My workin on the car face
Man, something just doesnt add up
I just got a tacho put in and ive learnt alot just in one drive.
Its supposed to have a cruising diff, like a 2:07:, so in other words sluggish acceleration, low revs and great top speed. Yes it does have a trimatic but 3rd in the trimatic is the same ratio as 4th in the manuals. And yes she idles great, 500rpm smoothly
The accelleration is pretty damn sluggish, 173's kick my 253's arse and low revs low down, about 1K to do 50. Now getting up to 100 its doing 2.5k, not very cruisy to me and also its top speed is like only 140kph! That is flat out, redline speed.
WTF? man nothin adds up. whats wrong with my car?
Originally Posted by <TVR-161>
Ecotech Power
Haha yeat mate, nothing adds up. Let me think about it today, but the only thing i can think of right now is that its not actually in 3rd and still stuck in 2nd, or a rooted torque converter.
My workin on the car face
no she goes in third thats for sure, no worries even. it changes gears great, great compression, idles fine, new plugs and leads, doesnt burn oil. it goes onto third at right times too, cruising at 60kph its in third, throw it into 2nd and it does, then into 1st and it goes VRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! so thats all good really, does wat its supposed to.
Man, the mystery of the slow wagon.... better call the Hardley boys
Almost not here!
Is the motor really reving to 5000rpm? Is the tacho accurate/new/calibrated true?
White 05 V6 VZ Executive - Thrashed Ex Telstra car
and 3 Dangerous non ABS VN's
Banned
Okay, for starters, Ive never heard of a holden diff of 2.07.
2.6 and 2.78 is the lowest Ive heard of.
2500rpm at 100km/h, depending on what size tyres you have, that would be about right for a 2.78. Cars without overdrive rarely do less rpm than this at 100kmh. Top speed of 140km/h at ?rpm, was it simply 1.4 x 2500 = 3500rpm? sounds like it could be a tuning issue? If you give us the exact tyre size we can go further. I can also give you a fairly simple method to find the exact diff ratio....that can be done in five minutes.......without pulling off the diff cover and counting teeth!
Last edited by commsirac; 29-03-2008 at 04:00 PM.
<---Brad Quaid = internet stalker
My VL would top out at 140 in 2nd. Totally sure you are getting third?
My workin on the car face
oh woops it is a 2:78 i know.
yup around 2500 to do 100khm, at 3000 i can feel the tailshaft spinning underneath me and the furthest ive takin it to is 4000 and i thought that anyfurther and the engine will blow
BTW it is on LPG but ive driven other LPG's and dont pull crap like this
and yes guaranteed im hitting third
SS.....smokin....!
It is obvious that there is something wrong with your car. My old VH would do 190 with a standard blue 253 trimatic and 2.78 diff. The 2500rpm at 100ks is about right. A standard 253 in good shape and tune will cleanly rev out to 5000rpm.
There are a million and one things that could be causing your problem, personally I would be looking long and hard at the LPG system, the advance mechanism on the distributor, the condition of the timing chain, condition of the lifters, condition of the valve seats, condition of the torque converter, condition of the Auto trans.
Some things you can do yourself are to remove the distributer and clean up the advance mechanism, make sure it is working and has the correct springs and weights. Check the cam timing and lift, this is an issue with most holden v8's with a few miles on the clock. The timing chains get badly stretched and the camshaft, lifters and valve seats wear out(Particularly with LPG). It could also have some bizaar LPG/economy cam grind.
If the cam timing is an issue you will need to replace the cam, lifters, sprockets and chain together. It is a really good idea to get the valves ground and stellite valve seats fitted at the same time. If you replace the timing chain, get the pre pollution sprockets they do make a difference.
In regards to "feeling the tailshaft spinning at 3000 rpm" Any tailshaft problem would be proportional to roadspeed rather than engine speed. That problem sounds torque converter/Autotrans related. But could be to centre CV or universal joints.
Definately get the gas and auto checked by someone who knows what they are doing.
Have you run the car on Petrol?
SS.....smokin....!
Ok I just re read your post. What revs are you doing at 140? If it is significantly more than 3500rpm you either have a rooted torque converter or auto or both. Also do the revs drop off significantly when you take your foot off the throttle at speed?
This may be a silly question but have you correctly checked the auto trans fluid level? With engine on, in drive with the handbrake on?
Last edited by tigervh; 30-03-2008 at 09:21 PM.
