picking up the pieces

[codeunknown]

Hi all

my son recently purchased a vs equipe...for $1500.00 with 6 months rego
it appears to be not to bad a car...however...
the vs original engine was removed ........and replaced with
a vx engine....

now we think...no other changes occured...in the transplant
we dont think auto was changed
we dont think cpu was changed

however the car goes like a rocket..
and chews fuel to the tune of 5l/100km more than it should...

So we want to fix this up...and sort out its issues and do it right..

What conversion details are required for this transplant
so we can check them and see what got done and what did not..

Also today when we took the beast for rwc for transplantt...the car was fine all day
then on the way home after 250kms of no trouble...
the car overheated ..so we figure dead themo..since the rad looks like new and seems to have new hoses..

anyway the main point is overheat we will fix ..if it takes a new rad/hoses/thermo/pump...

but the rear has unconnected point we told is EGR
dont worry vs dont have one..vx did...forget it...

we need to sort the excessive fuel use...

and do we really need to swap vs auto trans out for vx auto trans
and do we need to make sure the vx cpu is in the vs rather than its vs cpu?

what things are in a conversion kit for vs to nx swap?

Any ideals on helping us sort it will be great...
sons on a budget...and we need to get it running cheap..dam quick..

many thanks

[codeunknown]

ok here is the update....as i said before the car overheated ..or so we thought...
this what i now feel....having probed it... i cleaned out the engine with hosing and running engine hosing ...so a power flush...backflushed the the lot...heater ran perfect clean...engine too...and the new -recent rad as well.....i even checked the thermo and cleaned the pickup end...and found ""ZERO THERMO"" there is a fuel eater right there! so moving on..flushed all clean..ran tested in in the vs with the vx engine and hence a different sensor sender of temp and sensor to old engine...i worked out the vx in vs dash ..running temp just under 1/2...just over that fan cuts in..and out perfect..and fan with air on cuts in and out perfect.. my opnion is the sensor and temp on the vx is prob reading or calibrated slightly different to vs temp...if anyone knows for sure kool...the plan is get check with holden if sensor and temp listed for each engine is the same...if not the same..place vs temp and sensor in the vx engine if possible....if anyone knows about this more ..please let me know.... also we goin to get a THERMOSTATE and fit pronto! and we gonna check and keep our eye on the water pump...we dont know its internal condition..it does not make noise ..however a major concern was the overflow tank....i had to descale it from 1/2 inch thick gunge from once upon a time running with zero collant...or some shitty standing for long time which we know has happened for over 2 years on this car..on at least 1 time..so that been cleaned back to as new....so we thinking maybe corroded pump fins ..are possible big time....but for now the first of is thermo and coolant additive..and recheck of fuel use..on road test...and we looking into sender and sensor for temp....mis match issue...and or faulty and requiring replacement...but we keep plodding on thanks guys

[Robb]

Ok, that was very hard to read lol

I'm pretty sure the coolant temp sensor on the vs is the same as the vt, actually I think all ecotec motors (vs-vy) use the exact same coolant temp sensor.
Anyone correct me if I'm wrong.

[codeunknown]

the short answer is ...all 1 wire sensors are the same for v6....and all 2 wire temp gauge are also the same for v6...however...there can be several listed parts for easch and some may have a different id... the fact is there all interchangable...from gmh and 3 leading suppliers we worked that other today..despite what is stated in parts books. also note this ..1 wire ecu temp sensors worth $20 are rare as...hard to get ..and rarely die! in any of the series..however the same does not apply to 2 wire temp gauge,,,they are found everywhere about $30 and die dead as in 3---8 years...and mis read from 1-3 years... that is vs---vx..

so your not wrong !

what i like to know also is ...vx auto fittable to vx engine in vs and vt body!
if so is there any specail requirements or do they swap in and out no issues..?

2nd question...
can you map program a chip for vt or vs...with vx mapping...
why if you are using vx engine in vs and vt ..but are using vs and vt ECU
has anyone done it
how much and where
is easy to piggy back 2 chipps and have switch for 1 or 2 ...whereby 1 has the vt or vs mapping ..and 2 has the vx ..and be switchable?

many thanks

[VT-565]

however the car goes like a rocket..
and chews fuel to the tune of 5l/100km more than it should...

Anyone else see the irony here or is it just me?

