VT wont idle

[graham7773]

My 1998 VT V6 ecotec was running well. Got a flat battery so I took the battery out to charge it, reinstalled it, now the motor wont idle. It starts and runs fine for 3 seconds then just stalls. No missing or spluttering. 1/2 tank of fuel, spark plugs and leads changed, air filter good, simply will not run. All suggestions/ideas welcome. I will be changing the fuel filter but I doubt it is the cause of the problem.

[drift-it]

have your battery tested...just cause it says 12v doesnt mean its good as it is the cca (cold cranking amps) that can be low and cause all sorts of problems.

[graham7773]

Ok, changed the battery for a new one. motor still starts, runs fine for 2 seconds then stops. Any more suggestions? By the way, for those who would like to know, there was a post on here that said the same relay was used for low beam and fuel pump. That is not correct. They have separate relays.

[Tree cutter]

Check all your fuses. I have seen fuses blow from just fitting a new battery.

[graham7773]

No blown fuses I can see. This is getting annoying. Good car stopped by something which I will bet is so simple it's stupid. I just cannot find the fault/s. What makes me mad is that it was going well before battery death.

[highon2str]

try another key

[matqld]

hey mate could be gumed up iac valve in throttlebody-dissasemble clean refit..wont take ya long n if im wrong -well it will run smother for you ;p

[GWH11Z]

i reckon **** the vt off there the new vns
jus get a nice falcon el or simalar they have way more torque then the vt

[graham7773]

thanks for the interesting suggestions, esp the swap to ford. I just got out of fords after having had every model from XL to EL. When they started blowing head gaskets regularly, I thought it was time for a change. To quote John Laws " when your'e on a good thing, stick to it, when you find something better, switch to it"
My no idle problem WAS something stupid. The hose between the AFM and the throttle body had come away just a little bit at the bottom, not even enough to see. Enough to stop the motor dead. Happy now.