A Diary of Vauxhall Omegas

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Acquired in 2002 ... Omega facelift estate ('X' registered in 2000), again with the same 2.5 litre V6 engine, manual gearbox, and CDX specification as the previous 'S' reg mini-facelift saloon. With my mileage greatly reduced, the car could sit on the driveway for 4 or 5 days at a time, and a tank of fuel would last for weeks. Driving became more pleasurable and the car had regular oil and filter changes carried out by the main dealer, along with cambelt changes and other routine servicing.

Catastrophic engine damage occurred just short of 100,000 miles, so it was deposited in a local garage stored / unservicable. It's ironic when you consider the previous car had covered more miles with no service attention.

Main Dealer prices were now out of the question for a 10 year old vehicle, the quote probably being 4 or 5 times its market value. Trying to source a secondhand replacement engine wasn't that easy, with the first one arriving at the back street garage with a lot of external damage and leaking oil. The next one to arrive looked alright, but there was no knowing what condition it was in or how many miles it had covered. The garage duly swapped the engine, and the car went back into service for only a few hundred quid.

All was well for a year, and then the head gasket started to fail with a regular loss of coolant. The nearside rear cylinder would fill with water 10 minutes after the engine had been switched off, with the result of the engine locking if it was started again. It was parked up once again in a stored / unservicable condition. Head gasket failure on the GM V6 engine (X25XE) is a very rare thing, with the exception of a batch fitted to some earlier cars, with the same symptoms as mine. Confusion sometimes arrises when the oil cooler fails, allowing oil into the cooling system, but the heads are safe if problems are remedied quickly, and the coolant flushed out several times.

February 2011 - Whilst a decision was made on the future of the car, another 2.5 V6 CD Manual Facelift Estate was acquired as a stop gap. ('W' registration year 2000). Click Here

With nothing to loose, I decided to remove the heads and rebuild the top end of the engine as a project, the work being carried out only when the weather was decent and I was in the mood for it. For details and pictures of the engine Click Here

December 2012 - Although this picture shows a picture of neglect and moss filled crevices, it hides the fact the engine has just been put back together after an extensive top end rebuild, and is ready for starting after 18 months laying idle. I decided from the start that the engine repairs would only be done when the weather was fine, and when I was in the mood for doing work on it.

The engine was successfuly started, on the second turn of the key! This project has been enjoyable because there have been no timescales to think about, and if it all ends up too much trouble I can get a few quid as scrap and maybe a few spares for the 'W' reg CD as well! Delving beyond the plenum, learning a bit about how these engines work, and getting the occasional bad back is worth one in the eye for a throw-away society.

Summer 2015 - The CDX (wearing CD wheels) is still SORN and has a regular start up, move about and clean / polish. The bodywork appears to be in reasonable condition so it's perhaps worth spending time keeping it tidy.

Feb 2016 - Front suspension refurbished - details and images Click Here

March 2016 - Nearside scuttle drain after cleaning. The sill covers and bumpers were removed to reveal some grotty and rusty areas requiring treatment. Further details and images Click Here

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