Print

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

[damon80]

Well, they say they come in three's...  But my list is up to 7!

On way to work this morning, I noticed that something seemed funny on the motorway.  The car suddenly feels like it's running on 60psi in each tyre - I can feel every bump or catseye in the motorway, whereas it used to waft over them.

I also noticed that from 65mph+ there's a droning noise, which seems to stop once I lift off the accellerator (I've had this before, but it stopped, and now for some unexplained reason it's started again???   )

Sometimes, if I put it into 5th gear at 15mph for example, there's a bit of a judder (like a slight miss-fire?), but then it picks up fine.  It used to pull away from 15mph in 5th gear just fine and dandy.

If I floor it in 2nd gear, it doesn't seem to have anywhere near the urgency it used to have - no miss-firing or anything, and it revs freely enough - it just feels like it's get-up-and-go has got-up-and-gone... (over 3k rpm, it used to give me a right shove in the back, but alas this is no more   )

A couple of weeks ago, the driver's side exhaust pipe that goes into the back-box sheared off.  I "repaired" it for the time being with that Gun Gum kit that supposidly will get your car through an MOT (just as an emergency measure really).  But now the other side has gone  

My EML came on the day before yesterday with the dreaded 0420 and 0430 codes (after having the codes reset, and running on nothing but Shell petrol)

And to top things off, I just went to get a CD out of my car, and within the last hour, some scrote has taken it upon themselves to key the side of my car!!      

Talk about a bad couple of days...

If anybody has any advice, it'd be gratefully appreciated...

[sjr47]

Hi Wit's End Try checking all vacume pipes are attached where they should be plus breather pipes on breather box at rear drivers side  and on top of plenum,could be multiram not working correct  .The front multiram operation can be checked by reving the engine and seeing if valve below intake duct opens.Good luck  keepat it you,ll get there in the end !!!

[feeutfo]

you dont mention the trim level of your car but, esp if Elite which has self levelling suspension, it sounds like your rear shocks have gone re the bumpy ride, they loose the oil and hence all rebound damping. Sl rear shocks are 300 retail or150 with a trade club card.(see link at bottom of my post) or 50 sobs for stock items and pull the self level fuse if you have sl.

Pre cat code is inevitable they tell me, mine has not arrived.... yet. 80k plus on the clock in my case. Some have this pop up much earlier. Its of no real consiquence except the orange light on the dash will mask any other possibly more important issues,  and will still pass an Mot on emissions no problem.
The fix is to move the 2nd lambda sensor to behind the main cats and involves welding in a new boss and plugging the old hole(have read its the same size as the sump plug but dont hold me to that)

Sounds like your box is manual so not much experience with those on the omega but, sounds like it could be worth checking the dif oil level. Guide in maintenance for this.

Most important and will save you a load of cash by the sound of it, The pedal trick, will flash out error codes from the engine ecu (only) see link http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1189022687

[damon80]

Hi Wit's End Try checking all vacume pipes are attached where they should be plus breather pipes on breather box at rear drivers side  and on top of plenum,could be multiram not working correct  .The front multiram operation can be checked by reving the engine and seeing if valve below intake duct opens.Good luck  keepat it you,ll get there in the end !!!

I can (just about) see the breather box, but all seems like its connected as it should be.
As for checking multi-rams, i wouldn't know what I'm looking at tbh  

You could give me an 8v Cav SRi, and I could strip down and rebuild its head no problem at all (cos I've been there, done that!)

But these ecotec dbw lumps are new ground to me.  Yes, I've had em before, but I've usually had the cash to pay my local (and extremely reliable) mechanic to sort whatever needs doing.

But, having just had to fork out to pay for our summer hols, cash is indeed at a premium (and is significantly in a deficit!)    

[damon80]

you dont mention the trim level of your car but, esp if Elite which has self levelling suspension, it sounds like your rear shocks have gone re the bumpy ride, they loose the oil and hence all rebound damping. Sl rear shocks are 300 retail or150 with a trade club card.(see link at bottom of my post) or 50 sobs for stock items and pull the self level fuse if you have sl.

Pre cat code is inevitable they tell me, mine has not arrived.... yet. 80k plus on the clock in my case. Some have this pop up much earlier. Its of no real consiquence except the orange light on the dash will mask any other possibly more important issues,  and will still pass an Mot on emissions no problem.
The fix is to move the 2nd lambda sensor to behind the main cats and involves welding in a new boss and plugging the old hole(have read its the same size as the sump plug but dont hold me to that)

Sounds like your box is manual so not much experience with those on the omega but, sounds like it could be worth checking the dif oil level. Guide in maintenance for this.

