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[chrisgc]

Hi all,

I have noticed on my 2.5 v6 Omega Elite that it was smelling hot.

I have only had the car a short while but it has not overheated.

I opend the coolant tank when the engine was cold only to find it was just a brown sludge!!

I was thinking the best way forward was to flush the coolant system and then refill and go from there.

It was quite a thick stodgy brown sludge so must have been like this prior to me getting the car.

Can anyone tell me if they too recommend first of all just flushing and re-filling?

Also how easy is it on my car AND when re-filling can I use normal coolant from a general motor factors store or do i have to use Vauxhall own brand?

Your quick response would be most appreciated.

Chris

[PhilRich]

It sounds like your Oil Cooler has given up the ghost Chris. Have a look in the 'Maintenance Guide' section for more info. I am sure someone more knowledgeable with a 'real' 6 pot omega will be along shortly, I only have the 'bargain basement' 4 pot! HTH, Phil.

[Kevin Wood]

Yep. Sounds like the oil cooler has failed.

Have a read of this: http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1221081908

Best to avoid driving it until it's sorted to prevent further contamination.

Kevin

[chrisgc]

Is there any way the Oil cooler is reusable by cleaning it (sorry not mechanically minded)?

If not where can I buy a cheap one as I am in the process of selling the vehicle but have only stumbled on this problem yesterday.

Chris

[tunnie]

Is there any way the Oil cooler is reusable by cleaning it (sorry not mechanically minded)?

If not where can I buy a cheap one as I am in the process of selling the vehicle but have only stumbled on this problem yesterday.

Chris

No, its metal and its degraded so much its now letting oil out of the cooler. Best option is to get the oil cooler kit from a Vx dealer on TC its around £90+ vat

If your handy ish with tools tis not a bad job, otherwise its a 3/4 hour ish job at a garage

[Entwood]

Be careful of taking it to a garage ... 

I know of at least 3 people who have been "told" that it is a head gasket problem by garages .. and quoted for an exorbitant amount of work.

Oil cooler / head gasket are two totally different problems .. if the garage won't listen .. go elsewhere !!!

[chrisgc]

When it comes to re-filling the antifreeze can I use the Halfords Advance antifreeze or do I have to use genuine Vauxhall antifreeze?

And how many litres is required?

Note: it does say on the halfords site that there advanced antifreeze meets manufacturers requirements.

[ScottieMV6]

When it comes to re-filling the antifreeze can I use the Halfords Advance antifreeze or do I have to use genuine Vauxhall antifreeze?

And how many litres is required?

Note: it does say on the halfords site that there advanced antifreeze meets manufacturers requirements.

Is it any cheaper than Vx stuff if bought on TC? From memory Vx is £10.89 for 5 litres (which is all you need) on trade club.

There must be someone near you with a TC card. Alternatively PM andyc on here and he will sort it for you (although postage might be a bit steep for 5 litres of antifreeze)??

[Kevin Wood]

Either antifreeze will be fine. The GM stuff is very attractively priced on trade club though.

You'll need 5 litres of concentrate. Give the cooling system several rounds of thorough flushing before you finally fill with antifreeze, though.

Kevin

[albitz]

Vauxhall anti freeze is best and if you have a trade club card its also much cheaper.
You will need to flush the cooling system lots of times after the job has been done to clear all the sludge out of the system.
Dont drive the car if you can possibly avoid it in the meantime, the cooling system is not working effectively and you risk cooking the engine.




Must type faster.

[Andy H]

Is there any way the Oil cooler is reusable by cleaning it (sorry not mechanically minded)?

If not where can I buy a cheap one as I am in the process of selling the vehicle but have only stumbled on this problem yesterday.

Chris

No, its metal and its degraded so much its now letting oil out of the cooler. Best option is to get the oil cooler kit from a Vx dealer on TC its around £90+ vat

If your handy ish with tools tis not a bad job, otherwise its a 3/4 hour ish job at a garage

45 minutes? :-/

3 to 4 hours spanner time sounds do-able....

Flushing out the old oil from the cooling system will take more time and it makes sense to flush out the heater matrix while the system is empty.

[PhilRich]

Is there any way the Oil cooler is reusable by cleaning it (sorry not mechanically minded)?

If not where can I buy a cheap one as I am in the process of selling the vehicle but have only stumbled on this problem yesterday.

Chris

No, its metal and its degraded so much its now letting oil out of the cooler. Best option is to get the oil cooler kit from a Vx dealer on TC its around £90+ vat

If your handy ish with tools tis not a bad job, otherwise its a 3/4 hour ish job at a garage

45 minutes? :-/

3 to 4 hours spanner time sounds do-able....

Flushing out the old oil from the cooling system will take more time and it makes sense to flush out the heater matrix while the system is empty.

I think Tunnie actually meant 3 to 4 hours

[tunnie]

sorry yes 3 or 4 hour job 

[ScottieMV6]

Is there any way the Oil cooler is reusable by cleaning it (sorry not mechanically minded)?

If not where can I buy a cheap one as I am in the process of selling the vehicle but have only stumbled on this problem yesterday.

Chris

No, its metal and its degraded so much its now letting oil out of the cooler. Best option is to get the oil cooler kit from a Vx dealer on TC its around £90+ vat

If your handy ish with tools tis not a bad job, otherwise its a 3/4 hour ish job at a garage

45 minutes? :-/

3 to 4 hours spanner time sounds do-able....

Flushing out the old oil from the cooling system will take more time and it makes sense to flush out the heater matrix while the system is empty.

I think Tunnie actually meant 3 to 4 hours

If Tunnie can do it in 45 minutes then he could make a fortune just doing oil coolers!!

[chrisgc]

I am pretty new to this site so how do i go about getting a trade card?

Or is there someone near me (Swindon) who can get hold of it for me?

Also when flushing the system out do i simply use normal water along with a coolant flush?

Chris