VS wagon idle stuffed..
I done the plenum chamber clean and put everything back together, no cables unplugged and no spare bits afterwards, now something is definitely wrong, thought it was just the TB cleaner that seeped down the manifold pipes but I am pretty sure it would of burnt off by now after a few weeks.
Here's a video I took yesterday of it, watch in HD for best quality of course, done the best I could so don't judge on my cameraman skills or the sound, done the best I could.
PS: Don't mind my dog at the start, he ALWAYS barks at cars no matter what, and ignore my fingers on the camera, couldn't really see my iPhone screen at the time.
YouTube Video.
Edit: Will put up a thread on my wagon soon too..
Also, here are some pictures of the rear exhaust from the cat as I bought it, will be replaced with Lukey 2.5" muffler w/ straight pipe eventually.
I really don't know how this passed for roadworthy and the sh*t patching up job with a welder
Sucking air like mad, look for a vacuum leak in hoses under and around the plenum chamber.
Mine has a hose joiner just under the intake that regularly comes loose, same deal.
I'll look for that later today DAKSTER and we'll see how it goes.
Had a look and the hoses from the TB that run under the plenum were completely fine, any other hoses I should be aware of and check?
Gave up on VL's
It's hard to hear in the video I know, it's kind of a squirting sound from one of those air wick things haha..
When cold you can hear the sparks going off in the coil packs too and I don't think that's right either..
I've done the error code checking, looked for the code 5 times in a row and they were all code 12 which means everything is all clear..
I also recon it sounds like a knock, which could be the dreaded bottom end knock, which also means new engine.The sound your talking about sounds like a vacuum leak, double check all hoses at the plenum and then follow them back to were they connect to see if they have cracked or come loose some where else. also spray some wd40 on your pulleys as ive had a few start squealing that sounded like a super charger whine.Originally Posted by James39
EDIT: just watched the whole clip, that knock goes away some times wats up with that?
Yes the knock does go away, surely cleaning the plenum couldn't put a knock in the engine, the engine was replaced sometime in the past too.
It's not quite drivable, there's no power behind it and the whole car shakes over 80.
That is weird how the knock goes quiet for a bit. It doesnt sound like it clears but it diffently goes quiet. Sounds like a miss in the motor i would be changing the coil packs to start with and then see what happens. The vaccum leak may be from the small vaccum lines that go on the back of the inlet manifold. Either way she doesnt sound happy at all. The major thing that it could be is the bottom end. New wngine for you.
All you've done is clean the plenum its not gonna give you a bottom end knock lol.. you have missed something putting it back together. It clearly has a major vacuum leak, very easy to hear in the video. Vacuum leaks cause misfires, rotten exhaust sytems make cars sound different. You also may have bumped a wire or something, adding to the misfire.
Firstly, find and fix the vacuum leak. That will at least shut the noises up a lot more and let it idle better so you can hear better. The knocking noise doesnt sound like the engine, it sounds more like something is physically knocking against the body with the rough idle. This explains the way it completely disappeared then came back in little bursts.
If you still have a knock, get a long heavy screwdriver. Place the point of the blade on various parts of the engine.. plenum, rocker covers, block, timing cover etc. and lean down and stick the base of your ear firmly against the end of the screwdriver handle. This acts like a stethoscope and lets you pinpoint which noises are coming from where. Sounds strange but mechanics have been doing it since the car was invented, it works well.
I really hope its something knocking on the body...coz if its not it sounds like a death rattle...As in put your foot on the floor rev to 6000 rpm and watch the fireworks.
Exhaust Guru
Do you have the leads on in the correct order?
test your coil packs with a multimeter, there is a few threads on here on how to do it but basically it will tell you if your coil pack is stuffed or not.
as for a vacuum leak, when you put the plenum lid back on did you put on a new gasket, or use the old one? and also check to see how tight those bolts are on the top if there not tight enough or the gasket is worn out/broken you will get air sucking in.
I used the old gasket on the lid, cleaned it softly and put it back on, tightened the screws but they just kept on turning after a while?
I will test the stethoscope tomorrow night hopefully, and test the coils with a multimeter in a couple hours.
if they kept turning then you may have stripped the tread which can be the source of your leak cause they will not be tight. double check them by pulling them out and having a look at the thread if it looks kinda different from the rest of the thread, as in it has less thread or it's got shiny metal then you've probably stripped it, you could also have stripped the thread in the intake as it's only soft alloy.
ლ(ಠ益ಠლ
I can't remember correctly, but my car ran like dog shit after I took off my TB and what not.. Took it off again and refitted and it was perfect..If I also remember correctly.. there was a knocking noise like that aswell (i think) so we check everything...
Gave up on VL's
This happened after you done the plenum? Did you loose something down one of the holes?
Alright update time!
Shooter88: I will try and get to the wreckers and see how much they would price on a plenum chamber and lid from another V6 Ecotec, clean or dirty, then buy a new gasket for that too.
James39: I had accidentally dropped a bolt down the manifold pipe which I got back with a flexible magnet worm, $15 from Supercheap was a life saver there.
I checked the coil packs with my cheap trusty multi meter I picked up for $10 at Leading Edge Electronics last Monday, if any of this is unclear let me know, and I'll show you how I connected to them.
Coil Pack Ohms Resistance, measured at 20k on multi meter.
Coil pack #1 “6,3” @ 5.73Ω
Coil pack #2 “2,5” @ 5.66Ω
Coil pack #3 “1,4” @ 5.56Ω
Coil Pack connectors in engine bay, measured at 2000k Ohms on multi meter
Coil pack connectors for "6,3" @ 730Ω
Coil pack connectors for "2,5" @ 740Ω
Coil pack connectors for "1,4" @ 719Ω
Spark plug leads Ohms Resistance, measured at 20k on multi meter.
Spark plug lead #1 @ 0.89Ω-------------Spark plug lead #2 @ 2.37Ω
Spark plug lead #3 @ 1.37Ω-------------Spark plug lead #4 @ 2.65Ω
Spark plug lead #5 @ 1.37Ω-------------Spark plug lead #6 @ 2.54Ω
Last edited by skappascrap; 27-08-2011 at 11:50 PM. Reason: Added info.
After doing what I done yesterday, my wagon is running completely fine!
Are you saying the bolt was still down the plenum hole or that you had done that but picked it up at the time?
Just curious to know, otherwise it seems the whole problem was just a vacuum leak in the end? If it was a bolt, awesome that the motor survived and you are smilingWell done.
No no no DAKSTER, when I was cleaning the plenum chamber out on my first attempt, I was unbolting the inner chamber, where the 5 or 6 bolts hold it down, I dropped one of the bolts down the pipe, then eventually got it out when I bought a flexible magnetic tool, the bolt was never in there whilst the engine was on, that would become instant death!
A series of unfortunate events, all is good now though!
I'll post up a thread on my wagon now, new pictures will go up today.
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