Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: mobby.6kl on 22 May 2011, 14:39:46
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Hi all, there are a few issues that came up recently with my Omega B 2.2 that I'd appreciate some suggestions on.
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A few days ago I noticed a rather unpleasant sound coming from somewhere in the engine bay when turning the steering wheel (in any direction). It sounds kind of like suspension creaking, which is what I thought it was at first when I was making a U-turn over a rough stretch of road. My other thought was power steering, but I checked the fluid level (a bit low, but still plenty in the tank. Any brand that's Dexron IID will do, right?), and otherwise it works ok.
The noise is present when moving slowly and when stopped, also with the engine off. Here, I tried to record something with my phone on the engine block:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/mobby_6kl/steering.mp3
Any ideas what it could be, or how to better diagnose it? At least, would it be safe to drive for a few days before I can have someone who knows what they're doing look at it?
- Engine runs rough and rattly when cold, but I can barely tell it's running once wared up. I know it's normal when it's really cold in the winter, but now it's t-shirt weather here. The car starts fine, but RPMs jump to about 1.5k (normal idle is maybe 700-800?).
Bizarrely, it seems that when I start it in the morning at home, it stays high for ~5 seconds, then starts dropping to normal. But starting in the garages at work, it seems to hoover between 1.5-2k rpm until I get tired of it, and put the autotragic in neutral, at which point it drops to normal and I can drive off.
I suspect there might be a crack or a bad seal in the exhaust somewhere that gets sealed by expansion, but it doesn't seem like it would explain everything. It was already suggested to me that I try checking and cleaning the airflow sensor, which I'll do once i pick up the cleaning spray tomorrow. Anything else I could do?[/olist]
Many thanks in advance!
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Any Dexron II for top up. Sorry, dont know about noise
Noise when cold, could be lifters, exhaust manifold, or its gasket... ...need to locate the source :(
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The noise, engine not running in the clip, so I presume someone is turning the steering wheel to produce the noise?
That being the case I've heard similar from loose wishbone bolts. Although it could be anything in the front suspension or steering mechanism, I don't think it's pas related afaict.
I'd get both sides of the front up on stands and move the steering through it's motion by the wheels from underneath with the steering lock off, check everything while under there. Trouble is once the suspension is unloaded the noise may disappear. In which case drop the car down and feel the wishbone to chassis/subframe joints while loaded as someone turns the steering wheel. Although as said it could be anything, I hate diagnosing noises from the wrong end of a keyboard.
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Thanks for the suggestions! And sorry for bringing up this old topic again, but I thought this information might help someone later.
For the steering noise I took the car to my mechanic, sadly they were shutting the business down; in fact it was their last day and they already got rid of most tools. Still, they guy left in charge was nice enough to get it up and help diagnose the problem. His conclusion was the right strut bearing, since there was more noise and vibration coming from it. Since then the noise went away, so it'll wait until something else on the front suspension needs to be done.
The unstable engine speed when cold seemed to have been fixed by cleaning the MAF with one of those magical sprays, thankfully. There's still some clunking when the engine is cold, and I now suspect it could be both lifters and the exhaust since a) the noise is more distinctly clicky if I start driving and b) there's a slight exhaust smell if I stick my head under the bonnet. Both only apply while the engine is cold, after that it's quite and doesn't stink. I suspect I might need to take it to someone who knows what they're doing soon :)