VN stalls after taking a corner when cold

[nole]

hey everyone,

i have an 88 vn commodore and lately it has been stalling a fair bit. i used to live out of town so it was very rare that i'd get this problem, because i'd take off and be driving in a straight line for long enough that the engine would warm up. anyway, now that i live in town and its winter, this happens to me a few times a week...

- when the car is cold (and on a cold winters morning) it is a little slow to turn over (you can hear that its physically slow or something), but it starts within 2-3 seconds. i'm thinking the starter motor is on the way out?
- car idles fine, maybe a *little* bit low
- i take off and its running ok... i take one corner just 30 meters up the street, then go another 60-70 meters to a roundabout.. car is running ok.
- i drive about 250-300 meters, slow down to take a left hand turn, start to turn into the corner - *car stalls!*
- after this happens i start the car (might take about 5-6 seconds of turning over before it starts), then i can drive for as long as i like and it wont happen again
- while the engine is warm i can jump in the car again and it will run fine
- if i dont drive it again during the day, but jump it to go home from work, pretty much the exact same thing could happen. after driving a few hundred meters or more, if i take a left hand corner (usually left, very rarely right) then it might stall or almost stall. but again, once it has stalled once it wont do it again while ever the engine has some warmth in it.

anybody got an idea of the cause? i'm guessing it has something to do with power steering taking some power from the engine when its cold. i dont know if i should just adjust the idle (i do think it might be a little low) or whether something else needs a tweak. the power steering fluid levels are fine.

not sure if its relevant but i also run on LPG. (and the oil is so CLEAN when i change the oil each 10,000kms!!!)

[VpV6]

ok, I would start by checking your base idle. this is the setting that dictates what RPM the idle will be when you instantly take your foot off the accelerator.

Howto is here:
Need Tunners

(its my post down near the bottom)

If that doesnt make any diff, I would try replacing the IAC (Idle Air Control) Valve. One step at a time though.

[nole]

ok thanks mate i'll give it a try

[VpV6]

Oh also, it may be your air bleed line on the LPG system.....

I know people that put cold air intakes onto LPG cars have a problem with excess pressure in the airbox which stuffs up the mixture. Some systems dont have an air bleed line which results in stalling at low speeds while decellerating!!

[nole]

ahh ok, and would something like that correct itself after the engine warms up enough? coz the main point i was trying to stress is that it only ever happens once and when the engine is cold. (in summer i never have this problem.. and in winter, it'll happen once when the car is cold, then it will be fnie after that)

my VN is actually dual fuel, so perhaps i should run it on petrol for a week and see if it happens... but on the other hand, ULP may get the engine hotter, quicker.

[VpV6]

try it on petrol 4 a week and see if it does it.

unleaded actually burns colder than LPG, so the engine will run cooler.

since the LPG is kinda dumb it doesnt usually adjust itself with the computer like petrol does. there still is a lot of manual adjustments that have to be tweaked every now and again...

and yes I still think it could be the air bleed problem. When the air is cold outside (like winter) it is denser hence you will have a different mixture. This slight alteration could cause your problem!

try the fuel and see how it goes! if it runs fine, youve at least narrowed down your problem!

[vlv8vic]

just to add to that a bit, cold weather is not kind to batteries. thats why it might seem to crank a bit slower on the cold mornings and when the oil in the car will be at its 'thickest' will put more stress on the battery. wouldnt worry about it being the starter motor. when they play up youll be hearing clicks, grinding, wotn even turn over sometimes and will others, or simply nothing!
if you find ti gets worse it could just mean the cold weather has sped up your batteries death and may need to be replaced soon enough. Batteries can do funny things. someone might be able to find the link between a battery and your cold stalling prob, though i would be inclined to agree the revs are dropping too low or the cold start thingy might be faulty.(i dont know what the system is like on a VN[eg do they have auto advance and stuff])