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[Cougarash]

Right, got me brew as per Chops Dad..so here we go.....bear with me !!

Brought My Omega 2.0 CD last April, had a few niggles since but nothing that isnt common
to the Big Vauxhall...Glovebox broke, Idle Control Valve, etc, etc

Also had the good old leaking Rocket Gasket, but being reasonably brave with cars (and skint) and having
a fairly knowledgeably Mechanic Bro In Law, we tackled that ourselves, using Sealant as well as
the Gasket and touch wood she has held for a month..

However..

After completing this repair, and giving the engine a good gunk/clean, some with a pressure hose (which i felt
was a little risky with ECUs etc) She suddenly seemed to develop a noise from the topend which sounded like
a noisy cam. I assumed because of clearing oil from the plug wells etc the sound might have been there before
but masked by the oil, but not sure.

Still went fine though for six weeks until last Weekend....

Have always had a very slight water leak, could never find it, and one bottle of Radweld made it so you only needed
to topup once a month or so, but i mention here as i am sure it was now an early warning of the breakdown to come...
assumed it was probably the HBV, as this is well known and all hoses were fine....

Driving round town, the "noisy cam" suddenly got a whole lot noiser, and as i pulled into a multistorey car park, she suddenly
cut out, managed to get her going again, and made it into a parking bay, but just as i did so, i felt "something" go....

Got out to find water pouring from her, and the Auxiliary belt now strangly close to the engine block...

I am thinking the water pump, but someone has pointed out this can take the Cambelt with it??? Any truth..?

The Engine management light came on during the last few seconds, and she has not started since....


As the car is now only worth £1000 or so, i certainly don`t think a rebuild at Vauxhall is worth while...Just need to know the worse
case scenario as it may mean selling her for spares or repair.....will miss it though, but can`t justify too much expense. I was caught
heavily before with my Fraud Cougar and vowed never to throw thousands at a car again.....!!!!!

She had a full service history and at 93000 miles i assumed the Belt should have been done at 80k, but now i wonder..

Heeellppp! and Thanks ! :-?

[Chopsdad]

Sounds terminal - or expensive - or both.  My knowledge of such things is not enough to pass a valuable comment, so I'd but the brew down and wait till the boys sober up and post a meaningful reply.  

[Bernard]

The Water Pump is driven by the Auxiliary belt, not the Cambelt .
However if the Water pump seizes or maybe have been leaking for a while ,it contaminates the cambelt and cam gear pulleys.
It is a recommendation that when the cambelt is changed the water pump is changed at the same time to prevent this happening.
What ever you do Please! change the cambelt if in any doubt.

[Chopsdad]

The Water Pump is driven by the Auxiliary belt, not the Cambelt .
However if the Water pump seizes or maybe have been leaking for a while ,it contaminates the cambelt and cam gear pulleys.
It is a recommendation that when the cambelt is changed the water pump is changed at the same time to prevent this happening.
What ever you do Please! change the cambelt if in any doubt.

Just to give you a steer on cost - Cambelt Kit £82.19 according to my last invoice from a independant garage + £110 labour (also changed plugs, oil, & air filter at same service)

[Cougarash]

Thanks for the replies so far folks!

STMO123 has me most worried as without a doubt the auxiliary belt is now basically touching the Cover!

And i definately felt something go, but did`nt feel as drastic as i`d imagine a cambelt would be, mind you at
car park speeds maybe it would`nt be ?

Probably best just to whip the cover off and see?

Guess this is just another lesson in not just ignoring minor faults until all hell breaks loose.... :-/

AND having a receipt for a cambelt change before you buy !!! not just trusting services.....

[Markjay]

The ongoing 'noise' from the top of the engine could very well be the cambelt tensioner starting to fail. Then when it broke further, the belt may have just slipped a tooth or two, which would explain the poor performance.

Unfortunately if this is what happened, then it would have been followed by the cambelt snapping or seizing, piston/valve contact and the engine wrecked.

Not sure how the water pump comes into it, it could be that the tensioner was noisy and on its way out and then the water pump seized in an unrelated event which caused the final collapse of the tensioner.

At any rate the next step should be taking the aux belt and the cambelt cover off and posting some pictures here....

[Hillper]

Are you sure it wasn't just the water pump?

Water leak since you aquired the car.
Gunking caused noise to worsen.  (Last remnants of bearing lube gone).
Aux. belt moved sideways.

It cut out, then you got it started again.  Sounds like an overheat/seize.  If the cam belt had gone at this stage, it wouldn't have restarted.

Was it running hot before the failure?

But get the covers off anyway!

[JasonH]

Hang on everybody, this is a 2.0 4 cylinder not a V6, that means (unfortunately) the water pump is driven by the cambelt.

Cambelt needs to he changed every 40k miles because the tensioners fail, waterpump is recommended at least every other cambelt change.

To me it really does sound like a waterpump / cambelt failure.

Best thing to do is get the cambelt cover off and have a look..... fingers crossed... hope I'm wrong.

If it is the belt you need to replace it and the water pump then compression test the engine to find out if any valves are bent.

