First car problems

[holden_calais_VT_1999]

hey guys was having a problem with my radiator leaking for the life of me i could not find where it was went right over the pipes replace the heater tap and everything turned out to be a combination of a faulty heater tap and radiator cap e but i didnt find these problem till my car over heated so now i have replaced them and i dont seem to be loosing much water less the 100ml but my symptoms of my sick baby are

rough idle (round 800-900rpm)
slight ticking sound (sounds like it coming from injectors)
little bit of water coming out the exhaust
Hissing sound (not sure where from)

Oil is fine no white sluge at all seems to have the same amount of power starts fine and every time

before i take it to the mechanics i would like to try fixing the rough idle car has done 230**ks on it (what sensor should i replace)

what i have done so far
oil
spark plugs
cleaned K&N filter
cleaned plenum and throttle body

(I have done a search on hear and taken notes but i was still unsure)

[Longman]

Hi mate,

I wouldn't panic about any of those things, sounds like a typical 230k ecotec to me.

Firstly, the ticking sound, is it constant or does it speed up/slow down when you rev? If it's constant, it's most likely just your injectors. If it varies with throttle, it could be a sign of worn piston assembly.

Secondly, water from the exhaust, most likely normal condensation, happens to every car. Unless it's pi$$ing out water, I wouldn't worry too much, and you've said your oil is clean.

Hissing sound could be a vacuum leak which could also explain the rough idle. You could put a length of hose on a funnel and use it like a stethoscope around the engine bay to find where the leak is. Did you take the plenum or TB off to clean them? If so, I'd check you put them back on properly and with the correct torque settings.

Hope this helps.

[accentstencil]

About the only sensors that need changing occasionally are the oxygen sensors because they lose their efficiency over time. It probably won't help your rough idle though, but you never know.

[holden_calais_VT_1999]

where is the most common problem with a vacuum leak on a vt?? and all i did to clean it was take the top of the plenum off and used a rag with a small amount of decreaser n it and wiped it clean and used a tooth brush to clean the tb while still attached to the car

[Longman]

check around the inlet manifold and the TB. Also check the small hoses that attach to the TB, there's a little one underneath that often comes loose.

[Dr HaxZaw]

theres a rubber gasket that goes around the inside of the plenum cover to make sure it seals... i dunno about yours but i noticed mine was very easy to crimp up if not installed carefully

might want to check that

[Jonno]

ticking is just the rockers/tappetts nothing to worry about every commo does it
maybe try a oil suited more to the ecotec

hissing sound is a vaccume leak

[pablo]

as said above, that rough, fast idle with a hissing sound could be caused by the small purge vacuum hose coming off from beneath the throttle body. Mine pops off occasionally and has the same symptoms. It's the one that runs underneath the inlet manifold from the rear of the engine, drivers side.

[holden_calais_VT_1999]

thanks guys pulled the purge hose off checked looks fine put a couple of zipp ties on it well check the plenum tomorrow morning if the seal is gone what the best way to fix it???

[VTS5]

if the seal is gone what the best way to fix it???

This is it :-)

PERFORMANCE 12mm PLENUM/MANIFOLD SPACER! Holden V6 VS-VY - Mace Engineering Group

[Longman]

Plenum cover gaskets are rubber and are reusable. Just dip your finger in some clean oil and run it around the top and bottom edge of the gasket when you put it in and make sure it fits snuggly into the channel. Also make sure that you tighten the bolts in an ordered star type fashion, from inside to out, and to the correct torque.

[holden_calais_VT_1999]

ok so i took off the cover of the plenum again checked the seal and it was fine no cracks at all so i got a lil bit of fuel and wiped right round the edge of the cover and the tb and plenum put it all back together and i lost one of the top bolts FML!!! so cars all back together apart from the one bolt. i know it probably wasn't the best idea but i wanted to make sure the car kicked over so i tired to start it and the battery is dead no idea why cause i was driving it this morning any ideas?? i also had my hole cai system out cleaned and put back in

[Longman]

Hi,

Firstly, find that bolt. Where did you lose it? You need to make sure the plenum top is sealed properly, so if you can't find the bolt, go to a wreckers and get one.

Secondly, do you know how old the battery is? Get a new one if you don't know. Make sure your cables and connections are good and your negative is earthed properly. Also make sure your cables attached to the alternator are in good condition and not worn/corroded.

Do you know how to use a multimeter to check the alternator is charging the battery? It's quite simple, just connect the red lead of the meter to positive battery terminal, black to negative. With the car off, it should read 12V or thereabouts. Start the car and if it then reads 13-14V, the alternator is good and charging. I would say though that it's just a flat battery.

[pablo]

...........i hope that lost bolt isn't inside the plenum.

[holden_calais_VT_1999]

narr its not i lined them all up on the table bumped the table all the bolts went every where still cant find the damn thing thanks for the post i think the battery is round 2 years old not 100% sure do they have dates on them any where??

[Longman]

I've never noticed dates on a battery, but then again I haven't really looked. Anyways, I've had a battery last only 2 years, so obviously replace it, and find that bolt.

[NV-MY-VT]

Yeah, for christ sake, find that bolt lol.

You sound just like me, I own a VT commodore as my first car, and just last weekend I cleaned took apart the throttle body, MAF sensor, IAF sensor and plenum and cleaned them all, also did an oil and oil filter change.

Noticeable difference in performance, but I too am having a hissing noise, however, this was happening before I did the work, and did not change after I did the work, so I am assured that it is not because of my tinkering.

I have read and tried to solve my problem:

Silicon lube on the pulleys and belt
Reseal the plenum and throttle body vacuum hoses.

But, no luck. I'll be watching this thread for any advances. I like my 239000km ecotec :P

[ephect]

That hiss, I have on my vs but I know there's a small hole in the intake tube so I haven't bothered to fix it just yet, other fish to fry atm

[Longman]

To be honest mate, it's hard to diagnose without hearing it. Most ecotecs have some odd noises when they get older, some are just normal wear and tear noises. There are so many things that can cause rough idle, a vacuum leak is just one of them.

I would suggest checking for error codes, a leak can trigger error code 36. Do a forum search and you'll find the step by step guide to reading codes with a paperclip.

If it's really bothering you though, perhaps take it to a mechanic and get it diagnosed, they can then give you a quote that you can shop around with or get parts yourself.

[holden_calais_VT_1999]

Still hunting for the illusive bolt (car not been driving)

hey guys me again one of the threads i was reading on hear suggested i clean out the black sensor on top of the TB next to the TPS noidea what it is but it was full of carbon so i cleaned all that out gave it a quick squirt with wd40 and put it back in and now im looking in to replace my 02 sensors but have noidea about them did a search on hear and found the bosh site to be most help full but im just wondering if it better to go aftermarket to factory?? and also im looking at replacing the battery so any advice on that whould be great to

List of things i have done
cleaned: plenum, THB, Black sensor on the top of TB, MAF, IAF, K&N filter, all cai pipes (And just to give me a lil time to think the hole engine bay lol)

Replace: spark plugs, leads, oil, oil filter

[Longman]

What about your fuel filter? have you changed that? If not, that should be near the top of your list.