My workin on the car face
Sluggish? possibly the diff?
My wagon with a 253 red V8 and Trimatic really isnt cutting it right now, low down its horridly sluggish then begins to take off. It feels as though the back wheels arent spinning in a good ratio with the tailshaft cause she revs well but feels lumbering.
I spoke to the old owners of my VB to see whats inside of her.
Good news, i found out it has the Premier seats
and most amazingly it has air lifters for the back, add air and i can make it a high riser!
BUT he also said that its had a 'cruising' diff put in and apparently its an LSD. Could this be the cause why its sluggish low down? is it hard to change a diff?
Originally Posted by <TVR-161>
SS.....smokin....!
Is the kickdown working? The old style v8's don't like it much below 2000rpm.
My workin on the car face
do u mean if i accelerate hard and it kicks back a gear and takes off? yup that works fine (sorta, i mean 3 gears to work with so it revs quite hard when it does).
everything works, i dont feel that it is underpowered... it just feels like the power isnt going to the wheels efficiently. When i take off i usually have to give it a gut full to get it to accelerate decently. Sure it sound great when i do it but fuel wise its not good.
oh and just being a nanna on the pedal wont help the fuel usage, its take off is that sluggish that its a bit of a crawl... a frustrating crawl.
This is all really dissapointing, the first V8 that i get and its not very inspiring...
Ecotech Power
Have a look here
Its a rough guide of what needs to be done to replace a diff in a VK, pretty much the same as yours.
My workin on the car face
damnit tom! you know where to find everything! but do u think its the diff? its just wierd atm with my car.
also i matched my rear axle code to the ones on that website and mines a 2:78:1. what does that mean? (code GU7)
Last edited by Paiste402; 19-02-2008 at 09:52 PM.
Ecotech Power
I spend to much time on car forums lol.
Going be the sounds of it, id say it has a 2.7ish diff, and would play a huge roll in acceleration, also if your wheel diameters have been increased this will add to it. Does it rev high on the highway? if it is a nice cruiser on the highway then yeah definitly the diff, otherwise its possible the torque converter, but id start with the diff as the previous owner has told you it has a cruising diff.
You could look out for a whole diff, or maybe just get ur gears changed, that way you can keep your LSD (i think) and still got disc brakes (prosumming u have them)
My workin on the car face
at speed it bumbles along with low revs. I am a bit worried if i do change the diff with a trimatic that it will just burn heaps of fuel on long flat roads... or maybe it will be the same with all the long accelerating i have to do now hahah!
do u have any instructions on changing one with pics? just so i am sure as to what i am removing. its a great set of instructions but he uses alot of technical language that i dont understand yet.
Ecotech Power
I would try changing the diff to a 3.08 or maybe 3.36, nothing to high or you will be revving to high on the highway.
As for changing it, i can send the info the VK, as thats all i have, otherwise, if u get stuck you could ask on oldholden.com aswell as on here, or alternativly, which technical parts are you stuck on, i can try and help you out their.
Oh just relised you have a 2.78 diff, yep thats the cruising diff, great for top speed, but terrible on acceleration specially with a 3 speed. Also thats assuming that the code matches the original diff, but it sounds pretty right with your description.
... its a 253... dont expect much from it even with a lower diff ratio theyre just plain slugs
253:
sound of an 8
power of a 6
economy of a 12
SS.....smokin....!
Go down to repco or supercheap auto and get yourself a Gregorys or Max Ellerys Manual.
A tall diff ratio will affect 1st gear accelleration and the 2.78 diffs are very tall. If the car is underperforming, using lots of fuel and has a few miles on the clock, there's a good chance that it is suffering from a stretched timing chain, worn cam, tired lifters and recessed valve seats. All these problems are very common on the Holden V8's. They tend to combine to create one big problem.
My workin on the car face
well im just worried that im gonna blow this engine up with all the power im using just to go down the road. Top speed i got to like 150khm so maybe the engine is tired too although i reckon i could have gone further....
Ecotech Power
150 for top speed with a 2.78 diff sounds pretty slow, wats it revving at?
And as above its quite possible its just worn out, do a compression test aswell if you have the equipment. Even if the engine is tired, a diff change would help for a while, but may not be so good on top speed if its having problems revving up.
My workin on the car face
it sounded like it was revving quite a bit, like at the end of its gear
well lately on these cold days the engine is quite a bit better, maybe i was just testing it on a hot thin crappy day? But still not that great
Ecotech Power
You could try an Auto tans service, theirs no real harm in getting one done. Get your bands tightened whilst your their, from memory its about 90 bux.
Also maybe do a major service on your engine, if its still running like a bucket, consider changing diff, you should be able to pick up a complete diff for less then 200 bux.
My workin on the car face
no no its not running like a bucket, it just feels like the power is going somewhere else. i have spun the wheels doing a u turn with some extra pedal and she idles great and doesnt burn any oil. Power streering doesnt leak, no coolant leaks.
But i dunno, im sure she needs a service like the rings and so on. If i did get a new diff (like a 3:0) then i may have to put in the VN trans i have as well or else she will be revving crazy at 110kph.
Ecotech Power
id start with a 3.08 diff, their common and should pick one up cheap enough.
Not a hundred percent sure on the rev range at 110 but it should adjust it to much, i dont know the ratios of an auto, but i THINK 3rd is similar to 4th (1:1) in a manual. Mine is a 3.36 diff (with a 4speed) and it has no problems, not the most efficient thing but it has other problems.
Try a service, get the bands tightened, then hopefully they will pick anything up thats wrong with the trans. If the Motor revs up fine when in neutral and is generally ok, then change your diff. A 3.08 will just give it the bit of extra get up and go.
Also rings arnt servicable their replaced in a full rebuild. But for a full service:
New oil,
Oil, air, fuel Filters
Plugs and Leads
Give it a good going over, and check tyre pressure etc.
Cant think of the other things atm lol.
Also if you have the equipment give the engine a compression test aswell.
i wouldnt be to worried about it feeling sluggish and underpowerd its a 253 they are pigs of engines unless u spend alot of time on em...
lol and dont be discouraged about not impressing u and it being your first v8 lol..
if u want more power forget about even trying ot make the 253 go harder just drive it till it dies and slot on a different engine
wrecking VL COMMODORE 5 speed
FOR SALE : supra 5 speed box suite holden v8 $800
Ecotech Power
I disagree, we have a 253 in the HQ and it does have some mild work done to it, but **** does that thing hammer and scare the crap outta me. Its 4 speed manual, and it can drop a burnout in 4th in the dry with the LSD.
No-one gives the 253 any credit, but they are nice small V8 that rev up quickly. and they arnt really that bad on the juice (compared to engines of its time) if serviced well.
im pretty sure my old VL ( 308 V8, trimatic auto ) had the 3.08 non LSD diff and it cruised and took off fine, 2.78 is too high. id change your diff centre to a 3.08 LSD to start with and then go from there.
also my VK SS, 4spd has the 3.08 LSD diff and it takes off really well, good match with the 4spd manual although with the cam i've put in i've had to change my driving habits, drive around in third quite often now. ( pulls 190kph in third gear though )
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