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[DIY Mike]

Hello to everyone, I am new to this site, so please be gentle with me. I have a 1998 Omega 2 Lit DOHC (ECO TEC) petrol car which I love; unfortunately the Head gasket went which I have lovingly replaced myself (every bolt was torqued according to Haynes Manual).
-I had the head pressure test and the valves vacuum tested and all was ok (did not need machining either).
-Replaced the Cam belt (timing is spot on), spark plugs and weirs, thermostat and the coolant.
-Cleaned the throttle housing and IACV and Breather Jet, the fuel rail and the injectors, all the breather pipes including the one from the sump etc.
Now my problem is that the engine turns but will not start? I have checked and there is fuel and pressure in the fuel rail. The spark plug wires are connected to DIS looking from the front  1&4 to the left (next to the wiring connector 2&3 to the right (1&2 being closest to the cam belt). Is this correct??
My next job after reading your forum is to change the Crank sensor, I have found these on eBay
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330425794336&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
Which is a lot cheaper than dealers, any comments??
So please help as the MOT has finished and the Tax will be ending in June, I live in Stoke-on-Trent, if anybody lives near me I appreciate a visit to compare engines to make sure I have connected everything right as I self taught mechanic and fallible.

[Welung666]

Only use genuine Vx crank sensors, never pattern. They are very un-reliable!

Don't go changing anything yet as you don't know what the problem is exactly. Use the link below and do a paperclip test, then report the results back here and we'll help translate them

[Abiton]

I've got a little sketch in the front of my Haynes manual that shows the DIS connections like this..



 4   2
 1   3

Where the LT connector is at the Left end of what I've sketched.

HTH

Edit, Oh and don't bother with the cheap crank sensor, go genuine.

[DIY Mike]

Hi, thank you for quick reply guys. I changed the spark plug wires to 1423 and tried no luck, did the paper clip test and got 10 3 4 10 flashes = 0340 (camshaft sensor I think). Does this mean I should put off changing the crank sensor for now? Thank again for your advice, please keep them coming as I am getting desperate.

[Jimbob]

youve got it, change that cam sensor and I think your problems will go away 

[VXL V6]

2.0 should still start though (eventually) even with a faulty cam sensor, just won't rev past 4K.

Still replace the cam sensor though as that is the DTC it's giving and work from there.

[JamesV6CDX]

If the cam sensor was OK before work started there is no reason it will have suddenly failed.

I'd say it's more likely it's logging that code, because it's confused about something else... are you certain the valve timing is correct? Did the sprockets go in the correct keyways?

[TheBoy]

Back to basics for a minute, sure you refitted cam sensor (we've all done it )

[DIY Mike]

When the head gasket went the car was starting, but would over heat in less than a ¼ mile and then last time before I started the work it turned but did not start. As for timing, I did turn the crank &the camshafts back 60 degrees to take the head out. In re-assembly the inlet sprocket would go in only one way, but the exhaust sprocket had two keys inlet & exhaust which I put it on the later. When lining them with the marks on the cam cover, the inlet lined up ok but the exhaust sprocket mark was springy and would rest couple of teeth to the left if I remember correctly, so I asked a mechanic and he said that was normal and I have to clamp it on the mark and when the belt goes on it will hold it. I will try to check the timing marks again to make sure they all line up.
On the camshaft sensor after this morning discussions I had good look and the cable from the sensor end just before it enters the main harness to the CPU has been cut and reconnected and it look ok.
If I change the cam sensor does the other end of the cable go all the way to the main plug on the CPU or does it plug somewhere on the main covered cable, any advice on how too??? 

[Abiton]

Has the cutting/joining of the cam sensor wiring been done during this recent work on the HG, or was it done before the trouble, by a previous owner?  If you could post a picture of the joined wires it may help others to see whether it looks 'OK' or 'dodgy'. 

You should see 4 separate joints as far as I can tell from looking at the wiring diagram, three coloured wires, and one screen. If the latter has been omitted or if any of the joints look like they might be shorting to others, rework as required.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that this is a continuous cable all the way from the ECU to the sensor connector plug, with no intermediate joints.
Some kind person on here will possibly be able to extract the relevant pins and cable from the ECU connector and send you one from a car they are breaking though??  Dunno how easily the ECU connector pins come out, but I'd be surprised if it's really hard.  The screen connection appears to common up with at least half a dozen other screens and then go into the ECU on a single pin, so that connection might need to be cut on the donor.

What state was the old HG in when you got to it?


Check those cam sprockets and the alignment of everything cambelt-related before worrying about any wiring/sensors.

Good luck. 

[DIY Mike]

Hi guys, I have re-checked alignment of cams and the crank on several manual engine rotations, all the marks line up within ±2 mm max(is this acceptable?).
As for the cutting/joining of the cam sensor wiring it must have been done by the previous owner. The 3 coloured and ones and one sleeveless, they are all connected individually and have heat shrink sleeve over the connections. I will do a continuity test for each wire either side of the connections and at the plug end of cam sensor just to make sure that all the wires are continues and not touching along the cable, but the look ok! Talking about cutting/jointing, when I did the HG work, I noticed that the sleeves on 3 wire crank cable coming out from below the crank area were all crumbling, so I went back as far as I could reach and cut them and used a computer power cable (slightly heavier gauge) and Heat-Shrinkable Cable Splicers and lots of extra electrical tapes, then did a continuity test at the plug end to make sure they did not touch along the past where I could not reach. Could this heavier gauge cable affect the signals from the crank sensor to the ECU??
Again thank you all for your support and your time so far.

[Abiton]

You could really do with someone local to you, who happens to have a known-good spare crank sensor of the correct type (several variants on Omegas... ) , to try.

I'm dubious about your repair to the crank sensor cabling, as 'computer power cable' doesn't sound like screened cable, is it?.  It may still work, if the sensor itself is OK, and the last few inches of original cable beyond your repair are too.  On the other hand, in an earlier post you mention it turning over but not starting, immediately before the HG repair.  That may have been crank-sensor related.

When I dissected the old one off our motor, it was the last couple of inches of cable, right where it goes into the sensor moulding, that were most degraded/dodgy.  I guess this was where it was hottest, for longest.  Wish Vx had used better cable materials really.

Try paperclipping it again, just in case you get any extra info. 

[DIY Mike]

Hi guys,
Just an update, I check the cable on the crank sensor after the last comment from Abitn, and there seems to be a short between two of the terminals on the end plug (must be just before the sensor's body). So I have ordered a Siemens original sensor from eBay £26.80, I think it’s good deal, so I will keep you all posted.
p.s.  This question is for  Abitn, I have a Haynes manual, but I can’t find any sketch for the DIS connections? Can you please tell me what page it is? Many thanks for the inputs.

[Abiton]

The sketch in my book was done by me, not Haynes. 

[DIY Mike]

Hi Guys, Just an update to tell you that I changed the crank sensor and the cam sensor x2, drained the old fuel and the car started, and the engine is purring like a kitten. Thanks for all your support and valued advice.