Vauxhall Omega - Car wont start after standing for a year

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
View Threaded
Sat 8 Nov 2014 16:47
Vauxhall Omega - Car wont start after standing for a year - nigethain

Hi

I've got an S reg vauxhall omega 2.5 thats been standing for about a year.
I put a gallon of petrol in as the tank was almost empty (light flashing on dash)
Charged the battery and started it up. It started first time. I let it run for a few minutes
then drove it down the road, where after about 50 yards, it cut out.
Now it wont start at all.. It turns over fine, but just wont kick into life.

I've managed to get it back on the drive using the starter
Any pointers or tips on where to start looking gratefully received.

Thanks

Nige

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 8 Nov 2014 17:40
Vauxhall Omega - Car wont start after standing for a year - elekie&a/c doctor

Is there adequate fuel in the tank?1 gallon may not be enough to fill the swirl chamber in the tank.You could try pulling a plug lead out to check for spark,but even this is a bit of a drama on the v6 models.May need to plug in a diagnostic scanner and check for any fault codes.Most common on the v6 models is crank/rpm sensor.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 8 Nov 2014 17:53
Vauxhall Omega - Car wont start after standing for a year - nigethain

Hmm.. You might be right about the fuel.
Just assumed (!) that 1 gallon would be enough just to get it going..

I'll put in a few gallons and see what happens.
Should be fun traipsing back and fore to the garage with my 5 Litre can :-(

Cheers for the tip.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 9 Nov 2014 11:59
Vauxhall Omega - Car wont start after standing for a year - nigethain

Turned out not to be any fuel in the tank.... As I found out when i put some in... it prompty came out again from the tank!.

Looks like there is some big leak in the petrol tank. not sure how as it hadnt moved for a year and there was no noticeable leak before.

Ah well.. thanks for the help, you were right.. but its off to the knackers yard now I'm afraid.

cheers

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 9 Nov 2014 12:50
Vauxhall Omega - Car wont start after standing for a year - craig-pd130

It would be surprising if the tank has rotted through, I would suspect a seal somewhere has dried out and cracked / shrunk.

If the rest of the car is good, you might be able to get a good used tank from a breaker's and plumb it in relatively cheaply?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 9 Nov 2014 12:58
Vauxhall Omega - Car wont start after standing for a year - Quicksilver

I had a lease R registration Omega 2.5 estate, it was a good car.

However, it did have a steel fuel tank, not plastic and at 3 years old it was already showing extensive signs of rust.

It is quite likely that it has rusted through. If the reat of the car is good I would get the tank repaired and put it back on the road.

Q.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?