Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Granger]

Hello everyone -- and apologies for making this first post a plea for help! Our Omega 2.2 (automatic) was first registered in September 2002 and purchased by us in December 2003. She's never let us down, and a village garage has looked after annual servicing.

A few months back, however, warning lights for either "engine electronics" (spanner & wheels icon) or "exhaust emission" (engine icon) remained on after start-up.  However: if we turned off the engine and re-started, the warning light would disappear.

The light (either the emission, or the electronics) didn't stay on every time; in fact, 9/10 we'd simply start her up and set off.

Recently though, the incidence has increased of one or other warning light remaining on after start-up. And it's taken three or four re-starts to get the darned things to switch off.  (The lights have never come on when we're driving, nor have they ever flashed during driving, either. If that happened, we'd ring the RAC straight off.)

Today though, we've just been to our local Tesco's (aaargh) and when we set off home again, the "exhaust emission" light remained on after start-up and, worse, the whole car felt really, really juddery. We drove home very slowly but when we parked in the garage, the Omega nearly rammed the back wall -- instead of just inching along in Drive, without using the accelerator, she fairly lurched in. She feels as though she's on the verge of the engine stalling, and yet the revs are steady. . .

Sadly, neither my wife nor I are mechanical geniuses. Nor geniuses of any kind. Though we've both been driving over 40 years, we're not auto experts. So now we're both worried as to what can have gone wrong with the Omega -- we've had a look through the various help files and posts on here but (oh what a confession) we're wholly incapable of doing our own maintenance, and so we don't fully understand much of the tecchie stuff.

Our Vauxhall Main Dealer is less than a mile from our front door, so we're going to drive our Omega round there. It's just that before doing so, we wondered if anyone here could offer a likely diagnosis of the problem? At least we'd have some idea of what the main dealer may be talking about. . . and charging for!

Again, apologies for a first post that's seeking help rather than contributing anything positive to what is an excellent forum.!

[Entwood]

First and most important ... update your profile with your location !!!

You really need your codes read .. and I don't think you can paperclip the 2.2 .. so we need to know if you are close to anyone with a code reader ... without that information little can be done that is not pure guesswork..

[tunnie]

no you can't paperclip the 2.2's so we need to know where you are!

Does the car start ok? does it take lots of cranking?

Sounds like cam sensor or crank sensor

[Granger]

Whoops! Total idiocy here, but have updated profile. . .

Have just rung my wife at her office  -- she ues the Omega more than me -- re Tunnie' question. She says the Omega has been 'reluctant' to start recently when coming home from work. But she thought it was the weather??

[Craig_R]

no you can't paperclip the 2.2's so we need to know where you are!

Does the car start ok? does it take lots of cranking?

Sounds like cam sensor or crank sensor

Yep What tunnie Said But Since Yours is being hard to start i would say its your Crank Sensor.

You Need the Codes Really but VX will charge you 80 quid just to read your codes, So If i were you i would start with the Crank Sensor its about 35 Quid from VX and the cam sensor is 47 quid.

You can get a poor mans Tech2 Code reader off ebay for around 30 quid

Craig

[Granger]

Thanks Sir Craig! Please excuse our total ignorance but. . . can we just get the main dealer to check out the crank sensor, or cam sensor, without having this £business of code reading?

Or, er, are we asking too much here. Before Vauxhall starts asking too much there.

I have this irrational fear we'll be told the Omega needs everything from  cranks and wotsits to a new exhaust system. Gawd, wot a start to 2008 though. . .

 

[3.2omegaestate]

You are obviously happy with your local independent garage. As already said get a code reader from ebay or even speak to your independent garage, they may have one already and determine what the error codes are. Post them back on here if you need further help in identifiying what they mean, then once identified go to your independent and get them to fix the issues. You certainly wont be paying main dealer labour charges that way, which will reduce the size of the repair bill considerably

[tunnie]

if the engine does not catch straight away as it should, and is taking a few seconds to start i would say crank or cam sensor still.

You can do the cam sensor at home its very easy....

[Granger]

Hi again everyone -- and many thanks for all the help and advice given. Position is, I've been round to the main dealer with the Omega and asked if it might be a sensor problem? They said they couldn't diagnose without "checking the codes" -- but as they're rushed off their feet today, could I either wait for half an hour (or so) or come back tomorrow.

I think it was good of them to offer but unfortunately I've had experience of half-hour-or-so garage waits before and couldn't manage it this afternoon due to a pre-existing commitment -- so drove back home and rang our usual garage (small, non-franchised, family owned, absolute delight) and have arranged to take the Omega in tomorrow morning.

