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[CatManAl]

Hello!
 
I just bought a P reg 2.5 TD estate with a BIG BMW engine in it! What a brilliant car. I have just got a new job which will have me driving around the country 5 days a week.
 
Only problem is that coming up the M74 to Glasgow on Sunday after buying it in Stoke, the engine decided to stop at 80 mph... The engine light came on so I pulled over onto the hard shoulder with the car still moving and dropped a couple of gears appropriate to my declining speed and lifted the clutch essentially bump starting the beast again. It took a couple of attempts but it got going again (thank goodness, as I had no breakdown cover at this point!) but 10 miles later it did the same thing. I had 20 litres of fuel left by the time I nursed it to a filling station and had no fuel warning lights come on. I know I won't really know until I get it to a garage, but someone suggested that it may be the main pump and that could set me back £1500! Cash I don't have.
 
Can anyone offer any other possible scenarios as to the problem and possible solutions or have I bought a money sucking beast!?!?!

[holey head]

ohhh not sumething you want to happen when youv'e just bought a car. doesn't inspire confidence does it??? i have no idea but i'm sure somebody, cough cough the boy, will be able to help. lol he loves the tractor!!!! lol

[hotel21]

Howdoo CatmanAl.  

Your fuelling problem is most probably the lift pump in the tank instead of the actual fuel injection pump on the engine.

The problem will only manifest when tanks about the quarter mark and unlikely when level is above it.

Solution is either to keep the tank full or source another lift pump.  If you use the search button under the OOF logo at the top of the page for something like 'diesel fuel pump 'for the past, say, 3 months, it will pop up a number of threads.  Havea skeg at them and see whats involved.  May also be a diesel breaking in the parts for sale portion.

Good luck on your new purchase.  Loads of good info on here to keep it clocking up the miles....  

[TheBoy]

The lift pump (and check fuse 18 as well) would explain not starting, won't explain the stall at 80mph though....

Unsure what could cause that.  Possibly the track in main pump, which is normally cleanable...

[CatManAl]

Thanks for your help everyone.

I checked the fuses, as when I got it home had to replace the front right headlamp bulb. Found five spare bulbs dotted around the car... which leads me to think that the electrics might be knacked. Changed the bulb to no avail, checked the fuse board and the right hand headlamp fuse had gone (no12 off the top o my heed?). Saw that there was a fuse for the pump and checked it too, but it's intact.

The display for time/date/radio station is knacked too, which makes tuning the radio a trifle tricky. This might be an after effect of having a Nokia hands free kit installed by the previous owners' son-in-law who was a travelling business type person. This device is of no use to me so at my earliest convenience, I shall remove it and see what happens there.

Next question, therefore, is which Haynes manual is most relevant to this model as there wasn't a specific one in Halfords and the Haynes website doesn't even list Vauxhalls, or Opels even... Probably need a new thread for that one.

A friend of an uncle runs a garage and I shall get them to check all this out, as well as the tyre wear on the offside front wheel, which I think is a tracking rod, unless, again, anyone has other ideas?

Cheers!

Al.

[Entwood]

Well I can't answer most of your questions .... but the one I can help on is the "Haynes" one ...

Haynes Manual no 3510....  Vauxhall/Opel Omega 1994 - 1999 ( L - T Petrol ) is the ONLY Haynes manual on the Omega as far as I know, that will cover everything but the engine !! I think you need a BMW or Landrover book for the engine stuff .. sure someone will correct me .. they usually have to !!

HTH

[TheBoy]

I suspect the display is missing pixels?

No Haynes for Omega diesel - some Range Rovers and some beemers also use the same BMW M51 TDS engine

[platty]

Hiya CatmanAl,

I have had a similar thing happen to myself before when i was new to the car as well, it happened to me as i was joining a motorway... just after a long radius turn from another motorway.

As i joined it spluttered, light came on, and it died. Same as yourself bumped it off a few times and it fired up again. Fuel was  just under 20l.

Once home it would not start at all - i panicked the same as yourself, but i came on here and found out the lift pumps are crap and always die. Now i just keep over 20l in the tank all the time and it is fine!

I have looked into replacing the lift pump but Vx want the best part of £120 and second hand ones seem pretty rare from what i have found. Still trying to establish if they are the same as petrol ones, Vx wouldn't tell me for some reason?

[Dazzler]

Does sound like lift pump as this exact problem has been discussed on here before. So £120 or just keep at least half a tank of fuel on board

[TheBoy]

Lift pump is NOT same as petrol ones...