Omega autobox leaks oil on manual changedown (an doesnt slow down very well)

Don't change down manually at 80.

How many gears does that box have?

Pretty sure all miggies are 4-speed

If you check when you are driving you will notice that Omega is changing gears at around 3000rpm, I suspect that your manual change down might have forced it into close to 5500 rpm (if the gearbox is 4 speed) or even around

8000rpm for the earlier 3 speed version. You can see which one you have if you check which number you have next to drive. In either case this is far from normal driving mode and I am NOT surprised that the box "complained"... Try NOT to force your car into second gear at 80 miles/hour - it is VERY unhealthy for box the engine and the gearbox, it is NOT the sports car - it's normal rpms are around 3-4000 range. ** Posted from **

The early ones are 4 speed but the facelift (post 1999 or somewhere around then) are 5 speed (or at least the v6 ones are).

Eh? It should change gears at varying revs - according to the throttle opening. Anywhere between about 1500rpm and maximum.

Are you sure the gearbox will allow you to select a lower gear at too high an engine speed? Some won't.

I agree that it should, but in my experience it will NOT go over 4000 rpm with sport mode off even if you "floor it", this is MY specific experience with Omega-B (pre-1999)...

It NEVER occurred to me to try it, but AFAIK there is noting in there (in the gearbox) that can stop you from doing that...

My 1997 2.5v6 will go over 7k before changing if I floor it, about 4k without sportsmode otherwise. Is your kickdown switch working (below the accelerator pedal or somewhere).

You can put it into 1st at 70 and it won't change down until the revs are in range. It's computer controlled and the computer switches solenoids to change gear and that stops the gearbox changing at too high a speed.

I've never known an auto that won't reach peak power - and usually slightly over - with the pedal on kickdown. Regardless of being in 'sport' or whatever. Which unless it is a diesel is usually well over 4000 rpm. It sounds like you had a fault.

Are you being specific or general? I don't know that particular box, but the one on my BMW which as so called manual selection as an option (Steptronic) won't allow the selection of a gear above the maximum speed it is safe to do so. And I thought this was usually the case with most these days - selecting the wrong gear like that could be dangerous as well as causing damage.

Even old pre-computer controlled gearboxes had protection valves/circuits in place to prevent such gear changes. You could still move the lever, but the box wouldn't actually change gear until the revs were in range.

Computer control just made these things a bit easier and more accurately controlled.

Some. The first auto I had was a 4 speed Hydramatic in a '50s Bentley. That wouldn't allow you to select 3rd above its maximum speed - but second had no inhibitor at all.

The GM 180 on my SD1 has no inhibitor either - select any of the gears at any speed and it will take it.

Perhaps the most common 'old' UK auto was the BW35. That would allow 2nd at any speed - but not first. On the Rover application anyway. Other makers might have specified otherwise.

I have a late 2001 facelift 2.6 V6.

4-speed.

I thought that this was EXACTLY what I said. "will NOT go over 4000 rpm with sport mode OFF..." With sport mode ON or with "kickdown" (i.e. slightly release and floor the accelerator) it will go to red line area... I was NOT talking about "kickdown" either, put you accelerator to the floor from standstill and HOLD it there, you will see what I was talking about...

Good to know, though I do not think that this is sporty enough car to try it...

I was convinced they changed to 5 speed but I can't find any. There is one on eBay that claims to be 5 speed but the selector only shows 1, 2,

3, D, N, R and P and as far as I'm concerned that's a four speed box. Maybe the owner has counted changes and included when it locks the torque converter out.

You missed off 'even if you "floor" it' in your quote, and mine does.

I don't have to release and floor the accelerator for kickdown. Press the accelerator slowly down to the floor and when the switch changes it kicks down.

No, sorry but mine goes all the way up the rev range with the pedal to the floor. If I press the pedal down I can feel and hear the kickdown switch changing (with the engine off) in about the last eighth of an inch of travel.

I'm sorry but I lied there 7k is in the red (I thought 8k was red but it doesn't go up there). Going out with the engine cold it doesn't get much above 5k before changing up whether in kickdown or sports mode.

Coming back with the engine hot it went to just over 6k with kickdown and just over 6.5k in sports mode. I bought it at 4 months old so I've had it over 11 years and it's always used the full rev range.

'Kickdown' is the official name for what happens when you floor it. It's a kickdown position - doesn't have to actually mean it's changed down. If you hold it on the kickdown position away from rest it should run to max revs in every gear - regardless of being in sport or whatever. If it doesn't the kickdown mechanism isn't working as intended.