Most important and will save you a load of cash by the sound of it, The pedal trick, will flash out error codes from the engine ecu (only) see link http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1189022687

Hi Chris,

My Miggy is ex-plod, so no s/l suspension.

Yep, am aware of the ol' pre-cat issue and the relocate lamda fix, but again - will need moolah to relocate, seeing as a). I don't have access to a welder, and b) even if I did, you would be amazed at how poor my welding is!

Checked diff oil level (yep, it's a manual), and all is bang on the level.  No visible leaks anywhere, but it's LSD.  Also, there's a hairpin bend on my way to work, where every now and again (if the roads clear) I boot it and the TC light usually flashes.  But it doesn't anymore (even though TC is enabled)...

And again, yep - I've pedal'ed it, and it's just coming up with 0420 and 0430.

The way I feel at the mo, I'd just lay the ol' girll up for 6 months till I have all the readies to hand to get her sorted in one foul swoop.  But, it's my only mode of transport, and it is still running (albeit not as well as it used to, taking the MPG with it too - £20 used to last me all week, but now I'm having to fill up twice as much - the petrol prices ain't gone up that much!!)

[feeutfo]

Hi Wit's End Try checking all vacume pipes are attached where they should be plus breather pipes on breather box at rear drivers side  and on top of plenum,could be multiram not working correct  .The front multiram operation can be checked by reving the engine and seeing if valve below intake duct opens.Good luck  keepat it you,ll get there in the end !!!

Yeah good call for sluggish running re multi rams. Good idea the clean the breathers as the maintenance guide.

 And also re exhaust the timing of ops failure is almost spot on as my car being roughly a year older failed a year ago. Nothing unusuall there unfortunately. Dont bother with the genuine gm exhausts. They used to be exactly as factory fit but they have changed the build quality to a far inferior design but have kept the original price. Eternal do a system for £90 odd thats better value, bit louder, which i like on other members cars, than my genuine pants one, and fractionally cheaper design but you will save £210 even on the trade club price.

So nothing unusuall in your symptoms really. Just happened all at once. Although hopefully a manual any owners will advise on your drive train issues, mine is auto.

[damon80]

Hi Wit's End Try checking all vacume pipes are attached where they should be plus breather pipes on breather box at rear drivers side  and on top of plenum,could be multiram not working correct  .The front multiram operation can be checked by reving the engine and seeing if valve below intake duct opens.Good luck  keepat it you,ll get there in the end !!!

Yeah good call for sluggish running re multi rams. Good idea the clean the breathers as the maintenance guide.

 And also re exhaust the timing of ops failure is almost spot on as my car being roughly a year older failed a year ago. Nothing unusuall there unfortunately. Dont bother with the genuine gm exhausts. They used to be exactly as factory fit but they have changed the build quality to a far inferior design but have kept the original price. Eternal do a system for £90 odd thats better value, bit louder, which i like on other members cars, than my genuine pants one, and fractionally cheaper design but you will save £210 even on the trade club price.

So nothing unusuall in your symptoms really. Just happened all at once. Although hopefully a manual any owners will advise on your drive train issues, mine is auto.

Again bud, I wouldn't have a clue on how to check the multirams  

When I've been phoning round for quotes on exhausts, they've been coming out at roundabout the £250 mark!  When the first bit went, the local stainless steel chap quoted me £290 for a full new custom made cat-back system.  But it's £290 I ain't got...    Where can you get the £90 systems from???

[Darth Loo-knee]

Here are a couple of pictures of where the multi rams are mate.

This is the rear one, if you blip the throttle it should activate


This is the front, rev the car to around 4000rpm and theis one should activate

[damon80]

Cheers Daz - can you see the whole thing shift when it activates?  Or just the cable with the blob on the end (that looks like a bike clutch lever)?
And if nowt budges - how do I go about fixing it?

[Darth Loo-knee]

Cheers Daz - can you see the whole thing shift when it activates?  Or just the cable with the blob on the end (that looks like a bike clutch lever)?
And if nowt budges - how do I go about fixing it?

The little plastic finger that the arrow points too will move, it is easier to see the front one move, but you can see the back one too if you have a good look.
Like I say give the throttle a blip should activate the back one about 1000rpm, the front at about 4000rpm, if the back one doesn't seem to move, whilst you are at around 4000rpm give it a few quick blips you may see it move then  

[feeutfo]

good work from the fudge packer (wtf loons?)

Anyway hope this is the correct link. Not used them myself.
http://store.eternalcar.com/

[feeutfo]

being drive by wire you will need an assistant to press the pedal for you. Preferably one with a heavy foot.