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!

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

mr carl wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 19:02:

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.

Abiton wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 19:06:

mr carl wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 19:02: 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

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

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

mr carl wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 19:13:

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  :)

i was under the impression that the paperclip test would not work on the omega past 2000 plate?

dbug wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 19:34:

mr carl wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 19:13: 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

No paperclip test will work ok on a 2.5 V6 lump :y

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

dbug wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 19:43:

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?

dbug wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 19:43:

No paperclip test will work ok on a 2.5 V6 lump :y

it will  :-? :-? :-?

Andy B wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 19:48:

dbug wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 19:43: 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  ::)

mr carl wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 19:45:

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 :)

Sehen wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 19:57:

mr carl wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 19:45: 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

mr carl wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 20:01:

Sehen wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 19:57: mr carl wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 19:45: 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 ;)

yeah i wouldnt cut the loom side, thats just asking for trouble really lol

thanks lads  :)

mr carl wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 19:37:

i was under the impression that the paperclip test would not work on the omega past 2000 plate? dbug wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 19:43: No paperclip test will work ok on a 2.5 V6 lump :y mr carl wrote on 01. Sep 2011 at 19:47: 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  ;)

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