Engine trouble 2.5 V6

[maskinchefen]

Hello everybody!
Finally I found an Opel forum that is active! I know that I should be using the English version of it, but since that part seems quite dead, I write here instead.

I have an Opel Omega -97 2.5 V6 (200 000 km), that a few days ago started to sound really bad from the engine. I first ignored it and thought that it was just some cover that had lost a bolt or something like that. Today I could not ignore it any longer since it sounded quite bad, and I opened the hood and listened. I came from the head of the left-front cylinder row, and sound like a HUGE valve gap or something. I opened up teh the valve cover (so much stuff in the way on these new cars!) but there was no gap on any of the valves. I could not find anything unusual.

Does anyone know of any common engine problems on these 2.5 litres V6 engines?'

Thanx
/Anders, Sweden

[Themasterkale]

Check camshaft bolts, belt and thightener wheels. Somewhere there must be some kind of abnormal clearance.

[jjvirtan]

Maybe hydraulic tappets?Change oil and use better quality.
Or maybe some of the tappets are finish.

[maskinchefen]

Thank you both for fast answers.
Hmm, yes, maybe I should go for the camshaft belt tighteners. I gave it up last night when I could not easily remove the cover. It is tight like h**l there. I have loosened the cover a bit, so that I could see and feel the camshaft belt, and it was not slack or anything. No damages or dry cracks. I am going to a Opel mechanic in 45 minutes, I'll see what he thinks.

I'll let you know.

Edit
I change oil regularly, and I use some Castrol semisynthetic. I dont remember the name. However, this sound can not come from just collapsed oil film. Its someting more rough. Its not that ordinary valve ticking, as when the car has not been used for a long time and the oil has run out of the cylinderheads. Its something much more noisy.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: maskinchefen on 2004-07-21 14:04 ]</font>

[Juheksi]

Worn/broken/jammed hydraulic tappet can be very noisy.

[maskinchefen]

Word worn trappet noise dissappear in higher revs, like >2000 rpm?

I went to see the local Opel repairman today, and he thought that it is the camshaft belt tensioner that has broke, and that the noise comes from the belt flapping the cover. I'm not sure that he ie right, but I'll disassemble it tonight and find out. I ordered new camshaft belt and tensioner and will replace them anyway, since it is only 20 000 km left until they must be changed. I can tell you that they were not for free...

[Themasterkale]

But may be more expensive than belt and tensioner when tens.wheel brokens and causes "little" more damage...

[maskinchefen]

Now it is fixed!

I replacet timing belt (camshaft belt) and tensioners, and the noise is gone. I noticed that the belt was really slack on the left side, and the tensioner is on the right side, so probably it was one of the wheels (the lower) that you adjust to tens the belt when mounting it that had got loose and therefor did not tens the belt.

So now i'm a happy Omega owner again )

Too bad that it costed me app. 300 euro in new parts and some tools.

See ya!