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[cdc]

I purchased a 2000 Catera (omega) 3.0 V6 which had a bad running engine and had not been run for 2 years. I found out that the 2 intake valves on cylinder 1 were bent. I ordered a new head set and 2 intake valves and put the engine back together. The car starts fine but misses slightly when at idle i don't have all the small black pipes connected as I can't find the one which goes to the silver box behind the passenger side head.

Anyway, the car runs ok but the lifters are very noisy. I have run the engine for about 20 minutes with fresh oil and it has not got any quieter. Should I try a engine additive to try and quieten them? the car sounds like a diesel.

Also when I remove the oil fill cap it chugs smoke/steam out like a steam train. It does not blow any smoke out of the exhaust and there is no oil in the coolant.
Any ideas?

[Lizzie_Zoom]

I purchased a 2000 Catera (omega) 3.0 V6 which had a bad running engine and had not been run for 2 years. I found out that the 2 intake valves on cylinder 1 were bent. I ordered a new head set and 2 intake valves and put the engine back together. The car starts fine but misses slightly when at idle i don't have all the small black pipes connected as I can't find the one which goes to the silver box behind the passenger side head.

Anyway, the car runs ok but the lifters are very noisy. I have run the engine for about 20 minutes with fresh oil and it has not got any quieter. Should I try a engine additive to try and quieten them? the car sounds like a diesel.

Also when I remove the oil fill cap it chugs smoke/steam out like a steam train. It does not blow any smoke out of the exhaust and there is no oil in the coolant.
Any ideas?

All those items highlighted point go a damaged head and / or head gasket.  There may be a crack in either or both that was created when those old valves were "bent"!


You do not get away with bending valves without damaging the head or block

[TheBoy]

I purchased a 2000 Catera (omega) 3.0 V6 which had a bad running engine and had not been run for 2 years. I found out that the 2 intake valves on cylinder 1 were bent. I ordered a new head set and 2 intake valves and put the engine back together. The car starts fine but misses slightly when at idle i don't have all the small black pipes connected as I can't find the one which goes to the silver box behind the passenger side head.

Anyway, the car runs ok but the lifters are very noisy. I have run the engine for about 20 minutes with fresh oil and it has not got any quieter. Should I try a engine additive to try and quieten them? the car sounds like a diesel.

Also when I remove the oil fill cap it chugs smoke/steam out like a steam train. It does not blow any smoke out of the exhaust and there is no oil in the coolant.
Any ideas?

All those items highlighted point go a damaged head and / or head gasket.  There may be a crack in either or both that was created when those old valves were "bent"!


You do not get away with bending valves without damaging the head or block

Often you do. In fact you'd be unlucky on the Omega engines to do damage beyond the valves and the valve guides.

[cdc]

The damaged just seemed to be the bent valves and a few nicks in the piston.  But I did not see any holes in the piston.

The head looked fine the new valves seated good.

[Julian James]

By "all the small black pipes", do you mean the breathers and vac lines?
The small box on the back of what would be the passenger side (LHD car in USA) is the breather box. (with the two short pipe/holes coming out the top?)
These may well be blocked, try cleaning the holes out (I used carb cleaner and drill bits, and a paperclip for the small hole).  This will let the engine breathe and relieve pressure, which may be why you're getting so much coming through the filler neck.  If you can, it's prob best to find some hoses and connect them back up to the breather lines on the plenum (which you should also clean out).
It's prob not ideal to run without being connected, but I'm sure it will work.  Defo better to have the holes open than blocked completely.
There's a great guide in the Maintainence section.  (You won't need to take the breather box off unless you're really keen, or have the engine out etc)

You gotta wonder why the valves bent in the first place too.
Has the timing belt been done "properly"?

Also, for idle problem, check Idle control valve.  It should have a air line to the air intake and another smaller line going to the FPR I believe.  You can also clean it out a bit with carb cleaner. (don't forget the ECU connector for ICV too)
You can also adjust the minimum closure of the throttle too, at least you can on mine, with a small nut/bolt that you can screw.  The more you do this, the more it will bypass the ICV and it will idle higher, so not recommended by most.

