several VR problems; missing, rattles. shudders

[macguyver]

Hi all

Have been here before a long time ago, but my login seems to have expired anyway might as well be new again
A few problems again......

1st problem...engine missing constanly when accelerating med to hard, but only when engine has warmed up after 10 mins or so also the idle isnt the same as when i first bought her, engine revs fluctuate, and go low n cause a lot of vibrations, and the very occasional miss at idle.
I have checked vacuum ball thingy still had heaps of vacuum in it when i pulled the hose off after it was sitting for a few hours.
I have changed spark plugs n leads, checked resistance on coils 6500ohms between all spark terminals, 0.000 ohms on the bottom terminals.
incase this helps any diagnosis... after washing/degreasing engine it will always run like a tractor untill it has dried out after a day or so.

2nd problem.....constant knocking in l/h wheel area, and shuddering when braking, when turning sharp left noise goes away.
Changed rotors and pads on front end stopped the shuddering when braking, but still has the noise, when changing rotors i noticed the pads were not evenly touching the disc surface as you rotate it will contact then not contact and so on, i have a suspicion it could have something to do with when i changed the hub assembly about a year ago, i didnt clean the mating surfaces i vaiguely remember although i might have too
Another possiblility is i noticed some play in the steering linkage from the l/h wheel maybe 1mm play or less, could have something to do with it i guess as the other side has no play and is fine.

3rd problem...... when idling rough sometime as it does, i can hear a loud rattling which "sounds" like it comes from somewhere in the r/h suspension.
yeh the suspension is due for a change ...(feel the smallest things on the road now), but not sure if i can afford it or if its worth doing might be better off waiting untill i can afford another car i think

Any suggestions, information, insight, or any replys in general are greatly appreciated
Thankyou

[hako]

Ist prob....running the car after washing with the engine missing stuffs the coils and DFI quicktime as it allows the coils to short to earth and then form carbon tracks along the line where they short...then they short when dry along the carbon tracks.
2nd prob....Maybe the disc is not properly seated as you suggest plus the rack end on passenger side sounds worn.
3rd prob....sounds like exhaust or shocker with no rubber left.
Good Luck.

[Brett_jjj]

Id be swapping the 3 ignition coils for known working ones and see how they go. Ive seen these coils show up ok on the multimeter but still cause misfiring and bad running etc. I got caught out like this when I first got my VS. It was misfiring under load etc, I now keep a brand new coil just for testing purposes.

[fallen1]

make sure your sparks are in securely and also check your leads i had the same problem once

[macguyver]

Thanks for the replys guys, well I bit the bullet and took it to a mechanic who said the steering shudder was the bushes in the steering gone, 800 to replace them and do a wheel alignment, and the noise when idling is from the engine and gearbox mounts which they quoted another 600 to do, this sounds a bit much what do you guys think?

[aussie4life11]

the mounts are easy enought to change yourself with the right tools. you just need something to support the engine/trans while you have the mounts off. a trolley jack would do ok. just remember if you choose to do the mounts yourself, the bolts for the engine mounts are tapered wider at the start and then narrow off. it will seem easy to undo at first and then get harder and harder. this is a safety feature holden use so that the nuts cant vibrate off of the bolt vue to engine vibration.

[Fenix_Longbow]

$600 for those mounts!? Yeah thats far too much! I was quoted from my local exhaust shop $120 if i supplied them. otherwise $160

[macguyver]

yeh i think im going to have a go myself , do the engine mounts the gearbox mounts, lower control arm and castor rod bushes, and im thinking i might as well sort the problem with my suspension while im at it.
I hear to get the bushes done yourself ill be better off removing the control arms and taking them to a shop to get them pressed in.
Whats the go with suspension how do you know the problem is from the shocks or springs or do you just change them all at the same time anyway.
Did some reading here and someone else managed to get springs and shocks for all four for under 600.
Is suspension a major job?

[Jxw]

best check for shocks is if you push on that corner of the car and try to bounce it, if you can bounce it and it lasts more than 3 up/down motions once you let go the shocks are pretty much toasted, if it it has a lot of resistance and barely makes 1-1.5 bounces after you let go your shocks are good.
Springs is more of how old and how many km's they've done to if you'd replace them or not (Or if you want your car to sit lower and handle better)

Replacing it all is not a major job, just time consuming and can be annoying if you're doing it yourself (like putting struts back in, lifting, holding and trying to get a nut or 2 on a few threads at the same time), pressing the lca bushes in is best left to someone that has the tooling to do it, it's covered in cert II auto (pre app), so not that hard

Grab a decent manual, gregorys or max ellery and it'll be a great investment if you're planning on working on your car a lot yourself, but like all suspension work it'll need a wheel alignment afterwards.

[macguyver]

Ok cheers for that mate I checked the shocks with your testing method witch tells me both front shocks have had it but both rear are good, as for the springs I dunno if they have ever been replaced, and wouldn't have a clue if they need it.car has done about 330k

[Jxw]

replace the front shocks then, 330K 16 year old springs probably would be time to replace but if it's still sitting at a good ride height i'd leave them and just replace shocks if they act like i mentioned. will make a lot of difference and change the feel of the car, if you're still not 100% happy then try new springs

[macguyver]

I read that I can support the engine with a trolley jack from the sump when changing the engine mounts, would that be ok do you think it could hold the weight? Because I don't have a chain block or lifting gear.

[Jxw]

on other cars i have used a trolley jack with a decent piece of wood the width of the sump between it and the sump before, i've never done this on a v6 and it's odd shaped sump though.

*insert disclaimer here... i warned you and take no responsibility for any damages incured*

I'd say it should be fine if it was lifted at a point close to the k-frame on the lowest part of the sump where it is strongest and not at the very front, all i can say is do it slowly and watch the sump retains its shape, if it looks like it's collapsing/creasing then drop the jack and look for another method.

don't just rely on the jack to hold it when you have your fingers in there replacing the mount, use an axle stand somewhere strong (better to have a dented sump than have your hand stuck somewhere with a couple hundred kilos of weight on it), i've had a few hydraulic jacks fail on me and heard many stories ending badly about other people doing things unsafely.