My workin on the car face
my handbrake doesnt work so thats ruled out (i checked that one right away), i better check the auto trans fluid, it has been a while i guess. I would say about about 4000rpm to do 140. The revs dont drop out without any pedal, 80kph is about 2000rpm, no pedal about 1800rpm... also i think the uni joints on the tailshaft are shafted cause they make a TING noises if you have no pedal and then accellerate hard at low speed.
man this car is sound like more hassle than i can take....
Ecotech Power
Stick to it, once you get it all sorted you will enjoy cruising, its all fun and games. Nothing better then knowing your own car inside and out.
For what we have spent on my brothers VN we could of bought 2 mint ones, but we wouldnt know whats wrong with them and we wouldnt have gained any knowledge and would always be paying people to fix something. Sadly i like fixing cars, its a great way to learn even if it takes a couple of goes, or 6 times longer then anyone else.
SS.....smokin....!
Too me the problem really sounds like a worn timing chain, cam, lifters and valve seats. I would get the gas and auto checked out first. If they are ruled out, buy yourself a dial indicator, degree wheel and manual and check the valve timing and lift. You can change over the cam and lifters in about a day, if you do the valve seats, all up theres probably a days work in removing and replacing the heads.
can you hear a clattering sound from the engine at high revs?
SS.....smokin....!
Generally with older cars people don't service them or get problems fixed. They just keep on driving them until they can afford a newer car. Problems tend to acumulate. If you methodically go through and sort out the probems with the car it will eventually drive like a new one. You have to weigh up whether you want to keep the car in the medium to long term and whether it is worth spending money on. If the answer's yes go ahead and spend a reasonable amount of time and money bringing the car up to scratch, if the answers no just do what you have to do to keep the thing running until you can afford what you want. That said, my first car was a four cyl. Vc that had been written off after an under bonnet fire. I pretty much rebuilt the whole car. I have very fond memorys of that time of my life and that car. I learned a hell of a lot from fixing that car up. Skills that have saved me many thousands of dollars over the years. I have had some pretty nice cars over the years but the VC has to be one of the favorites. Keep at it and don't be afraid to get you're hands dirty. Buy a workshop manual and learn all you can about you car, the skills and knowlege gain will be of great value to you on the future.
My workin on the car face
YES! what does that mean?
SS.....smokin....!
Most likely shagged hydraulic lifters. I am pretty sure your problem is the condition of the cam, lifters, timing chain and valve seats. You'll be up for a few hundred bucks and a weekends work if you decide to fix it. If you do, go for a new blue 253 cam fitted with a HT Holden sprocket. Get a pair of exchange reco heads with stellite valve seats.
Last edited by tigervh; 31-03-2008 at 08:51 PM.
My workin on the car face
so all this crappy performance could be all cause of some tired cams?
SS.....smokin....!
Could well be, do the checks before spending money though. Most likely you have an accumulation of a few problems
My workin on the car face
well i got a few Q's:
Will a blue camshaft fit in the reds?
How can a torque converter be serviced?
and is it possible to get a cam for better performance?
again man, thanks heaps for the help so far
Ecotech Power
Dont know about the red/blue cams.
Get your whole auto serviced by a pro, its about 90 bux from memory and they should service the converter and tighten all the bands aswell.
Yes it is possible, normally when running an auto you match it to the torque converter though.
My workin on the car face
hey thanks man, thats legendary info for me! now to get to work!
Banned
Its difficult to diagnose noises over the internet. While the suggestions ^ may be the cause, I think your quickest cause of action would be to have a knowledgeable person(preferably a mechanic) hear the noises first hand and make a diagnosis, rather than start fixing things that arent broken.
SS.....smokin....!
Will a blue camshaft fit in the reds? Yes
How can a torque converter be serviced? It can't be serviced, it uses the fluid from the trans so I suppose you could call changing the trans fluid servicing the converter.
and is it possible to get a cam for better performance? Yes, check out come racing, crane, and a million others.
SS.....smokin....!
Like I said before get the gas and auto checked out and do the checks I suggested before spending money. If you go to a mechanic avoid Holden dealers. Also remember what I said about acumulated problems.
<---Brad Quaid = internet stalker
Yep unless you take the trans and the converter out you'll never actually service it. It holds quite a bit of fluid that doesn't come out during a normal service. Like servicing an engine, you never get 100% of the oil changed over, moreso for an auto trans.
Posting Permissions
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote