VL service problems

[Stewart1000]

ok, im in tasmanis and i got my vl checked out and here are the problems listed:
pan arm rod bushes - 6 months
lower rear control arm bushes - 6 months
lower rear sway bar bushed - 6 months
upper rear control arm - 6 months
frotn sway bar rubbers 12 months
new disk rotors front - nex time when new pad
wheel aliment 12 months
new fan
new fan shraled
rad support anel
new rad
good service
good tune up
tail shaft center bearing - 12 months
RHF mud flap 12 months
rist in bot - whenever
4 tyres soon
rack and pinion boots 12 months
dist O ring leak - now $20
oil pressure switch leak - now
carbon vac whenever
new windscreen whenever

what do ou guys and gals think of that, what can i do myself and what needs a pro, im doing an aprentership this year so tat can help but yeah st wantign to knwo what advise you can give.
its got nice 17x7.5s on then with a but of guter rash so ill haev to get that fixed, stero stolen so there is a new lom in there and frotn door trim ****ed and rear pacel cover stuffed, started her up the other day, had to jump start it flat battery but it was flat again this morning, must be somethign draining the power. when t got sot started clouds of smoke came out the back and sounded like backfireing alot but not actualy back fireing, its got extractors and a 2.5" straight through. this morngin we jumped it again from my cousins vy ss ust before he went to work and it just dies as soon as the leads were taken off, but the battery is brand new???, about 2 months old. new air filter.
i gave it a wash before, its not lookign too happ tho, front right guard is different that all the others, but that doesnt matter cos it
ll get a respray soon anyway. back left window (not the one on the door but not the one that opens) was smashed to get inside the car so i gotta get soem new glass cut for that cos i cant seem to get that part from the wreckers, too hard to get the lue off, i tryed for abotu an hour.
when it was going hard half a year ago it did from sheffield to devonport in 16 minutes flat! so hopefull ill get her going good again.
i might not reply for a few days because i wont have a chance, thanks.

[vlv8vic]

thats one hell of a list mate. sell its and get a new one!

but if your dead keen on fixing it up ill add what i think to each.
Im not sure what you meant by the timeframe after each problem, maybe when you plan on getting it done?

pan arm rod bushes - yourself
lower rear control arm bushes - yourself
lower rear sway bar bushed - yourself
upper rear control arm -yourself
frotn sway bar rubbers yourself
new disk rotors front - yourself
wheel aliment 12 months - wheel shop
new fan- yourself
new fan shraled- yourself
rad support anel- not sure what you mean? radiator panel? welder
new rad- yourself
good service- service centre, once done properly youll be right to do them yourself
good tune up- as above.
tail shaft center bearing - yourself
RHF mud flap 12 months - take them all off unless you really need them!
rist in bot - No idea what that is mate.
4 tyres soon - tyre place
rack and pinion boots- yourself.
dist O ring leak - now $20 yourself
oil pressure switch leak - yourself
carbon vac whenever - service centre
new windscreen whenever - windows place (hard to do yourself)

keep in mind there are a bunch of things youll do at the same time, example while you are replacing the rack-boots youll do the disk rotors and pads etc.
save pulling things off twice and replacing split pins etc more than you need to.

[RankONE]

Yeah what old m8 said sound about right but it depends on how mechanically minded/skillfull you are. A few of those things i would pay to have fitted because there beyond my abilities lol. And if your battery keeps dying, your alternator might need replacing?? the battery really only starts the car, the alternator then creates its own "potential or voltage" and actually charges the battery while you drive. First check the cells of the battery are topped up with water(should be if two months old), then with car running place a voltmeter of the battery terminals and check the reading. from, memory i think it should be about 13 - 14.7volts.if the reading starts around that mark and keeps dropping then its probably the alternator. As for the window, if its the rear quarter panel you mean, you should be able to pop one out of a wreck with a screwdriver, the usually pop out without shattering unless the glass is flawed(chipped or something). thats how most amatuer car thieves gain entry to vl's.

[VL Berlina 5speed]

which 1/4 glass is this ur on about? the doors 1/4 glass or the c pillers 1/4 glass?

the doors 1/4 glass is easy 2 do if ur done 1 b4, it involves removen the doors guts (winder mechnisam, lock rods and other stuff) then remval of the main window, then the baily channel and the window ruber seal, then the 1/4 glass sould just pull out side ways. might have a bolt holdn it in not sure on a vls,

as 4 the c pillar 1/4 glass im usming it would be urathined in like the front and rear winshilds on commies, just remove all trim panels away from the outside and inside then from the inside cut the urathaineand the window should pop out

ill ask some1 at work 2morrow about the c pillar 1/4 glass and tell u how its held in place

[vlv8vic]

ive removed the back door windows without taking all the winder etc guts out. from memory you end up taking the small glass out first, allowing room for the bigger item to lift out.

