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[Parts_Monkey]

I've just remembered after posting the last post about an interesting and highly dangerous occurrence with my Omega.

On the way to work I noticed smoke coming from the offside corner of the car.  Thought nothing of it as it was a cold morning and could have been someone else's exhaust vapour.

Anyway when I got to work I noticed flames between the bonnet and scuttle.

Quickly got a fire extinguisher and put it out and found it was the alarm sounder.

Luckily it is just the alarm sounder that is damaged along with a small amount of loom attached to it.

The thing that makes me worry is that a colleague who owned a 3.0 V6 Elite had the same problem but the car was written off.

This leads me to believe that this could be a common problem and if so shoultn't Vauxhall issue a recall.

Has anyone else had this and does anyone know if Vauxhall are aware?

[Elite Pete]

Is the Omega a pre 98?

[feeutfo]

have heard of this once or twice, also seem to remember a secondary air pump fire story a long while back. One of the above storys took the garage the car was in as well. Both items can be unplugged.

[Parts_Monkey]

It's a 96 P-reg.  I've cut the wires and removed the sounder so it won't happen again...   ...touch fake wood dash

[markfree]

I have just taken mine out as it kept setting off the main alarm - glad I did now as I wouldn't want the car to go up in flames :-/

[Elite Pete]

It's a 96 P-reg.  I've cut the wires and removed the sounder so it won't happen again...   ...touch fake wood dash

Ive heard of this problem before but only on the pre mini facelift models.

[Kevin Wood]

Even on models with the positive distribution fusebox the power sounder is fused by only an 80 amp fuse, and fed with weedy cable that would not take a tenth of that. Add to that the tendency for power sounder batteries to ooze conductive liquid and the scene is set. A lucky escape.

If a power sounder misbehaves, even if it then shuts up, it's worth binning it IMHO.

Kevin

[downsmen]

I had this just the other day, I had just got my car running again, Started everything up it all looked fine, Left the car running for about 15 Min then i noticed loads of smoke pouring out of the scuttle Drivers side, I didnt know what this was so i disconnected the battery.

Now i know the real culprit i shall take the Alarm sounder out tonight and bin it before it does it again.

My car is also a P(reg)

[pscocoa]

I changed mine recently and it is usually the sealed in batteries - I know some of you open the sealed unit and change the batteries so whether it is related to this and the water tight seal has been lost could explain as it sits in the scuttle.

[unlucky alf]

ive looked for my sounder this morning, lifted the plastic on scuttle & all ive got is a standard hooter, ive also put this under "ice & electrical" but could do with an answer, is this normal on an older miggy?, the thing is ive only got 1 hooter on the front [the other totally missing but bracket is there] so i dont know if somebody has put a horn in the sounders place [pointless] or is it an earlier setup, my alarm has been playing up recently but dont know where to look :-/

[Kevin Wood]

ive looked for my sounder this morning, lifted the plastic on scuttle & all ive got is a standard hooter, ive also put this under "ice & electrical" but could do with an answer, is this normal on an older miggy?, the thing is ive only got 1 hooter on the front [the other totally missing but bracket is there] so i dont know if somebody has put a horn in the sounders place [pointless] or is it an earlier setup, my alarm has been playing up recently but dont know where to look :-/

There's normally both a standard horn like device and a power sunder under the scuttle, so sounds like someone has removed the latter. Is there a "spare" 4 pin plug floating around?

Kevin

[unlucky alf]

just had a look & cant find a 4 pin plug anywhere, all that i can find is that horn with a red & a brown wire going to it, they then go into a small loom which goes through the bulkhead, very strange but i suppose par for the coarse when it mine!!!