Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: mr carl on 01 September 2011, 19:02:42

Title: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: mr carl on 01 September 2011, 19:02:42
i parked the car up at night, went to drive to work in the morning and the car is just turning over and over

at first i thought i could smell fuel while cranking the engine...but i loosened a spark plug (finger tight) and cranked the engine for a good 15-20 seconds and quickly whipped out the plug and it was dry as a bone

also i have no spark.

so what do you think?

crankshaft sensor or ecu? or maybe something else?

normally crankshaft sensors are a fairly hardy and simple bit of kit which never really tends to go wrong

also i unscrewed the sensor, and i cant find where the hell it plugs into, the wire is covered in heat proofing and ran up behind the blooming oil cooler pipes so i cant even wiggle the wire so someone else can grab it!
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: dbug on 01 September 2011, 19:05:30
Classic crank sensor failure mate - do the pedal trick - bet you have a code 19.

Plug is up behind the plenum to the right of centre when standing at the front - whip the plenum off makes it easier to locate  :y
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: Abiton on 01 September 2011, 19:06:32
Quote
i parked the car up at night, went to drive to work in the morning and the car is just turning over and over

at first i thought i could smell fuel while cranking the engine...but i loosened a spark plug (finger tight) and cranked the engine for a good 15-20 seconds and quickly whipped out the plug and it was dry as a bone

also i have no spark.

so what do you think?

crankshaft sensor or ecu? or maybe something else?

normally crankshaft sensors are a fairly hardy and simple bit of kit which never really tends to go wrong
also i unscrewed the sensor, and i cant find where the hell it plugs into, the wire is covered in heat proofing and ran up behind the blooming oil cooler pipes so i cant even wiggle the wire so someone else can grab it!

Not on Omegas! Well, that's nto strictly true.  The sensors are great, but the cables aren't high-temperature enough for the way Vx routed them.
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: dbug on 01 September 2011, 19:08:09
Quote
Quote
i parked the car up at night, went to drive to work in the morning and the car is just turning over and over

at first i thought i could smell fuel while cranking the engine...but i loosened a spark plug (finger tight) and cranked the engine for a good 15-20 seconds and quickly whipped out the plug and it was dry as a bone

also i have no spark.

so what do you think?

crankshaft sensor or ecu? or maybe something else?

normally crankshaft sensors are a fairly hardy and simple bit of kit which never really tends to go wrong
also i unscrewed the sensor, and i cant find where the hell it plugs into, the wire is covered in heat proofing and ran up behind the blooming oil cooler pipes so i cant even wiggle the wire so someone else can grab it!

Not on Omegas! Well, that's nto strictly true.  The sensors are great, but the cables aren't high-temperature enough for the way Vx routed them.

Yep reroute it to the right and down past the abs block  :y
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: mr carl on 01 September 2011, 19:13:53
so its almost certainly the crank sensor then?

i have a spare 2.5 vectra one at hand, can i just cut the plug off and use this one for now?

blooming car, i have to drive my sister to her wedding next thursday i could really do without the hassle from the car atm, and i am moving, and its my sons birthday, and the car just decides to go nuts on me  ;D
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: tigers_gonads on 01 September 2011, 19:25:09
Do the paperclip test  :y

If 19  comes up, its the crank sensor  :y

codes   http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1160152416

paperclip test   http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1189022687
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: dbug on 01 September 2011, 19:34:06
Quote
so its almost certainly the crank sensor then?

i have a spare 2.5 vectra one at hand, can i just cut the plug off and use this one for now?
blooming car, i have to drive my sister to her wedding next thursday i could really do without the hassle from the car atm, and i am moving, and its my sons birthday, and the car just decides to go nuts on me  ;D

Wouldn't recommend that mate - probably wont work  :)
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: mr carl on 01 September 2011, 19:37:18
i was under the impression that the paperclip test would not work on the omega past 2000 plate?
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: Sehen on 01 September 2011, 19:42:52
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so its almost certainly the crank sensor then?