[STL17]

5l every 100ks that's bloody good

[Robb]

"5l/100km more then it should"

[GTS69]

there is no need to put the vx computer in there at all if you wish to do that you will need to rewire the whole car becasue you will require the vx body control module they talk to each other with out it no go as well it would be a complete re wire for absolutly no gain i think your fixated a little to much on the whole vx-vs thing there the same motor just some very minor changes manly the extra polution stuff i belive some people use the vs inlet manifold to get rid of all the extra stuff.

The gear box is the same so yes you can use a vx one in a vs but again unless your box is dead you will see 0 gain.

In regards to using 5 litres per 100km to much what is it using all up ?? and you do know when a engine reads cold it dumps in heaps of fuel becasue it thinks its on cold start up and it runs rich, So having no thermostat will cause that hence the fuel usage there is a chance the person you bought the car off had a issue with a faulty temp sender and not looking into it did the age old ill take the thermostate out that will make it run better hence it not having one get a new temp sender if you havent already and get a thermostate in there you can opt for one that opens a little sooner i think the factory one is 195 you can get a 180 and it will be fine and run just a tad cooler than stock.

Do that and see how you go and stress less about the whole vx-vs thing my mate runs a Vy engine in his vs and it works fine nothing but the engine is Vy everythiing else is all vs

[GTS69]

o and if you do a search for common fuel usage issues with these engines 2 of the main ones are coolant temp sender faulty and oxygen sensors dont worry what temp sender the car has buy one thats ment for your year model that the VS is as thats what the wiring and computer is setup for

[ephect]

vx box in a vs body: you will need to change/mod the exhaust due to VT+ autos have a full bellhousing where VS doesnt. it has the bottom cut at an angle to allow hte exhuast pipes through.

[codeunknown]

ok...thanks all......the fixation with vs to vx...all over is mainly my sons idea..
however my interest is if it works for vs does it do so for vt..

the only reason i mentioned the auto is holdens autos are not the best,,,and older the more flogged..
my vt ..has a vt swappped out auto in it already as far as i know...
so my big question was if the this one dies ..will a vx go straight in or not..
given the vx will be younger and hopefully less miles on it..

for my son"s older vs...his vs auto seems original...however it showing signs of age and wear...
and we feel it may need a replacement...
so appling the rule from mine to this..would vx go in is why i asked..

just after the later ..or lastest replacement serier run gear to swap out faded originals..

in the vs and vt...
i did not and my sons transplant did not swap out computers ..because we got told ..dont need too..
in my case i got told ..i was transplanting co ordinator

in my sons case he bought his already done...prior owner sellected...
and as we found did not do the work i did on mine

when i also said 5/100km more....and speeding..i did not men flogging it and speeding to chew up fuel...
i was saying the car goes like a rocket..does not sound super advanced ....or retarded
did not even smell at idle super rich...but on the road ate 5 litres more...per 100kms

also...as i said soon as i found the zero thermo i know where fuel was goin to be wasted.....on a cold wet day driving!

have not checked anything else ..given i got the 9.5/100km fuel use... goin to let my son drive it and let it settle...and check codes and drop and drain fulids and replace fluids in 3 months...you know oil oil flter air air filter/ grease/ transmission __If still ok! ...and difs and engine...new spark plugs ...flush the steering and brakes out...the whole nine yards when i am convinced its worth it!

if its better to ...rebuild a vs or vt auto than swap to vx ..is a question i have...i not bought a replacement for either so i dont know what they are worth..rebuild or 2nd hand?....i willing to here info on that..

my son also wants to know...the little rev head.....can he get the 25hp back from the vx out of vs ..if he gets the chip remapped to vs from vs...?
he also wants to know....would a a cold air and pod filter ...be any help...and would a exhaust change in size be ok on power improving..
he does not wis the mild cam it....
just wondering if a pod and chip map and exhaust on the vx engine would increase hp to 230hp mark..and hold the same fuel use

and i got to say ditto..would it also help the vt...and what are the costs?

thanks for info so far....everyone..

[sircruisealotVS]

Mate, no offence but your posts are rediculously hard to understand. Try to gather your thoughts first then post, not just type as i comes to mind.