[VL Berlina 5speed]

ive removed the back door windows without taking all the winder etc guts out. from memory you end up taking the small glass out first, allowing room for the bigger item to lift out.

nope ur rong the main glass tilts inwards at the bottom and pulls outfrom the out side of the car, pull out the rubber mouldn in the window channels, then undo a bolt that holds the baily channel half way down the door ruffly and remove it.then simpaly pull the quater glass 2wards the front of the car

i askd a mate at work (hes a qualified panel beater)

[Stewart1000]

thanks guys, the car is running now and going pretty hard, the battery just needed a few hours on charge and it started fine since then. sounds really tuff too.

btw, hardly any in tasmania, only old buckets and a few new cars, i was told that there is no roadworthy rule over here either hahahaha!!

tomorrow morning im taking it to a mechanic to get a compression test, my old man tookthe oil colver off the rocker cover and no smoke comes out so it doesnt really need one but just to be safe ill get one, what else do you think i should get checked out?
since im only on my Ls i dont need the car to be driveable so i have lots of time do fit the things up. where would i get new bushes from tho?
dont worry bout the fan cos ill get an electric fan, i dont know what was ment by rad, i just coppied off the shoot i was given but im asuming its the radiator.
there is a sound commign from the 'box when in neutral and cluth out like a bearing is stuffed, probably thrust bearing??? (clutch in and it goes away)
the interior is pretty stuffed, cracked here and there. the fan only comes on at your feet no matter where you set it, ill get a new RHF door because it has a dent and doesnt seem to have the 2 stop places in it, you know when you open a door it will set at a position and open it a bit more and it will take up the second position, well its only god the first one which is a bit annoying. im doign an aprentership this year so that will help out alot.
im glad it still goes hard like it used to, i got my stero in it too, well i speaker from the old system that riped and one in the front of mine and one in the back, cant be buggered putting the other one in, im not sitting in the back am i lol
ill just need lots of advise and my old man will help out i supose.

main point is, what should i get the mechanic to check out?

[VL Berlina 5speed]

i dont know what was ment by rad, i just coppied off the shoot i was given but im asuming its the radiator.

yep it dose

cluth out like a bearing is stuffed, probably thrust bearing??? (clutch in and it goes away)

yep sounds like the thrust bearing happened in mine just take it to a trans place and get em to fix it, unlease u wanna take the box apart

ill get a new RHF door because it has a dent and doesnt seem to have the 2 stop places in it, you know when you open a door it will set at a position and open it a bit more and it will take up the second position, well its only god the first one which is a bit annoying.

the reason this is happning is that the doors strap is stuffed the little thing between the hinges, you could replace this only a couple of bolts and a pin and while u have the door trim off you could push the dent out,
saves time and money from buying a new door and fitting it + might stand out coz colours could b slightly differant

[VL Berlina 5speed]

main point is, what should i get the mechanic to check out?

thats hard to say if theres something rong get it checked, coz its unperdictable to guess wats goin to go rong,

could get em to check CAS but theres no real point coz if its goin u would know
all other things u could do ur self proberly eg: check ecu for code errors, check AFM ohms output, check temp sensor for corrosion and check O2 sensor

[vlv8vic]

ok well i wasnt 'rong'. thats how i did it, myself, no matter what anyones mate says! i guess there isnt always one way, doesnt make me wrong though.

[VL Berlina 5speed]

ok well i wasnt 'rong'. thats how i did it, myself, no matter what anyones mate says! i guess there isnt always one way, doesnt make me wrong though.

yah im not sayin ur completely rong, just sayin u did it a harder/uniqe way. i was telln the easy way to do it with minamal damage and chance of brakage.

no hard feelings vlv8vic just trying to help spread my nolage with others

[vlv8vic]

ok, well i added that after you said you had to take all the guts out of the door, so i was really offering the easy way. no need to say "your rong".

I window tinted for a while and always found it the best way to avoid scratching the tint.

[ucwepn]

For bushes I have seen complete sets of nolathane bushes on ebay for $330 or so and they will improve handling allot, (should be the basis of any future suspension mods)

[Stewart1000]

yeah that sounds like he go, ebay for the bushes.

HOLDEN IS KING

of the tarmac jungle

still deciding on a sig lol
its changed a few times recently i noticed
anyway guys, im off to do a search on how to ajust the clutch cos its got alot of free play

[megee83]

only the later model VL's came with an adjustable clutch pedal. just a case of screwing it out/in. its located right smack behind the pedal, attatched to it in fact. if it doesnt have one then you may want to bleed your hydrualic system, you'll want someone to give you a hand unless you're over six foot tall an like to f*ck around... that should solve the free play problem as much as is possible.
it is possible to interchange an adjustable one from a later model if you dont have one, an think its worth the effort...

[Stewart1000]

yeah the series 2 VLs had the ajustable clutch but yeah ill just bleed it when i get the car down here, im back home now, hopefully it'll be here before july!