i have a spare 2.5 vectra one at hand, can i just cut the plug off and use this one for now?
blooming car, i have to drive my sister to her wedding next thursday i could really do without the hassle from the car atm, and i am moving, and its my sons birthday, and the car just decides to go nuts on me  ;D

Wouldn't recommend that mate - probably wont work  :)

If the plug is the same, it will work. for a while, becouse it does not have the heat protection. But for a emergency, that will work ok. Got mine from Saab dealer who had it in stock  :y
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: dbug on 01 September 2011, 19:43:23
No paperclip test will work ok on a 2.5 V6 lump :y
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: mr carl on 01 September 2011, 19:45:51
the plug is square on the vectra one, and the plug is round on the omega one is it not? i have not had the pleasure of finding mine yet but the plug for my other sensors are oval
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: mr carl on 01 September 2011, 19:47:03
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No paperclip test will work ok on a 2.5 V6 lump :y

could have worded that better my man, you mean it wont work on a v6 lump, or no, the paper clip test will work?
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: Andy B on 01 September 2011, 19:48:54
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No paperclip test will work ok on a 2.5 V6 lump :y

it will  :-? :-? :-?
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: mr carl on 01 September 2011, 19:50:41
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No paperclip test will work ok on a 2.5 V6 lump :y

it will  :-? :-? :-?

sweet, but on my calibra if the engine was not running then the paper clip test would throw up the crank sensor even if the sensor was fine  ::)
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: Sehen on 01 September 2011, 19:57:03
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the plug is square on the vectra one, and the plug is round on the omega one is it not? i have not had the pleasure of finding mine yet but the plug for my other sensors are oval

The plug went from square to oval in either 96 1/2 or in the 98model year... correct mi if I'm wrong :)
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: mr carl on 01 September 2011, 20:01:17
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the plug is square on the vectra one, and the plug is round on the omega one is it not? i have not had the pleasure of finding mine yet but the plug for my other sensors are oval

The plug went from square to oval in either 96 1/2 or in the 98model year... correct mi if I'm wrong :)

i have been advised to just cut the plug to pieces until i can get to the connectors and just plug them in, until the new one arrives
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: Sehen on 01 September 2011, 20:52:25
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Quote
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the plug is square on the vectra one, and the plug is round on the omega one is it not? i have not had the pleasure of finding mine yet but the plug for my other sensors are oval

The plug went from square to oval in either 96 1/2 or in the 98model year... correct mi if I'm wrong :)

i have been advised to just cut the plug to pieces until i can get to the connectors and just plug them in, until the new one arrives

Sounds like a good solution, but be aware, cut the plug on the sensor side, and connect the original omega plug on the sensor from the Vectra ;)
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: mr carl on 01 September 2011, 21:02:03
yeah i wouldnt cut the loom side, thats just asking for trouble really lol

thanks lads  :)
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: dbug on 01 September 2011, 21:13:33
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i was under the impression that the paperclip test would not work on the omega past 2000 plate?
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No paperclip test will work ok on a 2.5 V6 lump :y
Quote
could have worded that better my man, you mean it wont work on a v6 lump, or no, the paper clip test will work?

Does that make better sense now my man?
As AndyB confirms paperclip test will work on 2.5 V6.

If engine not running will probably throw up a 31 (crank sensor due to engine not running) but should also throw up a 19 (retained code nackered crank sensor) - hope that clarifies my man  ;)
Title: Re: car wont start, is it the crank sensor?
Post by: v6man54deg              Geffd on 03 September 2011, 16:52:53
As i advised carl on the calibra site - the best way to test for a crankspeed sensor on this engine is to turn the enigne over on the starter motor - if the engine management light doesn't go out its the crankspeed sensor at fault.
as it should go out when it reaches around 260 rpm

www.v6technicians.co.uk