[TheBoy]

The Water Pump is driven by the Auxiliary belt, not the Cambelt .
However if the Water pump seizes or maybe have been leaking for a while ,it contaminates the cambelt and cam gear pulleys.
It is a recommendation that when the cambelt is changed the water pump is changed at the same time to prevent this happening.
What ever you do Please! change the cambelt if in any doubt.

On 2.0, the waterpump is driven by cambelt.  Waterpump seizure will cause some damage to cambelt.

I would strip it down to cambelt so you can see whats what.

If it had FSH, does that history show the cambelt and waterpump being changed?

[Cougarash]

Thanks so far....

Ok had a butchers today, managed to slip off the auxiliary belt and took the cambelt cover off
(nice job on the RWD Omega, would not want to tackle it on the Vectra though !!)

Belt was still on and intact but loose around the Cam cogs, further inspection revealed that the Water pump
was indeed the problem. It has basically stripped all its bearings and thrown its cog, thus loosening the Cambelt (gulp!!)

All the tensioners were fine as was the belt itself, just now loose !

So Waterpump is a goner, and now i have just got to hope that further damage has not been done to the Valves, etc....

Bit daft to have the waterpump non auxiliary driven, but que sera sera as they say.... need to now source a Waterpump
New belts, and a new cambelt cover as the old one is broken!! presumably when the waterpump cog flew outwards !!

Anybody reckon this is self repairable ?? Waterpump looks like it is held on with Allenbolts and looks fairly accessible
Looks a pig of a job on my Dads Vectra, but looks ok on the Omega....Only thing is setting the timing etc...

So if you hear a rattle/water leak...change your waterpump !!!!!

Thanks, Ash.

[TheBoy]

Thanks so far....

Ok had a butchers today, managed to slip off the auxiliary belt and took the cambelt cover off
(nice job on the RWD Omega, would not want to tackle it on the Vectra though !!)

Belt was still on and intact but loose around the Cam cogs, further inspection revealed that the Water pump
was indeed the problem. It has basically stripped all its bearings and thrown its cog, thus loosening the Cambelt (gulp!!)

All the tensioners were fine as was the belt itself, just now loose !

So Waterpump is a goner, and now i have just got to hope that further damage has not been done to the Valves, etc....

Bit daft to have the waterpump non auxiliary driven, but que sera sera as they say.... need to now source a Waterpump
New belts, and a new cambelt cover as the old one is broken!! presumably when the waterpump cog flew outwards !!

Anybody reckon this is self repairable ?? Waterpump looks like it is held on with Allenbolts and looks fairly accessible
Looks a pig of a job on my Dads Vectra, but looks ok on the Omega....Only thing is setting the timing etc...

So if you hear a rattle/water leak...change your waterpump !!!!!

Thanks, Ash.

Another warning for 4 pot owners - ensure your water pumps is changed with cambelt.

Where abouts in Oxon are you?

[Taxi_Driver]

Thanks so far....

Ok had a butchers today, managed to slip off the auxiliary belt and took the cambelt cover off
(nice job on the RWD Omega, would not want to tackle it on the Vectra though !!)

Belt was still on and intact but loose around the Cam cogs, further inspection revealed that the Water pump
was indeed the problem. It has basically stripped all its bearings and thrown its cog, thus loosening the Cambelt (gulp!!)

All the tensioners were fine as was the belt itself, just now loose !

So Waterpump is a goner, and now i have just got to hope that further damage has not been done to the Valves, etc....

Bit daft to have the waterpump non auxiliary driven, but que sera sera as they say.... need to now source a Waterpump
New belts, and a new cambelt cover as the old one is broken!! presumably when the waterpump cog flew outwards !!

Anybody reckon this is self repairable ?? Waterpump looks like it is held on with Allenbolts and looks fairly accessible
Looks a pig of a job on my Dads Vectra, but looks ok on the Omega....Only thing is setting the timing etc...

So if you hear a rattle/water leak...change your waterpump !!!!!

Thanks, Ash.

Another warning for 4 pot owners - ensure your water pumps is changed with cambelt.

Agreed, I had my cambelt done by vx dealer, 10k miles later it was back having its water pump changed as the bearing was about to go! Plus a new cambelt again! I was lucky  

[The Barge Captain]

Hang on everybody, this is a 2.0 4 cylinder not a V6, that means (unfortunately) the water pump is driven by the cambelt.

Cambelt needs to he changed every 40k miles because the tensioners fail, waterpump is recommended at least every other cambelt change.

To me it really does sound like a waterpump / cambelt failure.

Best thing to do is get the cambelt cover off and have a look..... fingers crossed... hope I'm wrong.

If it is the belt you need to replace it and the water pump then compression test the engine to find out if any valves are bent.

Well spotted Jason.

[TheBoy]

Actually, on a 4 pot, I would consider changing water pump with every belt change. The extra cost of the pump weighed against the cost of failure...

[rpont]

.... need to now source a Waterpump
New belts, and a new cambelt cover as the old one is broken!! presumably when the waterpump cog flew outwards !!

I'd change all of the rollers while doing the belt even if you know they have been changed recently.