Also, sounding like a deisel? = low pitched?  Perhaps you have an exhaust leak somewhere??  (friend hold a rag over the tailpipe and you start her up and check for leaks)

I'm still learning too, but I hope some of this helps

[ffcgary1]

I fitted a 3.0 engine from an omega into a vectra b a few years back, and the lifters took a long while to fill with fresh oil and quiten down, so try running again at idle and see if they settle down.
Also as said, why did the valves get intimate with the pistons, i would check that the timing has not jumped a few teeth as this would also cause a missfire and also bend more valves.
When a valve gets bent it often(not always) results in valve guides being split/damaged.
Lets hope that is not the case on your car. good luck.
Gary.

[Shackeng]

I purchased a 2000 Catera (omega) 3.0 V6 which had a bad running engine and had not been run for 2 years. I found out that the 2 intake valves on cylinder 1 were bent. I ordered a new head set and 2 intake valves and put the engine back together. The car starts fine but misses slightly when at idle i don't have all the small black pipes connected as I can't find the one which goes to the silver box behind the passenger side head.

Anyway, the car runs ok but the lifters are very noisy. I have run the engine for about 20 minutes with fresh oil and it has not got any quieter. Should I try a engine additive to try and quieten them? the car sounds like a diesel.

Also when I remove the oil fill cap it chugs smoke/steam out like a steam train. It does not blow any smoke out of the exhaust and there is no oil in the coolant.
Any ideas?

Yes, try something like this:- 

http://www.ultimatestyling.com/products/10k-1437a1-10k-petrol-and-diesel-hydraulic-valve-lifter-treatment.html

HTH

[Elite Pete]

When pistons and valves make contact there's a good chance the valve guides will crack

[cdc]

Basically what happened is I went to look at the car a few weeks ago and the previous owner told me he had some work done on the car but did not say what.  He said after the work was done the car started knocking so he took it back to the mechanics house (which I believe was his friend) and it sat there for about a year as the mechanic did not know what to do. I think he messed the timing up.

He said it had probably bend a valve in the engine so I purchased the car for $550 and had it towed home.  We stripped the engine and found 2 bent intake valves on cylinder 1.  I ordered a headset and 2 intake valves and went to work putting it back together.

I read all the instructions on the internet on how to set the timing and believe I have done it correctly.  The car runs ok and revs up fine but has a very small miss at idle and by diesel sound I meant the engine sounds like what a diesel sounds like when idling, which I really hope is the lifters not filling up.

With the vacuum pipes I know I have connected the transmission vent pipe to the intake by mistake.  On the breather box there are 2 pipes a big and a small.  The big one I have connected to the intake but I don't know where the small 1 goes to.

Sorry for the long post I appreciate the help.

[Julian James]

Firstly, not a problem!  That's what we're here for, and the more detail, the better!

When you did the timing, did you use the proper locking tools?  Cambelts are a bit notorious on the omega V6.  there are loads of people on here who are good at it and own the proper tools (I'm NOT one of them), but many garages either get scared or do it wrong!

Yeah, with the breather box, the big pipe is the pre-throttle breather, which actually splits into 2 and goes into the 1st and 4th holes on the plenum breather (black part on top - 4 connections at back)  The small one goes to one of the middle ones, but I can't remember without finding shoes and going outside to check! - I think it's the 2nd one as you look from top. (left to right of course)
The last of those 4 goes to the canister purge valve i believe.  (which on the omega, is a small black box with another hose and a blue and red electrical connector, all on a metal bracket, usually found on the back on the block)

Is there any way you could get some diagnostics over there?
I had mine hooked up the other day by a very nice Mr Darth Loo-Knee.  However he said he could feel a slight misfire that didn't show itself as anything on the laptop and couldn't figure out what it was in the time given.  Worth a try tho if you can.  It might show you something.