Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: Bigron on 29 March 2016, 07:55:13
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Unless I can't find it (quite possible), there doesn't seem to be a guide to fitting a towbar.
I have a '51 Reg. 2.6 petrol saloon auto: are there suitable holes for adding a towbar or is drilling necessary, and where would be the best place to source a towbar and/or kit, please?
Ron.
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Not sure there is a guide. :-\
Fitting is not too difficult and, from memory, the required holes are there, but with thin steel plate spot welded over them, so you just have to drill through the plate.
There are two mounting holes above the crossmember ahead of the petrol tank and about 3 right at the rear of the boot floor.
Two bars come in 2 styles. One type has a steel plate that bolts to the boot floor between the forward and rear mounting points, with the bar securing to the rear area of the boot only. The other has a longitudinal member that runs along the bottom of the petrol tank to a bracket that secures to the forward mounting.
The former type loses you a little boot space and means the boot floor is no longer flat. It's also a non starter if you have an LPG tank frame in the boot. The latter looks a little more agricultural.
Removable or fixed bars are available, depending on your view of the aesthetics.
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Genuine towbars are cheap enough, my estate one was £135, you can get secondhand for around £50...
The owners manual should have the fitting details in it, but basically you remove the rear bumper and boot carpet and drill the dimples in the boot floor...
New would include clear instructions :y
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I think you will find that there are dimples in the boot floor where the recommended Vauxhall fixing points are, and it's just a matter of drilling in the dimple. Some say you should remove the sound deadening material around the spreader washer, other say you it isn't necessary, although it will flatten and possibly split it around the washer, but equally it also should help with sealing the bolt head and washer to the floor.
Most towbar manufacturers use the recommended Vauxhall fixing points; some others don't, in which case you won't be able to use the dimples as an easy reference, and will have to ensure you are drilling holes in the right place for your particular towbar.
The other issue I have had with towbar on Elites is in relation to the parking sensors. The towball was the fixed flange type, and when in reverse, the sensors picked up the towball and sent the sensors haywire. However, the wiring was an aftermarket and scotch locked into the wiring by the rear light.
Maybe others could confirm, but I understand some Omegas are fitted with a take off already in the loom in the rear panel for the genuine VX towbar wiring kit - is this simply a 'plug and play'? and does this isolate the parking sensors when connected upto the trailer /caravan?
But how do you get round the sensors picking up the towbar when solo and engaging reverse, other than having a detachable swan neck type of tow bar?
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I think you will find that there are dimples in the boot floor where the recommended Vauxhall fixing points are, and it's just a matter of drilling in the dimple. Some say you should remove the sound deadening material around the spreader washer, other say you it isn't necessary, although it will flatten and possibly split it around the washer, but equally it also should help with sealing the bolt head and washer to the floor.
Most towbar manufacturers use the recommended Vauxhall fixing points; some others don't, in which case you won't be able to use the dimples as an easy reference, and will have to ensure you are drilling holes in the right place for your particular towbar.
The other issue I have had with towbar on Elites is in relation to the parking sensors. The towball was the fixed flange type, and when in reverse, the sensors picked up the towball and sent the sensors haywire. However, the wiring was an aftermarket and scotch locked into the wiring by the rear light.
Maybe others could confirm, but I understand some Omegas are fitted with a take off already in the loom in the rear panel for the genuine VX towbar wiring kit - is this simply a 'plug and play'? and does this isolate the parking sensors when connected upto the trailer /caravan?
But how do you get round the sensors picking up the towbar when solo and engaging reverse, other than having a detachable swan neck type of tow bar?
They are - but VX don't sell the plug and loom to fit any more :(.
I thought I knew better and ordered a loom from VX and found that it connected to the two rear light clusters.
The neatest way is probably to cut the factory plug off and make your own connections to the wires.
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The rear light cluster approach is an effective one, and the genuine towbar and towbar looms include idiotproof instructions :y
Factory towbar mounting dimensions are in the owners manual in the reference section :y
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And Avoid these things
(http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/603979821_1/Scotch-Lock-Quick-Splice-18-14-AWG-Wire-Connector.jpg)
Best way is Splice/solder/shrink tube :y
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There are some pics I found in the maintenance guides, in the index under useful pics.
Cant vouch for them as mine is an estate.
Steve
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I removed a towbar & refitted another towbar without removing the rear bumper. My
prefacelift car has a preformed section at the very bottom of the bumper that just required 2
small cuts which allowed a bit to be folded up out of the way. As regard a male plug for your
car, Im sure GM would be able to supply a dedicated loom to just plug in, Towsure mentions
them but doesn't seem have one for the Omega.