Basically you have a VS with an ecotec engine in it and doesn't matter which model of commodore it came from, it's exactly the same thing. So don't stress about it.
With the transmission, if you need a replacement later on you should get a VS one, or rebuild your current one.
As for changing air filters and exhaust or getting it tuned to make more power - yup, you could do all those things - but remember it's just a V6 and without spending a lot of money and giving up fuel economy you're not going to make any large power gains. But if you're keen at throwing some money at the ol' ecotec there are a million different threads to browse to get ideas on how to improve it's performance, just have a look around and see what's in your budget.

[codeunknown]

thanks ...
sorry my thoughts are not the same as they once where...current medical condition with left and right eye..reading and brain ..........if this offensive or hard to understand ..please excuse..
i am just a retured ex serviceman..dad helping my son and myself...
sorry

[ephect]

no need to be sorry, just sometimes hard to follow.

vs auto into a vs. vt & vx interchangeable. vs auto isnt a full bellhousing. rebuild of an auto is anywhere from $1500-2500 and that is without any strengthing mods or shift kit parts

9.5l/100k is for the vx or the vs?

to get the extra 5kw the vx ecu processes 'quicker' and the egr helped. thats what holden claim. keep your vs ecu and if you want a bit extra power, add high ratio rockers.

[GTS69]

As atari said its a little hard to get what your saying also i think maybe you read my reply a little wrong not sure any way ill take a bash at what your new questions are.

when you say 25hp back I don't quite get you, there was never 25hp difference the VS had 147kw and the VX 152kw so only 5kw at the motor difference from vs-vx.
You say he wants to make 230hp are you talking at the wheels or at the motor ? your not going to get that power at the wheels with exhaust and inlet mods your going to need a cam to get you there plus maybe a little head work if you're talking 230hp at the motor then that will be easy.

You could look at a cold air intakes don't bother with a pod filter unless its enclosed as part of a cold air intake look around as some places charge up to $500 just for this part alone and there not any better than ones half the price do a search there are a few DIY intakes you can make for $20-$40 just mate it with a good panel filter or pod filter in the box like a k&n type, look at some extractors and a single 2.5 exhaust system also do a search for high ratio rockers good mod in place of a cam and can easy be done at home these mods should see you around 190-200kw at the motor or 190-200hp at the wheels and if driven like normal should see a improved fuel economy but if hammered will use more, if you get it tuned you will make a little more power nothing crazy and again a small gain in fuel economy. don't bother with the larger throttle body's there not as big as they say they are and there not going to make any more power there still pulling through a maf smaller in diameter than the stock throttle body.
Also as Atari says do some looking around there are hundreds of threads on how to make more power in a V6 and what i said will work on both of your cars.
Shop around ebay and wreckers are your friend i scored a SS inductions intake and extractors froma wrecker for $240 and a full exhaust system for $180 you can also find high ratio rockers at a good price i just sold a set of near new ones 1.9 ratio from yella terra for $300 so there are some deals out there.

With the auto it comes down to how much you wanna spend on average a rebuild on your box will cost anywhere from $1800-$3000 depending what you get done, so a well prices low Km second hand one can be a good deal they can be found as low as $200 look at getting a corvette 2nd gear servo and a higher boost valve installed in the auto there around $100 for the pair and you can do them at home with the box in just do a little reading about it they will improve line pressure in the auto and speed up gear changes and can extend the life of the auto by reducing slip also look into getting a trans cooler if there not fitted with one already it will help extend the life of the auto and may help it run smoother as well.

Hope thats of some help to you

[codeunknown]

thanks a bunch....it was the holden team here told us the 25 hp difference in vh and va engines..
and we see on wiki it says just 5kw or 7 hp...
so we straightened that out..thanks for that

we saw ..son and myself the ..cold air units in autobarn..a few days ago..and the standard air pods too..
so we might make a cold air ....or look at that what we can find..in that ...ty

extractors and 2.5inch single...sounds good


and option on rockers rather than cam sound an idea..and maybe we can fine something in that way at the wreckers too


we did not like the big throttle idea...ourselves ...and had ruled that one out...as well...


someone lese here did mention the get a same auto and do mods to it..to harden it up...so thanks for repointing that one out....

i have not checked my sons auto....but the vt has a auto cooler..fitted.. ty


that was great mate ..and you read me correctly...

thanks

[GTS69]

no problem bud feel free to pm me if you have any other questions just keep looking on forums ebay and wreckers you will find some deals around