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[dave the builder]

I tried to improve matter. I have bought many a car with the belt out a cog or even two, and they all ran all right. There is a tool for the V6 Omega which sets the cams precisely, none for the 4 cylinder or the Astra.

you have the cam locking chocks in the kit , these should have been inserted and the crankshadt locked BEFORE you removed the belt
As per my photos
on the VVT cams the timing marks do NOT line up
rewatch or watch  the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bolu-wkxYzw
It's IMPORTANT
pay attention at 2 mins 40 seconds shows the marks on the cams, which DON'T line up
so use the cam locking tool wedges and the crankshaft locking bracket

you should not struggle to get the belt back on

IF ,once you timed it correctly with the locking kit ,you still have issues ,then you will need to look into the VVT

sorry for the late reply , not long got back

read DG's post that he just snuck in before i had chance 

[terry paget]

Still strugging to locate the crankshaft locking tool. There is a picture in the video, it says I need to remove a gearbox bolt, still can't locate it. You say it goes between the sump and the block. Is the picture in the video from beneath the car?

[dave the builder]

I did pics on your cambelt wanted thread
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=145432.0
showing cam and crank locking  locations 
the crankshaft locking tool goes in a slot between sump and block where BOTH meet the bell-housing
above is the oil filter ,forward is the front engine mount

[terry paget]

I did pics on your cambelt wanted thread
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=145432.0
showing cam and crank locking  locations 
the crankshaft locking tool goes in a slot between sump and block where BOTH meet the bell-housing
above is the oil filter ,forward is the front engine mount

Thanks. You did indeed, can't see it now, the jack is there. Somewhere between the exhaust downpipe and the front engine mount?

[dave the builder]

the manicat exhaust is left of it ,the oil filter is above,the gearbox is to the right
the engine mount is visible in the picture ,you may not have the sensor on yours

[terry paget]

Does this look correctly realigned?

[dave the builder]

yep 
is the crankshaft bang on 6 o'clock 

[terry paget]

You say I forced the VVTs, but all I did was turn them in the same way as the cam belt turns them Or have I missed the point?

Look at them again:


the VVTs are bolted to the cams
The belt pulleys are attached to the VVTs, and move in relation to them.


You used the centre bolt to turn the VVTs, when you should have turned the pulleys or the actual camshaft. This will have changed the relationship between the pulley and the VVTs, and is what the ECU is flagging with the fault codes. It may have buggered the mechs too; considering that pattern parts for these are readily and cheaply available because they get very noisy, I would think it likely. This mechanism changes the valve timing between the crank and the cams, so if you get it wrong, or mistime it from the start you can end up with dramatically incorrect valve timing - easily as much as several teeth out.


You normally and sensibly ask questions when you find systems that are new to you, yet didn't in this case. That seems rather out of character.

Thank you for those kind words. I suppose the reason was panic. I changed the cam belt on a 2006 Astra 1.6 recently, piece of cake. I bought a 2008 Astra 1.6 for my daughter last weekend, she's coming home this weekend; I thought I would pop in a new cambelt for her, assumed it would be the same as last time. No it wasn't! Same cambelt kit, still Haynes Astra 2004-2009, should have been a doddle. Job is not finished yet. She will probably have to return to London in the Omega estate she has been driving for the last four months.

[terry paget]

Fitting the new cam cover gasket, I note Haynes does not advice black goo in the sharp corners. It's still tempting for an old Omega man to apply some.

[terry paget]

Yet again my profound thanks to members of this forum for sorting me out. Aftermarket cam cover gasket holding well so far, and yesterday 10 engine starts were achieved without any EMLs. This morning I took son and grandson to the Haynes Motor Museum in the car, an 80 mile round trip, and it performed faultlessly.

[dave the builder]

well done Terry
got there in the end 

[terry paget]

Footnote: In my short Astra ownership I have suffered 3 failures of the coolant hose between coolant pump exit, then splitting to header tank and radiator bottom. At the recent MOT test of Ben's 2006 Astra the tester observed that hose was the most common cause of Astra breakdown. If I search on e-bay for Astra hose, that's the hose that pops up first So today I changed that hose on this Astra.

[Andy B]

forgive me for being numb .... but how do the variable bit on the cam shafts move? What makes them move? SWMBO has a C3 with, what I believe is a BMW lump, that has some kind of variable cam that uses oil pressure to shift the cam timing .... I only know that as the solenoid that supplies the pressure leaks oil.

[Doctor Gollum]

forgive me for being numb .... but how do the variable bit on the cam shafts move? What makes them move? SWMBO has a C3 with, what I believe is a BMW lump, that has some kind of variable cam that uses oil pressure to shift the cam timing .... I only know that as the solenoid that supplies the pressure leaks oil.

Here do...

https://youtu.be/XpVO0aqvD08

[Andy B]

forgive me for being numb .... but how do the variable bit on the cam shafts move? What makes them move? SWMBO has a C3 with, what I believe is a BMW lump, that has some kind of variable cam that uses oil pressure to shift the cam timing .... I only know that as the solenoid that supplies the pressure leaks oil.

Here do...

https://youtu.be/XpVO0aqvD08

I want a home garage like that!!!