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  1. D

    Cost to replace power steering

    The VY and VX are basically the same. VZ has different angle of ports on valve housing because of Alloytec engine (pipes need to clear things) and different metering in the valve because of different front end weight.
  2. D

    steering probs VS Calais

    All commodores from VL to VZ have variable ratio. In addition some upmarket models have a different valve and valve housing with a solenoid which alters the valve metering by changing the pressure across the sleeve in the valve housing. This causes the sleeve to move up or down by the pressure...
  3. D

    Advancing the cam gears

    See my bit above repeated below: General rule re valve timing: Advanced valve timing favours low speed running. Retarded valve timing favours the top end. This applys to single camshaft engines. The retarded timing gives a later closing of the inlet valve which allows for air flow lag at high...
  4. D

    Vegemite banned in US

    I thought they said Folic Acid and not folate (maybe they are one and the same I don't know). Folate is added to cereals nowadays and is esential for pregnant women as it is helpful to the foetus. I am not a medical person so I cant give any better explanation of what each thing does or...
  5. D

    More and more Varajet stuff.

    The fact that the engine starts and runs OK for 10~15 minutes means that 1] the choke is closing 2] that the unloader is working. This means that the next stage ie where the bimetal should be heating up and backing the choke off is either out of adjustment or not working. From memory I think...
  6. D

    carburrettored V6

    I think putting a carburettor on an engine which has been modified to run with fuel injection would be a costly excersise. You would need to get a distributor made to handle the spark advance as the computer which controls the injection handles this. The carburettor, unless secondhand would be...
  7. D

    power steering weirdness

    Two main weaknesses with the variatronic steering gear. 1] Crap in the solenoid. 2] Broken wire on the solenoid. Later Commodores had the variatronic on upmarket models only. Because of low volume the manufacturer of the solenoid wanted to get out of making them so no incentive to fix the...
  8. D

    Annoying moaning noise from engine

    The tensioner bearing definately makes a moaning noise on my VS. You can see fine rust between the moving and stationary parts of the pulley. It can be heard quite plainly by using a long screwdriver on the centre bolt and the handle to my ear. As I slightly rev the car it gets worse but can...
  9. D

    clapped out rack

    VL ~ VS racks would have to be almost the easiest Rack and Pinion steering gears to change on 6cyl cars. The exhaust can be a pain on V8's. Simplest is an exchange unit as you can sometimes run into strife with damaged seals without the proper seal protectors.
  10. D

    Annoying moaning noise from engine

    It could also be one of the serpentine belt tensioner or idler pulley bearings. If you have a long piece of steel or wood such as a piece of dowel and you are careful you can place one end onto each item ie centre bolt of an idler while the engine is running. Hold your ear to the other end and...
  11. D

    Whos The Oldest Person On This Forum

    I'm 58 and born the year of the first Holden but never worked on one until 15 years later. Your last sentance is very true. In fact time is really the only precious thing we have when it comes down to it.
  12. D

    Transmission oil

    Many modern manual gearboxes use ATF. One of the first that I know of was the Mazda 323/Ford Laser from 1982 on. If you use the wrong grade of oil you can either get clutch run on problems or fuel consumption increase (thicker oil). Some gear boxes cause the clutch to spin on with a light oil...
  13. D

    Advancing the cam gears

    Are we talking about the same thing? I got the impression that Stewart 1000 was talking about the valve timing and my answer is based on that. The post by nvs_sle appears to be talking about ignition timing. It would be unlikely that a car coming from the factory with the ignition timing out...
  14. D

    Advancing the cam gears

    General rule re valve timing: Advanced valve timing favours low speed running. Retarded valve timing favours the top end. This applys to single camshaft engines. The retarded timing gives a later closing of the inlet valve which allows for air flow lag at high speed. I am not familiar with...
  15. D

    Abs is switching off

    Check the electrical loom connection at the ABS. My VS used to do this and I got my local mechanic to unplug and clean the connector when I took it in for a rego check. It has been OK since (6 months now).
  16. D

    Coolant stuck in reserve tank

    So you are saying that the water level in the overflow tank never drops? It could be normal that it never completely empties the overflow but if it doesnt go down anwhere as much as it fills when its hot then there is an air leak. Where are the likely places? 1] Primary suspect is the...
  17. D

    power steering onto vl

    Plus intermediate column shaft - the one with the universals at each end as input spline is different and length is different between manual steering and power.
  18. D

    v6 ecotec guzzling fuel

    Gregorys / Scientific Publications manual details how to test the engine and air temperature sensor/s. Not possible for home handyman to test the airflow sensor but is not usually dirty, thanks to being fitted after the aircleaner. If the engine has done a high number of kms then the...
  19. D

    Why so much moisture?

