VN S1 Auto wont rev past 3500 in gear, 4500 in neutral

[shmickmik]

Hey all

I have been having issues having to start the vn 2-3 times before it actually starts and doesnt stall.. Once it starts you can smell petrol which would indicate to me that the fuel is getting in fine but not firing.

So i bought some el-cheapo supercheap plugs and good lord i felt a huge improvement down low. It was as if before there was something holding back the power.. now its fine.

HOWEVER

After testing the low throttle response i was over the moon :P then i though what the hell, floor it and see how she goes.. But it would get to 3000rpm then just make lots of noise but only vveerryy slowly gain revs. It was getting to the point where it would change gear but it would stay at the same revs.

I though ok this is a kickdown thing.. so i tried revving in neutral and could only get to 4500rpm and it would do the exact same thing it was doing in drive.

I am reall yhoping its a blocked cat? lol Since the old plugs were shagged, they wernt burning the fuel how they should so there was not as much exhaust gas as there is now. Now they are working how they should, the cat is causing a restriction and not letting it rev anymore?

The sound is as if its a slipping clutch.. the sound of the engine doesnt change, it doesnt want to stall just stays at the same revs only sllliigghhhttlllyyy moving up and up.

What do you guys think?

**PS!!** I forgot to mention that ever since i have owned the car i always get error code 13- O2 Sensor. I have replaced them twice (2nd hands) and 1 brand newy and STILL get an engine light on during first 30 secs of driving which then goes away. Always error 13.

**PSS!!** Tomorrow i am going to remove the cat and install new leads see if that makes any difference..

[vnv8driver]

if in doubt unbolt the cataylic converter and start it up, does your manifold glow red and can you feel compression out the exhaust??

[shmickmik]

Well i unbolted the cat today, and to my dismay it was perfect lol Which is good in a way i suppose but still i was really hoping that was all it was.

Would improperly adjusted spark plugs give this result?? As i installed the new sparkies straight from the packet as my feeler gauges fell apart down the back of the bench.. the ones i did find were all covered in rust so i had no idea what size they were, and even if i did find the right one they wouldnt be accurate now.. grrrr

the plugs i used were the bosh super cheap 26-6 i think they were called..
HR9DCY+ 1.5mm is whats on the packet. They are the right sparkies but not sure if they are fine to use out of the packet?
SHould i try a new set of leads and see how that goes??

[fu2]

the plugs should be fine out of the packet. never had to adjust any myself

[shmickmik]

phew :P That rules that out then thanks

Ohh and to just update i have replaced:

Resetted the ecu
NEW fuel pump
NEW fuel filter
2nd hand injectors
2nd hand regulator
NEW spark plugs
Cleaned the IACV

[Haydz]

seems weird.. a friend of mine had the same issue in his vp wagon.. it would get to 3.5 then slowly go up.

it ended up being a shot ground somehwere behind the dash. i can find out exactly what it was if your interested.

[shmickmik]

Hmm well it SEEMS to be fixed all of a sudden?? I tried revving it in neutral and it revved right up to redline (which i didnt want it to go, as i was thinking it would stop like it usually does lol). I havent tried it in gear yet as im not dumb enough to floor it during the day when there are more people on the road. I do my testing in an industrial area where nobody is around.

However i am still having the hard starting problem.. its nto a fuel issue as it floods and you can smell petrol when it starts after the 3rd consecutive time.

As soon as i turn the key it would usually start, very fast. Now it will fire for a split second (when it would normally start) then stop as if teh first few spark plugs fire and the rest give up.

So i will just buy new leads and eithr a second hand coilpack/dfi from a S2 and up V6 OR save some money and just buy brand new bosch or msd coils so i KNOW that there is nothign wrong ignition wise.

Only thing i am worried about is the car eventually not starting at all before i have time to buy all this stuff..

[shmickmik]

Thanks for the offer Haydz mate, but it looks like it MAY have sorted itself out.. it may have been the ecu reset? I left the efi fuse out over night just to see if that woudl fix it..

It fixed the rev issue but not th estarting which is worrying me.. i really do think its an ignition problem now.

Lucky with these cars its just a case of changing:
Plugs
Leads
Coils
DFI

and your ignition system is sorted :P