Oh: they asked for a description of symptoms over the phone and instantly said the same as craig and tunnie. I don't know if they have a code reader or not but will ask them tomorrow -- and take 3.2oestate's advice about eBay if they haven't. Over the past 10 years though they've become deservedly popular, looking after Mercs and BMWs as well as our 'umble Omega, so I imagine they may well have invested in diagnostic wotjamacallits.

(PS: tunnie, your faith in our abilities re "You can do the cam sensor at home its very easy. . ." is touching. But sadly, utterly misplaced.  

Sincere thanks to everyone: the guidance is much appreciated and has certainly helped minimise anxiety -- our Omega is at 53k still a beauty and this is the first time anything, of any kind, has ever gone wrong with her.

[Bandit127]

Hi Granger.

You have my sympathy with your problems. The trouble with cars these days is their complexity. Give me an old Cortina any day... Have to say that the engine bay of my 'mega still fills me with dread and I have stripped and rebuilt a few engines in my time. The guys and guides on here make it easier - they're a great crew and a great help.

Anyway, I would like to add a bit of advice. That is - please stick with it on this forum. Sadly, some mechanics will call out an ECU or catalytic converter at a cost of many hundreds of pounds because their expertise is limited and they don't know any better. From reading these forums it is much more likely that a sensor costing tens of pounds is at the root a problem, rather than an ECU or catalytic converter. There are some serious experts on here and they are very helpful (and patient).

Keep us posted and I wish you the best of luck sorting your problem out. I am sure we all do.

Regards, Jim

[Craig_R]

What Tunnie Said About the Cam Sensor Is true I did not have a clue how to do anything with my car till I bit the bullet and had ago.

I did my Cam sensor on Christmas Eve Morning before driving 300 miles and replaced it in under 15 mins its really really easy.

Three 10mm bolts on the cam cover undo and take off the cam cover watch the rubber where the bolts go through dont fall off like mine did

And then between the cams there is one 8 or 6 mm Torx bolt undo slip out the cam sensor and replace put back together in reverce.

Here Is the Torx bolt between the cam at the bottom of the cams

[stu412t]

hi i have had the same problems and after changing mass air flow meter all is good cost £77

[shyboy]

Hi again everyone -- and many thanks for all the help and advice given. Position is, I've been round to the main dealer with the Omega and asked if it might be a sensor problem? They said they couldn't diagnose without "checking the codes" -- but as they're rushed off their feet today, could I either wait for half an hour (or so) or come back tomorrow.

I think it was good of them to offer but unfortunately I've had experience of half-hour-or-so garage waits before and couldn't manage it this afternoon due to a pre-existing commitment -- so drove back home and rang our usual garage (small, non-franchised, family owned, absolute delight) and have arranged to take the Omega in tomorrow morning.

Oh: they asked for a description of symptoms over the phone and instantly said the same as craig and tunnie. I don't know if they have a code reader or not but will ask them tomorrow -- and take 3.2oestate's advice about eBay if they haven't. Over the past 10 years though they've become deservedly popular, looking after Mercs and BMWs as well as our 'umble Omega, so I imagine they may well have invested in diagnostic wotjamacallits.

(PS: tunnie, your faith in our abilities re "You can do the cam sensor at home its very easy. . ." is touching. But sadly, utterly misplaced.  
Sincere thanks to everyone: the guidance is much appreciated and has certainly helped minimise anxiety -- our Omega is at 53k still a beauty and this is the first time anything, of any kind, has ever gone wrong with her.

Hi Granger,
We all know where you're coming from but as Sir CraigR says--- don't despair. Unless you have absolutely no interest at all in learning about your car most maintenance skills can be easily acquired through patient reading and asking questions on this forum. When I started, I didn't know what a torx or a hex bolt was, but am now quite happy taking parts off and out of my 2.6l.
The knowledge and expertise on this Forum can save you a fortune, but more importantly perhaps, let you know when some smart a--e is trying to blind you with science with a vew to ripping you off.

[Golfbuddy]

To be honest with you Granger, your 53,000 mile, 2002 Omega CDX has probably seen better days and is now not worth much at all.

If it's of interest, I'll take it off your hands for less than you'd have to pay the scrap dealer.  


Seriously, welcome to the best forum on the web. I hope you get it fixed and that, at worst, you can go to the garage with more knowledge than before you came on here.  

[Auto Addict]

On reading this thread, I would definitely say it's the cam sensor.