Hey guys just got a few issues with my vy as ute as of late and they are getting more frequent.

Sometimes if I sit the car for 2-3 days I start her up and sometime it will make a clunky sort of noise as she kicks over, not sure what that is but also the engine will sound a bit tappy for the first minute or two and then it will quieten down. The gearbox or engine also has a wind when you drive it for the first minute or two, the kind you get when you reverse and then that also goes away a minute or two shortly after.

If it hadn't been started for a few days she doesn't idle very well, she will shake and shudder as if she is going to stall. I rev her and she takes a bit to go as if perhaps some cylinders are working against others instead of in harmony. Once I've finished revving it sometimes drops to say 450-500 borderline stalling and slowly creeps up to 750 normal idling speed. The petrol consumption is up a bit but I'm
Not sure if that has anything to do with it.

Also the motor or gearbox feels loose in gears 1-2-3 when under say 2200rpm it sounds loose and a bit rattly but then appears to tighten up up once it passes 2200rpm and sounds fine after that.

Also lately but not always my steering wheel controls don't always work but mute and function always do, usually I can skip a song and turn it up but never back and down, then when the cars running fine it's generally working also. Not sure if that's related to anything but I figured I should mention it.

Before I drop it into somewhere reliable if those places exist I wouldn't mind having some form of idea of what may be wrong so I don't get had.

What's the cost of a basic nil modifications rebuild on both engine and gear box each perhaps? Ballpark figure? The kids on street commodores were most unhelpful so maybe dr terry who appears to know all can help.

I'm hearing things about o2 sensors needing to be replaced and crank angle sensors being replaced to fix a rough running car, are these things a possibility?

Also what is actuall done at a 10-20-30-40-50-60-70-80 through to wherever service each time? From about 90 I've been doing the oils and filters myself have I missed anything they may do? I've almost ticked over 156k so it's definitely getting on :(

Any help would be awesome guys thanks for your time.

Packers

have you had it scanned for fault codes?

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Originally posted by Pacman

What's the cost of a basic nil modifications rebuild on both engine and gear box each perhaps? Ballpark figure? The kids on street commodores were most unhelpful so maybe dr terry who appears to know all can help.

I'm hearing things about o2 sensors needing to be replaced and crank angle sensors being replaced to fix a rough running car, are these things a possibility?

Packers

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I think you need some proper diagnosis before you start thinking about engine & gearbox overhauls. Ask around & find a reliable workshop which fixes unmodified Holdens. Word of mouth is the best form of recommendation. 156K is not a lot of kms for a Gen 3 V8, I have several friends with similar cars with over 300k, one an ex-police car.

Too much guessing going on, go to a good mechanic & get it checked. From the sound of you have several small problems sounding like a large one.

The rough idle is most likely an air leak, very common in the PCV plumbing on Gen 3 V8s. At 150k it will most likely need new spark plugs & leads, if they haven't been replaced already. The whining noise could be coming from the power steering pump, again this can be caused by a small hose leak, allowing the pump to ingest air & aerate the fluid causing the whine. Simple faults, cheap to fix as long as the mechanic knows what he's doing.

The tapping noise could be noisy lifters, incorrect or low engine oil can cause this. Gearbox clunks etc, can be traced to driveshaft or mounts.

Oxygen sensors & crank sensors are easy to check in situ, it's false economy to just throw new ones in on the basis of a suggestion from an internet forum.

Dr Terry

2 more comments.

Don't trust a scanner as the only diagnosis, there are many faults that a scanner won't reveal. Too many guys use it as the ONLY tool.

What's wrong with E10, most of the rumours you hear are unfounded. It works fine for modern cars, about the only downside that I know of is higher fuel consumption because while it has a higher octane rating than regular unleaded is has less calorific value. It costs less but you can use more of it, depending on what type of car you drive. For example in a VT V6 I get better economy & the same performance out of regular over E10, but my mate in his VX V8 police pack loves E10, he gets better performance & no loss in economy. If his switches back to regular the car pings badly, with a corresponding loss in performance. Its octane rating is 95.

Don't use it in carburettored cars, it evaporates too quickly & dries out carby gaskets & plungers & causes corrosion on un-plated metal parts. Modern plastics & fully-sealed fuel systems in newer cars are totally different.

Dr Terry

A VX SS should not ping at all if it is std.
The only thing i have come across with E10 is some times on hot days the engine may take a bit more to start it up. but if i run E10 95 in my VY SS the fuel econ is just as good as 91 unleaded but E10 91 she use more fuel and this is on the same highway using cruse control.
She does not like QLD caltex 91 as she has less power down low especially on hot days and i avoid it like the plague. and my SS is as stock as a rock.

I can't see how, as it can retard up to 12 degrees on detecting a ping.
The parameters of timing can only go retard from factory settings so it should never be heard as the sensor should pick it up before one could hear it.
I have never heard my SS ping ever and i have used a lot of E10 95

Edited by user Saturday, 12 May 2012 10:55:41 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified