vl running poorly

[naden]

My son has a vl which was running ok at first.He ran out of fuel and a couple of weeks later it lost power and stopped.New fuel filter seemed to fix it temporarily but now is missing all the time while idling and driving around town.Also a sucking noise sometimes comes from fuel tank but have had it to a mechanic who can't fix it and says checked fuel flow & pressure/30psi/flow100lh compression test/all180psi.I have changed spark plugs, leads,dist cap,&rotar button.Any help is greatly apprecieated.

[ThongyVL]

hmmm... Sucking sound from the tank or exhaust. I mught suspect it to be an electrical problem. As I too did have something sounding like backfiring from the exhaust. There is a lead from the ignition coil that says "Push" and then you take that lead out... It might be frayed and needs replacing. In my case just take the lead out and replace it back in. The car ran fine no more backfiring or car stopping. Try that and see how ya go.

My son has a vl which was running ok at first.He ran out of fuel and a couple of weeks later it lost power and stopped.New fuel filter seemed to fix it temporarily but now is missing all the time while idling and driving around town.Also a sucking noise sometimes comes from fuel tank but have had it to a mechanic who can't fix it and says checked fuel flow & pressure/30psi/flow100lh compression test/all180psi.I have changed spark plugs, leads,dist cap,&rotar button.Any help is greatly apprecieated.

[Tree cutter]

Might be a crook injector. Try listening to the injectors to see if they all have the same ticking noise. If one has a bit of dirt or carbon stuck in it you will hear a duller sound. A stethescope is the best way to listen to them but if you cant get one then use a screwdriver. Put the metal part of the screwdriver on the injector, then put your ear on the end of the handle.

[snake_VL]

did the mechanic check both pumps for flow? do what tree cutter said and check the injectors, you may have to take them out and get them recoed or replaced. i recently had a wierd missing issue that was fixed by changing an injector, it had a cracked pintle cap on it and i think it was leaking as well

[naden]

Mechanic didn't say whether he checked both pumps but i will do as you say and let you know how i go

[naden]

hmmm... Sucking sound from the tank or exhaust. I mught suspect it to be an electrical problem. As I too did have something sounding like backfiring from the exhaust. There is a lead from the ignition coil that says "Push" and then you take that lead out... It might be frayed and needs replacing. In my case just take the lead out and replace it back in. The car ran fine no more backfiring or car stopping. Try that and see how ya go.

Thanks for that.Will try that and let you know how i go.

[naden]

Thanks for info will let you know how i go

[88GreenVN]

Injector cleaner in the tank latly????

[Tree cutter]

My old VL used to make a sucking noise in the tank when it was low on fuel, but there was no noise when it was above 1/4 tank. It never caused any problems, and i drove it for years like it ,so i wouldn't panic about it. The noise might have always been there but you just notice it now because you are trying to solve another problem.

[naden]

Injector cleaner in the tank latly????

Two lots of injector cleaner have been put through it.

[naden]

My old VL used to make a sucking noise in the tank when it was low on fuel, but there was no noise when it was above 1/4 tank. It never caused any problems, and i drove it for years like it ,so i wouldn't panic about it. The noise might have always been there but you just notice it now because you are trying to solve another problem.

You may well be right because when I got a mate to have a listen it didn't make any noise and we now fill the tank up when it gets down between 1/4 and 1/2 to minimise sucking up any more crap.

[naden]

hmmm... Sucking sound from the tank or exhaust. I mught suspect it to be an electrical problem. As I too did have something sounding like backfiring from the exhaust. There is a lead from the ignition coil that says "Push" and then you take that lead out... It might be frayed and needs replacing. In my case just take the lead out and replace it back in. The car ran fine no more backfiring or car stopping. Try that and see how ya go.

It would wind over but wouldn't start so I took the lead off and had look at it,put it back on and the car started and drove perfectly for about 10 mins before it started missing again. Mechanic said he tried another coil on it but made no difference but Imight put another one on to satisfy myself. At least I think i'm getting closer to the problem. Fuel injectors all sound the same.

[Holdfast]

Hi naden

Mate Vls are pretty easy to fix if you can work out the problem. You can spend heaps of dollars on them only to find that the problem was a loose connection or this and that. The info above from the guys is beaut though.

If you have time borrow a Vl car manual from the library; go to the section where the ECCS is (Computer) and have a read. The computer has self diagnostics and can lead you to outcomes that may help you solve your car problem.

The control module has a flashing code that we write down and then look up what the code means in the car manual.

In many cases, I've found that it's just a matter of pulling off the old part and replacing with new or tightening and connection here or there.

Sometimes it's a good idea just to recheck everything first, check all connections are tight and any previous installations of components are correct.

Also, I've heard stories where spark plugs have been replaced with exactly the same ones that were taken out of the car except that the originals were wrong. You can check components etc with the car workshop manual. I'm not suggesting you've done anything wrong, just trying to help you out.

Err, also, I hope the engine hasn't been cleaned with water lately??

Regards, best of luck for the new year.

[GregT]

Hi Guys, I am new to the site so please be gentle with me. I have a VL Turbo,I also having a sucking noise from the tank ever since I ran low on fuel. The car still runs okay. I am expertiencing similar probs as Naden. Car starts up in morning then chuffs black smake out the exhaust, misses a litle as I drive off and clears along the freeway. After the car has been idling a bit it starts chuffing black smoke and smells as though it is running rich.Although I havent checked it out yet a mechanic tlod me it could be the oxygen sensor near the exhaust manifold or just maybe the air flow meter in the air intake box. I will let you know when I sort it this week end unless someone has another suggestion.

[Youngblood]

if this has only happened since runnin out of fuel i suspect the intank fuel pump, from memory they have a small filter type thing on em, maybe its clogged and fuel is tryin to get through it and that the sucking sound, another tip for ya....clean the little contacts inside dizzy cap, they get white powdery stuff on em from the rotor button spark, scrape em with a tiny screwdriver, be careful though, they are fragile, also where the wire plugs to top of dizzy (crank angle sensor) do the same with screwdriver to contacts and spray with wd-40, crc... etc etc.....do this to all unpluggable wire connections to assure good electrical contacts...p.s. disconnect the negative battery terminal first........my nans r31 was runnin like a pig, done this to it, now runs perfect again, mechanic told her it was head gasket, ha ha ha, bloody mechanics, just saved her hundreds. another thing....make sure your battery has good terminals and contact, as bad battery contact will restrict the power, usually earth terminal is the culprit, make sure earth wire is not hangin on by couple threads too little things like this make alot of difference, i reckon anyway, some people will probably disagree, but try it, and see

[Tree cutter]

It would wind over but wouldn't start so I took the lead off and had look at it,put it back on and the car started and drove perfectly for about 10 mins before it started missing again. Mechanic said he tried another coil on it but made no difference but Imight put another one on to satisfy myself. At least I think i'm getting closer to the problem. Fuel injectors all sound the same.

Sometimes the wires break where they go into the plug, when you unplug it and put it back on it can make the broken wires contact again for a little while. You need to buy a new plug and solder the wires into it.

[naden]

I found this out by accident but when I pushed down harder on the plug that goes into the dizzy the coughing etc from the exhaust stopped and idled perfectly but when I let go it ran rough again so that is what I am targeting. A bloke at the wreckers told me this is one of several common problems with vl's due to the position of the plug and the way the wires pull on the plug over time.The other contacts look clean so it must be in the plug or the wires. I hope

[Youngblood]

looks can be decieving, give em a good scrape and spray and see how ya go, otherwise might just be the wire on plug side, i have seen a few c.a.s. plugs changed due to this problem so my guess is thats your problem.
most times when crank angle sensor is just about buggered it will stall when engine is warm and wont start again till engine (dizzy) cools down....thats when you gotta go shoppin for a new C.A.S.

[bangers]

sounds like a fuel issue. the internal pump hates running out of fuel as the fuel lubricates it and if you run out then the pump operates while not lubricated and kills itself. the mechanic who checked the fuel flow might have got a correct reading but that reading comes off the hi-pressure external pump, not the internal pump which feeds the external. a stuffed internal pump will cause surging, chugging and general poor running. you may also have blocked the fuel return line with crap.

[VL Berlina 5speed]

I found this out by accident but when I pushed down harder on the plug that goes into the dizzy the coughing etc from the exhaust stopped and idled perfectly but when I let go it ran rough again so that is what I am targeting. A bloke at the wreckers told me this is one of several common problems with vl's due to the position of the plug and the way the wires pull on the plug over time.The other contacts look clean so it must be in the plug or the wires. I hope

the plug is the CAS (crank angle sensor) plug, it is common for the cables to be snapped on the inside so best bet is to cut half way and solder a new plug and cables on, mine use do exactly what you said so i found a good one from the wreakers and soldered it in, problem fixed

[shmee]

hey i have a vl and it has just had extractors and 2.5" exhaust put on it n now it keeps back firing n has a big loss of power what could be the problem??

[Sabbath']

^ All connections tight?


As for the sucking noise, i remember reading somewhere about the intank filter that is prone to making odd noises at times.

Mine did it for a while, but hasnt done it for 2 years.

[boosted_vl_turbo]

my vl has the exact sme problem just wondeing if you managed to fix yours

[detox_nath83]

Hey bloke this thread is 2 years old... may not get a reply on this one