A few minor issues with the young blokes VL

[Dad&Andy]

My son bought a standard 3 litre VL 5 speed about 6 weeks ago. We are having some minor problems so I'll list them as best I can.

1. The car refuses to start without some throttle in the mornings. I'm used to efi cars starting without any pedal in the morning. Once warm, no dramas.

2. We have a strange squealing noise (low level but can be heard outside) from what I think is the bellhousing area. I thought thrustrace bearing but it doesn't matter if it is in gear/ out of gear or foot on/off clutch. The only thing that matters is that it is there from about 30kph to 0kph. Once stopped with engine running, no noise. I'm thinking spigot bearing. I thought with clutch out they should be turning at the same speed (input shaft/crank). Hard to investigate because as soon as you stop, it's gone.

Car was originally an auto and the trans is out of a Nissan Skyline (so the previous owner said).

3. Engine has what sounds like a noisey lifter when you first start it. It has a bit of a rythm to it (every 2-3 seconds for a second or so when cruising at 40kph).

[detox_nath83]

OK with EFI cars dont touch the throttle while starting.. u can backfire the car and blow out the Air Flow Meter(AFM) hot wire... in intake piping.
it sounds to me it is the AFM causing your starting issues.. they are temperemental. Try one of a working Rb30
Hows the leads/ plugs/ fuel filter/ intake piping has no air leaks. Dizzy Cup contacts and rotor(light sand if chaulky and pitted. Or get a new one) all Electrical plugs across the engine (Crank angle sensor(CAS) plug and AFM plug) Coil "T" Plug Etc etc give a hit with INOX/WD40/RP7
When and If you get time take off the throttle body and give it a good clean out clean the throttle flap and tiny pin hole in front of it. And further even your intake plenum(attached to throttlebody) flush it out with fuel.(Off the car :P)


as for the squealing sound i would lean towards the spiggot bearing.

[Dad&Andy]

Thanks Nath. Tried another AFM when I got the airbox from the wreckers (had another attached. Removed pod filter for pink slip). Ignition looks new and previous owner said he had only recently replaced the leads and plugs (not sure about cap/rotor). I'll check those other Items and connections out over the next week or so.

As for the gearbox, I'll just pull it out and make a decision on the clutch/pressure plate and bearings.

Cheers

[detox_nath83]

i grabbed a AFM from a wreckers a while back and he said it was fine..
it was stuffed probably from smash. be carefull he has not given u one that is already stuffed.
fragile things man. have a look down inside of it and see if the wire is in-tact.
even if the wire is good could still fail. best bet would be to try one off a working car.(If possible)
Good that u removed POD
Now not all will agree but i would get a performance panel filter(K&N)
POD filters only suck warm air from engine bay area.
i would back out a plug and have a look to c if they are alright.
and inspect leads closely for cracks or little white star looking marks(like a light dust in the shape of glass star chips) on them this will show that the leads are not earthing out on something and taking the main charge away from the sparkplugs. inspect coil as well

goodluck
keep us posted

[Dad&Andy]

I just had a look at the wire in the MAF and it is intact and looks nice and clean in that area. Checked out the ignition and found a split in the dizzy caps centre electrode. The plastic has split all the way from the end to the top of the cap. I'll grab a new one in the next few days. Leads are Bosch super sport 790 and show no signs of arcing or failure. I'll put a meter on them when I get my next free moment. Rotor is near new and plugs are near new Iridium units. They look good in colour so engine is running well.

I have noticed a couple of things. The vacuum connections at the rear of the inlet manifold aren't connected properly. The larger top one goes to the brake booster. The one below it has both vacuum hoses (medium and small) blanked off with bolt/screw. Also the coolant temp sender has no retainer on the connector and looks like it has broken. I think I have a spare from another car (fuel injector plug)at home so I'll do some splicing.

The noisey lifter is also a bit of a concern. I think the previous owner thrashed the car so It makes a bit of a racket especially when cold. Car has plenty of power so I think compression is ok. What would you do with a noisey lifter other than an oil change? Do you think it may be an oil pressure issue?

Cheers