A few VS Questions.

[Kirbs]

Hey guys, Been lurking round for a bit.
Now I'm 16 and I get my license in December. Me old man will buy me a car if I get good enough grades. So I'm set on a VS but just have a few questions, Alot of which you guys should find easy.
1. If I want to drop it, What size springs should I get and what are a decent brand. I would like the front slightly higher than the back.
2. Are there any known problems for the VS?
3. What has changed in the 96 VS from the 94 and 95 makes?
Cheers.
Kirbs

[sweefu]

hey mate, 94was vr not vs, 95saw the vs coming in at the end. the vr looks the same as the vs except for badges and a few different things, but the vr has a different engine to the vs. the vs has the ecotec engine which is better on fuel and has a bit more power than the buick v6 in the vr. the series 1 vs with the ecotec will often have a slight oil leak around the top of the motor, also on the vr/early vs my cousin has had alot of trouble with front struts/suspension the design was not the best and the bushes can wear alot. i would not go for the vr i'd go for the vs.
i'm just sorting out my suspension at the moment too, so i'll let you know how i do mine, but if your going to dump the back you will most likely need shorter shocks.
Cheers mate.

[The1]

ive got a vs 95 series 1 and love it, ive got hsv side skirts which bring the car down a bit, if it's still got stock suspension it going to be getting a bit sagy after all these years now, i just replaced the shocks in mine, other than that i think it's low enough with a body kit on it, without you might wanna lower it, upto you it's a personal thing

Ecotec engines are pretty good, they do leak at the rear main oil seal and could be due for a water pump or power steering pump depending on mileage but overall there a reliable workhorse and real cheap to fix if your handy with a spanner.

[sl33per]

Ive just gotten my VS in the last month or so, still in the stage of getting it roadworthy lol.
But not too many problems we have with it. The guy I bought it off got sick of it in the end not keeping charge and when he'd be playing his music (has a pioneer 12in sub, boss audio amp, pioneer 6x9s), he would park the car, try and start it and the battery would have no power what so ever. So it was a plus for me, $1000, sub, speakers and amp with it, fully reco'd tranny worth 1700 done august last year.
And with that, me and the old man have a suspicion it might be the sub sucking the power, or what most ppl have problems with VS commys, the red wire behind the altenator is coming loose and breaking off. have a look at the sticky in the vr-vs forum.
besides all that, i havent heard any bad things about VS's, they cant be that bad when i see every second holden p-plater here in geelong, driving a vs lol.
if i come across any problems ill let u no.
good luck with getting the car
sl33per

[FstStig]

Probably the biggest problem i found and so have a few other people have had is the over heating in them. Some run great and will never have it, others on the other hand will. Sometimes the O-Ring in the water pump can go and water/coolant will start to leak from underneath. Apart from that, I've never really had a problem with the VS apart from the DFI and Coils going on me at one time. But that Very rarely happens. Only very few VR's came out with the Ecotech nearing the end of Production No harm in dumping one in there though lol

[sl33per]

hmm, well ive found a problem with my vs
got it roadworthy yesterday, in my name, insured, the lot
went out for a drive last night finally in it, stoked as to be finally driving it
then when overtaking a car on the freeway, the engine seemed to be jerky, i assume its the fuel pump
but then later, some funny noises coming from the engine
the old man and his mate who would be the one to know holdens through out, said its common in the vs engines to slip a bearing if the car isnt serviced regularly
and i can gurantee the previous owner never had it serviced until something happened to the engine.
*sigh* =\
so now, the engine is screwed, back under the carport
and got a couple options, old mans mate rebuilds engines and recently done a vt engine, is being sold for $550, but were unsure if the vt engine will b alright in the vs??
if anyone can answer me that, that would be awesome!
or, take the vs engine to old mans mate n get him to rebuild tht.
either way, its guna cost a fair bit
and im not happy about the engine
the cars jinxed i swear lol
but overall, vs commys r stil not a bad car

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Firstly are you sure it has spun a bearing? A similar noise can be attributed to one of the idler pulley bearings, the tensioner or the harmonic balancer. Take the serpentine belt off and start it and see if the noise is still there.

[sl33per]

lol yehh 99% sure
he would definitely not have serviced it regularly
harmonic balancer is brand new
we cant even turn it over, battery is near new
and we took the belt off and tried turning the harmonic balance ourselves with a huge f*** off shifter and she wasnt ready to move one bit
engines cactus
but since it was 300k on it, im quite happy to change to a 90k engine :P
by then, new engine, reco'd tranny...only one other thing can go wrong with it
..touch wood


sl33per