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so i was driving home the other day coming through a roundabout, car was pretty cold, and my car just died in the arse. wouldnt turn over for about 10 minutes, then out of the blue on about the 30th try it started. all the dash lights come on, radio works etc. I was on the way to the gym today and it did exactly the same thing..the engine light comes on and off when its running too..any ideas what it could be? i've got no idea. i thought it might have been starter motor but it cut out while running? any help would be great
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it could be a heap of things, but i have noticed that the factory positive terminal clamp on the VT is bigger than say HQ.
so if you have a HQ-WB battery, sometimes the battery post is too small for the positive terminal.... |
Old holdens brought on the spot, quick decision, cash paid. |
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Most common cutout issue in these is the ignition module (mounted on the front wheelarch) followed by the crank sensor (inside the dizzy).
Try checking for spark when it cuts out next. If you have no spark, but the injectors click while cranking, it's the module.
If the injectors are also refusing to click, then it's a hint that it could be the pickup in the dizzy. It's not always as simple as this, but it's a good quick diagnisis you can do on the side of the road with someone to help you turn the key. |
Cheers,
Mick
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Judge a successful man not on how he treats his peers, but on how he treats those less fortunate. |
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Rank: Member
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how will i know if the crank sensor is buggered by looking at it?
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You won't - it's electronic, and the failure mode is usually heat related, so it's hard to bench test it.
One trick for diagnosing the module on the guard is when the car won't start after cutting out, pour some cold water on it & see if it makes a difference. This got me home one day in a VS2 5L after it cutout 5km from home. Had to do it 3 times to get home, but at least I made it without a tow!
The cold water trick is a well known emergency fix for V6s with a dud crank sensor (you pour it down the front of the motor) but the thermal shock from the water - or simply the cooling of the exposed MOSFET - on the V8 ignition module is probably what gives you a temporary 'fix' to get it moving again. |
Cheers,
Mick
_______________________________________________________________
Judge a successful man not on how he treats his peers, but on how he treats those less fortunate. |
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just went for a quick drive then, between 5 and 10 minutes. lots of stop-starting, pretty heavy acceleration, and apart from some coughing and spluttering in the first couple hundred metres there was no sign of it. about 2 weeks ago i had it given the once over and got new leads, plugs and fuel filter but i cant see how that would have affected it..
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Rank: Member
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alright it happened again a few times and it seems to only happen when the engine is cold - every time it's happened i've on been driving for a few hundred metres - and when the revs are low. every time it has happened has been when i've changed into 3rd. last time it happened i put it back in second, dropped the clutch and it started again, but i pulled over and turned it off and it wouldnt start again for about 20 minutes. what the hell?
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