Chuff, was reading that old thread about you car

[greenfoam]

It got me wondering, did you ever cure it's lack of power?, that was a couple of years ago so yeah, if you ever cured it what were the problems?

Sluggish VP V8

[Chuff]

It got me wondering, did you ever cure it's lack of power?, that was a couple of years ago so yeah, if you ever cured it what were the problems?

Sluggish VP V8

Hey Greenfoam,

I tried lots of things to fix the problems. Some helped, others just cost money.

Definitely do the following if you already haven't done so. New distributor cap, rotor button, plugs & leads. Replace the original coil. Replace filters, including the fuel filter.

I highly recommend replacing the coil. I have always found the older oil filled style perform much better than the newer, smaller ones as fitted to these engines. Upon driving the car with the new coil the difference was quite noticeable. And for the record, it wasn't even a new coil but an old one I had lying around. Just make sure it is to suit electronic ignition, as the output voltage is double compared to points ignition. I originally got mine of an old Volvo from pick-a-part. I also repositioned it to the firewall for easy access.

One day while tinkering under the bonnet I moved the wiring loom between the alternator and ignition module and noticed the car faltered. Further investigation lead to this being caused by a bad earth junction which supplies earth to the IAC & TPS. This is a common problem with these engines. I removed the wiring loom from the front of the engine, removed the convoluted tubing and tracked down the crimp which joined the ground wires. I then cut the wires and soldered a new joint. While I had the loom apart I also checked all the other crimps to make sure they were all OK.

Check all earth points from the engine loom to the block. These may not have been moved for over 10 years now, and may not have the best contact. You'll find one on alternator bracket, and the other at the back of the passenger side head of the motor. The back one is a bitch to get to. I simply loosened them off & on 5 or 6 time just to rough up the surface and insure a good contact. Do the same with the earth contact from the battery to the body. This is located near the battery.

I also tried lots of other things which elude me right now and really made no impact on the performance of the engine. Individually all the things I have noted here showed a small noticeable improvement, except for changing the coil which was quite noticeable. Combined, however, all the above definitely improved things but I would say still did not make the car go the way I know a V8 should go.

Last, but not least, there is 1 final thing I did which I would have to say provided the best performance increase. Are you ready for this. Ethanol.

I read lots of articles on Ethanol and its effects as a fuel additive, and the only information which I considered really bad was the fact that components in the fuel system would corrode quicker. That's bad. However, the cleaning effect of Ethanol on the rest of the fuel system convinced me to give it a go.

What happens is over the years petrol leaves a residue throughout the entire fuel system. The fuel lines, the tank, everywhere. Obviously this is detrimental to the performance of the car. Ethanol, being an alcohol based solvent, cleans this residue. So for the last 6 months I've run nothing but Ethanol enhanced fuel, and over that time period the car has improved in performance 10 fold.

So yes, the car now goes like a V8. Whether you are for or against Ethanol is something for you to decide, but my own personal experience is that Ethanol, more than anything else, was responsible for fixing what was a V8 lemon.

Just for the record, I no longer use Ethanol fuels for every tank, as it will corrode components in the fuel system. My intention was to use it in the hope that it would clean out the fuel system, and to that end has has done an admirable job. I only use it now and then to keep the fuel system clean.

PM me if you want my mobile number so we can discuss any of these points on detail.

Hope all this helps in your quest for V8 glory.

CATCH!

[Full Spectrum]

Would have been easier if you bought this special injector cleaner, Does the tank and the full fuel system, It's that good when you drop it in the tank when almost empty you can here it eat away. Also makes the car run smooth and faster and gives you better fuel economy, The guys that sell it call it a tune up in a bottle, First tank it offers 20-50 more km then up to 100km better. I'm going soon to grab some myself.