    I would be checking that the radiator level is not dropping as this is an indication of headgasket leakage.
  20. D

    VN power steering leak

    Be aware that autotransmission fluid has a low flash point so it is easy to set it on fire. Some years ago Ford had a problem with the Falcon where the auto dipstick tube was directly under the drip point of the bonnet when it was opened. This meant water ran down into the transmission if the...
  21. D

    Lost All Power Steering

    If the pump is operating there should be some turbulence of the oil in the reservoir when you turn the steering wheel even if the gear was knackered, so I would say its the pump. If you hold the wheel in one direction the pump should make some kind of hissing sound as the pump should pump...
  22. D

    sqeeky fan belt

    Is the serpentine belt worn? How do you tell? The tensioner would show if it had an indicating mark on it but I cant find one on mine but I look at the pulleys and note if the crests of the ridges on the pulleys are shiny. If they are it means the belt is worn enough that the belt has sunk...
  23. D

    thermostat housing

    Put some rubber grease or vaseline on the 'O' ring before you install the thermostat housing and it will help the 'O' ring slide into the bore easier without catching and allow the 'O' ring to displace to the shape of the bore easier. Neither of those two lubricants should harm anything.
  24. D

    Chrome - How long will it last?

    Chrome lasts as long as the quality of the steel preparation before plating was impecable and until the first time you scratch the chrome beneath the depth of the plating by brushing the wheel against the kerb for instance. Once the rust starts its a replating job to make it look good again...
  25. D

    Mass air flow sensors ?

    Wrong end of the horse. You change the computer chip so that fueling and spark are changed dependant on MAF reading (usual method of altering the engine performance). You can fudge the MAF reading by soldering resistors to alter the output as can the engine temp and O2 sensor outputs be...
  26. D

    Throttle Stop Screw

    Idle stop screw is set to prevent the butterfly from closing to the point where the butterfly jambs against the throttle body bore. So what could have happened? 1] Butterfly could have been set too close initially from factory and bore of throttle body has worn where butterfly contacts...
  27. D

    Please help, my vn is in trouble, really loud knocking noise

    So what youre saying is your engine was screwed!
  28. D

    tapping noise in engine

    If it is a single hydraulic tappet bleeding down, then it will not make a noise every time the engine is left for a while as the engine stops in any one of 3 places on a 6 cylinder. It bleeds down when the valve has to be held open against valve spring pressure and then takes a while to fill...
  29. D

    Please help, my vn is in trouble, really loud knocking noise

    If it's an auto it might be the torque convertor drive plate cracked. If you stop the engine and restart does it still make identical noise? As you say it is a knocking noise rather than a tapping sound I think it is less likely to be a tappet unless the valve is stuck open hitting the piston...
  30. D

    Top 100 crap cars

    Does this crap car thread include most unreliable cars? A lot of the cars mentioned above cover looks. If it does cover reliability as well then I would put anything out of Europe with a special mention of English cars. After a few years are any European cars 100% functional? I think once...
  31. D

    Best techniques for running in a new motor

    I used to run engine in on a dyno before conducting tests on them. The main thing is warm the engine and do not nurse it as the bores will glaze. Drive the engine normally but avoid constant rpm. Accelerate to a speed of say 20kph above (expressway recommended) the speed you entered the...
  32. D

    Whats that 'clunk' in my trans/diff ?

    Sounds to me like the auto transmission line pressure is too high and the transmission changes back to first too soon causing a clunk in the diff. As the transmission ages this will become more prominent. If the transmission is controlled by a computer then a sensor is probably at fault...
  33. D

    Firing on ony 4 or five cyl's

    First a question. 1] Is it the same cylinders missfiring each time? Yes means leads to those cylinders or coil for those cylinders or possibly injectors for those cylinders. No means that something affecting any cylinder which could mean possibly crankshaft sensor or power to distributor pack...
  34. D

    whistling noise in the mornings

    How long does it take before the whistling noise goes? Someone else has posted serpentine belt as a possible but if it is a short time it might also be the alternator putting out full output until the battery voltage rises a little. Ticking noise could also be disc brake pads moving up and...
  35. D

    whining noise when ignition on

    It might be an instrument voltage stablizer oscilating and when the engine starter is operated the battery voltage falls so it nolonger has to reduce the 12volts to that of instrument requirement usually 10volts. As soon as the engine starts the voltage is much higher so the oscilation...
  36. D

    Tapping Noise

    1] How long does it take to go away? 2] Does it do this everytime the engine has stood unrun for 5 or more hours? 3] Have you done regular oil/filter changes? 4] Has it done a lot of k's? If it takes more than 1 minute to go away and occurs everytime the engine starts after a long stand...
  37. D

    Carby insulators

    Whatever you make it out of, make sure it is not compressible or to flexible. Plywood would work at a pinch. You just have to epoxy the hole bore to seal it. If you can get bakelite this would be suitable as in the old days this what was used. There are some other materials such as Delrin if...
  38. D

    grinding noise....:(

    Could also be a jockey pulley bearing or the tensioner bearing for the serpentine belt and if airconditioning fitted the bearing for the pulley in freewheel mode or if it occurs while the air cond is running the compressor bearing/s. Also check the alternator bearings. All of the above with...
  39. D

    whining noise when ignition on

    Probably a cat under the dash and when you operate the starter it scares the c**p out of it and it shuts up. Well you did ask for any suggestions.
  40. D

    Steering Issue *tricky one*

    Is this something that has always been there? If so it may be what is commonly known as shudder. This can only be fixed by trying a different valve and sleeve or pinion valve and sleeve assembly which due to production tolerances will have a different valve gain. This is very much a trial and...
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