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VS Not Running So Good...Please help...! :supersad:

ruredi

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VS Not Running So Good...Please help...!

Hi People...I turn to you for help once again...

I Have a '96 VS Commodore Series II 3.8L Automatic. My dad bought it from new and it was handed over to me when I got my L plates. I got my P's about 2 months ago now and ever since I have had it...it was been the best and most reliable car ever. It it currently has 171,435 km's on the clock. The only thing I have ever had to do to it is change the Crank Angle Sensor and it was fine after that. I have always serviced and well maintained it and so has my dad when he had it. I never thrash or abuse this car either. Anyway...it now has this very weird problem. When on idle, it sounds like it is missing and the idle is all over the place. Also When I Just just open the throttle a little bit...like the tinyest little bit, it sounds like it is going to stall and the idle drops but if you just accelerate normal or quick it doesnt do it. However, the most noticeable problem with it is when say example I go up a driveway to do a U-turn or just stop...as I put it into reverse, i see the idle drop right down and it shudders and vibrates and almost stalls. It has never actually stalled before but it is really annoying and is quite embarrising among me worrying about it consantly because I have always cared for the car so much. I took the batterly leads off for an hour and a half to reset the ECU and i checked the leads on the coil pack and plugs to see if they were all on properly but it is still doing it. Anyway, I hope you guys can help me out with this as it would be much appreaciated and will help me sleep better at night. I trust that you will be able to help me out as you have always done so with other little problems that me and my dad have had. Cheers, Joe
 

vt1538

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Have you checked for fault codes?
Check all your vaccuum lines for leaks.
Clean your throttle body & reset IAC valve to 28mm.
All of these have been discussed indepth here, use the search function & that will take you to them.
 

ruredi

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vt1538 said:
Have you checked for fault codes?
Check all your vaccuum lines for leaks.
Clean your throttle body & reset IAC valve to 28mm.
All of these have been discussed indepth here, use the search function & that will take you to them.

Ok thanks mate...How and what do I clean the throttle body with and how do I reset the IAC or whatever to 28mm...? im not too sure on what that its...i know its something on the T/B...am I right? Help would be much appreaciated...
 

Harvs82

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ruredi said:
Ok thanks mate...How and what do I clean the throttle body with and how do I reset the IAC or whatever to 28mm...? im not too sure on what that its...i know its something on the T/B...am I right? Help would be much appreaciated...

Throttle Body Cleaner, its in a can, you spray it into the throttle body and scrub with a toothbrush to remove all the carbon and other crap in there. Make sure you hold a rag underneath though, to catch it all. I just cleaned mine on the weekend, and I sprayed a fair bit into where the idle control is, and quite a bit of black came out. Perhaps try doing that before removing the idle control valve. The IAC is located on top of the throttle body, resetting to 28mm involves taking it out, and I think pushing the spring sideways until it sits out of the housing by 28mm, someone else may be able to comment more on this?
 

inasinman

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It's good to clean the throttle body and eliminate the errors. Personally I don't think it's gonna make any different unless the throttle body was very very very dirty. You might get poor fuel consumption but it wouldn't stall the engine or stop running.

However I would suggest to ring a mate who has the same car and swap a few parts over like coil pack, AFM and make sure the fuel pump and fuel filter are in good working condition etc. but before you take this step. Read the error on the ECU and see what does it say. It could be also a faulty CRANK ANGLE SENSOR again...!!!!!!!


cheers mate
 

kopper69

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I would be checking spark plug leads. Make sure they are sitting tight on coil packs and on spark plugs. If you are handy with a multimeter you can check their resistance. If you have a spare $50 buy a new set. Might as well do the spark plugs as well. Crank angle sensor doesnt normally make your car run rough, just makes it stall. Fuel filter would be a good one to do as well, just incase it has crap in it.
 

angelo.vs

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As kopper69, also I would check the alternator or the regulator. It sounds very similar to what I had and it ended up being a stuffd regulator and an old shitty battery. Fixed everything you mentioned
 

ruredi

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Well I know its not the plugs or leads coz i just put Brand New Top Gun heavy duty leads and brand new NGK-R plugs about 4-5 weeks ago...I also put the supercharged CAI on and K&N Filter and it ran great. I really wish I could figure this out. I might just take it to Holden Tommorow and get them to diagnose it...how much do you guys think they will charge me?
 

angelo.vs

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Well in Sydney holden labour is around $90-$98 per hour. Make sure to check your alternator and battery as i said just in case thats the issue. Evreything you said was happening to my car.
 

deathsminion

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My car had all of these problems just before the auto died. Sorry dude. If you turn your wheel to full lock, and then shift into reverse does the engine cut out?
 
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