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Early
VL Commodores Temperature Gauge Rises but car not over heating
VL
Nissan 6 cylinder engine notes
Various VL Turbo Problems: (Could also be common on normally
aspirated VL)
VL
Commodore 6cyl auto: first gear only revs out to approx 3500rpm when
floored, even in power mode
VL
Commodore: inherant flatspot on some
VL Commodore Engine Cutting Out
VL Commodore: Changing to disc brake on rear of car
VL Commodore Air Box modification
VL Commodore High fuel consumption with black smoke from exhaust
VL and upwards crank angle sensor
Early
VL Commodores Temperature Gauge Rises but car not over heating
This
is common, the temp gauge needle is loose and moves as you go around
corners. You can tighten it but it is a pain in the ass, it's easier
to get a new instrument panel from a wreck.
From:
David Carlyon
VL
Nissan 6 cylinder engine notes
VL
commodore owners BEWARE,the Nissan head on ht turbo or the Atmo is
very prone to cracking and it CANNOT be welded, I should know this
because I am a Professional engine reconditioner, there are a few
remedies, the easiest is to upgrade the cooling system, also there
are bleed valves on the head that need to be bled after you refill
the engine with coolant, if you don't an air pocket will create a
hot spot an your head which will shit itself, also you should get
your local mechanic to use his FLUKE meter (if he is any good he will
have one) to adjust the airflow so that the engine runs slightly richer
and therefore cooler
From:
Ricky
Various
VL Turbo Problems: (Could also be common on normally aspirated VL)
Common
problems I have found.
Best
cheaper workshop manual I believe is the Max Ellery's Factory Workshop
Manual, I have referenced the pages in this manual.
Auto
Transmission:
Not selecting the correct gears, not down-shifting on hills: Oil ingress
to the throttle valve switch (via butterfly shaft). The throttle valve
switch contains a throttle position sensor which outputs to the trans
computers, gets oily and stops working. Solution is to replace it
or remove it, drill out 2 rivets and clean with switch contact cleaner,
glue cover back on refit and adjust. Manual Ref: Engine Management
Page 298 for description, 311 for adjustment.
No
kickdown:
Detent switch not working properly. Switch is located above the accelerator
pedal, activated on full throttle. Solution: adjust it. Manual Ref:
Auto Trans Page 440.
Poor
driveability / lack of power:
1. oxygen sensor is not working. Manual Ref Page 330
2. corrosion on electrical contacts, very common on coolant temp sensor
and crank angle sensor if you wash the engine a lot. Check for green
or white power on contact pins & in plugs. Solution: clean off
of pins with contact cleaner, replace the connector pins.
3. replace the fuel filter every 30K.
P.S:
Read the precautions in the manual with regards to working on the
Engine Management System and follow them. If in doubt, take it to
somebody who knows these cars.
From:
Martin
VL
Commodore 6cyl auto: first gear only revs out to approx 3500rpm when
floored, even in power mode
fix:
detent switch above accelerator, sometimes can be adjusted, but even
then, often not far enough to operate correctly. Fitting a piece of
hose over the sliding rod to enlarge it's diameter will allow more
travel, and will then operate correctly ie: first gear will rev out
to optimum rpm before changing to second. saves changing manually!!!
most vl's I see have this problem. who knows why.
From:
Paul T
VL
Commodore: inherant flatspot on some
fix:
apart from filling with premium and advancing the timing so much it
pings it's ass off, try this: advance the cam timing by one tooth.
You may also have to cut a piece away from the base plate of the distributor
to gain enough timing adjustment. Set the timing to ear, not with
a timing light (don't be lazy!!! grab a spanner and drive up and down
the road and keep fiddling til its optimum!) generally should gain
some healthy performance, and loose the flatspot!
From:
Paul T
VL
Commodore Engine Cutting Out
Engine
cutting out under all driving conditions. Switch into Power Mode by
pressing switch on t-bar. You will notice the power light will come
on at the instrument cluster. Now road test the car. When the engine
dies you will notice that the power light will turn off as well. The
problem is either a faulty auto trans ECU or just a dry solder on
the board. You can wiggle the connections to the trans ECU as an intermittent
fix, located under driver's side dash area.
From:
Ben A
VL
Commodore: Changing to disc brake on rear of car
It
is quite possible to change from drums to disc, just need to note
that the only difference in axle specs is the size of the seal, change
this and there will be no dramas.
N.B
The handbrake cables are different as well.. Nearly easier to change
the whole diff assembly if you can get ya hands on one.
From:
Andrew
VL
Commodore Air Box Modification
VL
normally aspirated engines were tricked on Government specification
by removing the funnel at the air filter box and enlargening the opening
by 50%. (To the next flute is neat). The 3.0 litre loves oxygen. I
have never had overheating and think the power increase is about 15
percent. You do get a throaty exhaust under exceleration . I was very
impressed after 30 minutes of operation.
From:
David
VL
Commodore High fuel consumption with black smoke from exhaust
I
investigated a VL Commodore (my son's) that displayed a very rich
mixture at idle, though the car drove OK. Copious amonts of black
mixture smoke were emitted from the exhaust, particularly at idle
and when accelarating from rest.
The
ECU was checked and recalibrated to specs. The air flow sensor was
replaced, and all other input sensors checked. All were found to be
OK.
However,
the fuel rail pressure was found to be excessively high, around 400kPa
instad of 200 to 250 (approx). This was causing excessive fuel to
be metered into the engine. The fuel regulator was changed with no
effect. But significant back pressure was detected in the return line
to the tank. The return line was disconnected at the engine end, and
return fuel collected separately. Engine running improved immediately.
The
return line was inspected and found to be free from any kinks or pinched/perished
hoses. Removing the return line at the tank end produced a similar
improvement to engine running.
The
problem proved to be the following (with a little help from a Holden
dealer who confirmed my suspicions). The return fuel line inside the
tank is connected to a plastic swirl pot, where fuel is continually
circulated around the low pressure pump inside the tank. The return
line has some sort of a jet on the end that causes the fuel to be
squirted out, creating the swirl. This appears to become blocked or
pinched, thus causing back pressure to build up. The awirl pot and
return line can just be seen inside the tank, through the apeture
where the pump and sender are attached. (The tank has really to be
removed to see this).
The
only practical solution is to fit a replacement tank, as to check
or repair the swirl pot means cutting open the tank. This was done
with a tank of a wrecked vehicle, and the car has been 100% since.
From:
Peter H.
VL
and upwards crank angle sensor
When
ever you replace your crank angle sensor, you MUST replace the lower
bearing in the distributor. A faulty bearing will give off a red dust
that will cause the new sensor to fail very quickly. A faulty sensor
will cause hot starting problems.
From:
Mike
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