes are unlikely to be the route cause of excessive inner edge wear.

Camber needs setting to -1deg 10'.....it will probably be closer to -2deg due to ageing of the suspension components

IMHO and IME worn wishbone pivot bushes are the main cause of excessive tyre wear due to allowing excessive toe out when braking. The design of the pivot bush in particular leaves much to be desired.

I fitted Meyle heavy duty BMW E34 (upper control arm) bushes to my wishbones about five months ago.

These fit as a direct replacement for the standard Boge pivot bushes and offer a massive improvement in feel and stability.

They must be fitted with the plastic insert facing horizontally inboard (towards the middle of the car) to control deflection under braking.

The superior design of these bushes prevents toe out when braking and has eliminated inside edge wear on my '99 Elite.

Check also the steering idler bush for wear by trying to move it up and down. More than a trace of vertical movement will contribute towards vague steering and inside edge wear again by allowing toe out when braking.

The habit of turning the steering wheel with the car stationary will wreck the idler bush in no time.

A quality replacement arm will cost about £30.

Camber angle on later Omegas (C models) is specified at -1 deg using all the same suspension parts as earlier models. I now use this setting on my '99 model.

Attention should also be given to correct rear wheel alignment, which can cause weird steering if incorrect.  

15

Omega General Help / Re: Cambelt jumped a tooth (or more?)

« on: 24 January 2009, 11:09:13 »

Would appear to be electrical as it's cleared itself then happened again.

First thought is coil pack failure on the passenger side bank. The clue is the racket's coming from just one side, despite what the fault codes say.

Sounds like that side's coil pack is firing randomly or intermittently detonating unburnt fuel already in the cylinders and exhaust manifold.

Anything to do with timing belt is normally fatal for these engines - very unlikely it would start at all if the belt had slipped.