The colours for your 12N socket are :car
................... function ........12N
black/blue ......... rear fog ........ blue
black/white ....... left turn ....... yellow
black/green ....... right turn ..... green
grey/black ......... left tail ......... black
grey/red ............ right tail ....... brown
black/yellow ....... brake lights . red
brown ................ Earth ........... white
NB if you use the yellow/black from this socket, you'll need to either fit a 'trailer check control'
relay part number is (was about 5 yrs ago) 90463123, behind your glove box or bridge its
contacts.
The large red wire in this socket is intended to be used to supply your caravan's fridge &
charging circuits via a split charge relay best
using a voltage sensitive relay, less wiring &
far easier to fit.
12S reverse lights feed (on my prefacelift) is the white/black single wire next to this large
socket.
Not my work as i just copied from when i fitted mine recently!!!!
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Tow trust towbars is the one i fitted to my 2001 saloon TV339 is the model just google to find pdf instructions ,a member on here sold it to me!!
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[quote author=johnnydog
The other issue I have had with towbar on Elites is in relation to the parking sensors. The towball was the fixed flange type, and when in reverse, the sensors picked up the towball and sent the sensors haywire. However, the wiring was an aftermarket and scotch locked into the wiring by the rear light.
Maybe others could confirm, but I understand some Omegas are fitted with a take off already in the loom in the rear panel for the genuine VX towbar wiring kit - does this isolate the parking sensors when connected upto the trailer /caravan?
But how do you get round the sensors picking up the towbar when solo and engaging reverse, other than having a detachable swan neck type of tow bar?
[/quote]
Anyone any experience in getting round this problem with rear parking sensors on Elites?
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Fitting a removable towbar is the obvious solution ::)
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Fitting a removable towbar is the obvious solution ::)
Also means you don't bash your shins everytime you put something in the boot. I've done this on my last six cars, and am tempted to change the fixed one on the estate
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Thanks gents for all of your great replies - you can always rely on OOF to come up trumps!
Ron.
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The other issue I have had with towbar on Elites is in relation to the parking sensors. The towball was the fixed flange type, and when in reverse, the sensors picked up the towball and sent the sensors haywire. However, the wiring was an aftermarket and scotch locked into the wiring by the rear light.
Maybe others could confirm, but I understand some Omegas are fitted with a take off already in the loom in the rear panel for the genuine VX towbar wiring kit - does this isolate the parking sensors when connected upto the trailer /caravan?
But how do you get round the sensors picking up the towbar when solo and engaging reverse, other than having a detachable swan neck type of tow bar?
Anyone any experience in getting round this problem with rear parking sensors on Elites?
Mine gives no problem at all ... on this one or the previous elite. When it was fitted we took the simple precautions of checking by having the ignition on and reverse selected then hanging out of the boot whilst holding the towball bracket and making sure that there was no interference. .... and there was none :)
There is no "auto off" sensor that I know of .. when reversing with the van on you live with the noise .. if I'm going to do a LOT of reversing with the van on, ie during manoeuvring competitions, I simply unplug the speaker for the duration of the competition, then plug it back in when finished
seeemples :)
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Fitting a removable towbar is the obvious solution ::)
I think a removeable towball would be easier..... ;D
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Mine also has no problems with the towbar and reverse sensors either... It does go a bit nuts when the caravan is hitched up and I start to reverse though LOL
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IIRC, there is some provision in the factory towbar wiring for the reversing sensors to be disabled in the same way that the rear fog lights are when towing.
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to be disabled in the same way that the rear fog lights are when towing.
The factory loom I had fitted used a simple switch in the side of the 13 pin socket to turn the rear fogs off when a trailer was plugged in
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Yes, and I think there's some connection between that switch and the reversing sensors. Must have another look at the diagram.
Of course, the switch tends to be a nasty bit of bent brass in the towing socket that eventually gets damp and corrodes, then you fail the MOT due to inop fog lights. ;)
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Yes, and I think there's some connection between that switch and the reversing sensors. Must have another look at the diagram.
Of course, the switch tends to be a nasty bit of bent brass in the towing socket that eventually gets damp and corrodes, then you fail the MOT due to inop fog lights. ;)
It's beeen a while ::) ...... there were two blue/black wires from the car down to the socket to a normally closed switch which maintained the car's fogs when no trailer was plugged in. Plugging a trailer in opened the switch, turned the car's fogs off and powered the trailer's fog(s)
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There is no "auto off" sensor that I know of .. when reversing with the van on you live with the noise ..
There is with the original genuine loom.