i've got a vt executive v6 auto with some sort of electrical probs,when its cold it is good but as soon as it gets to normal temp out the road it kicks back to 3rd and wont change back up into 4th.now ive changed the gearbox because i was told it was the clutches but even with new box in it the problem is still there(since then i sold the old trans and old mate reckons its a beauty)(also tried another pcm,coil packs,alternator,battery,battery terminals,wriggled some wires,new plugs and leads..its driving me crazy!.it seems to just go into limp mode.sometimes it goes good and sometimes it goes like a slug on valium,but always kicks back to 3rd out the road (at 100kms).it all started when i disconnected the battery to try to reset the airbag light on dash(which turned out was a knackered clock spring).i let it sit for an hour and when i reconnected the battery i drove it out the road and it kicked back to 3rd,and stayed there(if you pull up and take off againthe gears change nice and smooth but it doesnt go into 4th).been doing it ever since.had it to auto electricians and they tell me its still the gearbox but if i disconnect the tps it doesnt kick back(and the gear changes aint real smooth either.hahaha).anyway,if anyone is still reading,what else can i try??could it be a blown or dodgy relay or that bcm?(i dont know a great deal about these newer cars and im ready to take an axe to it.
are you getting any code's??
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Maybe it is the TPS since it doesn't kick back when you disconnect it.
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I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.
hmmm could it have something to do with a faulty fuse maybe??? or wiring loom problem?? seems like ur in a rock in a hard place, hopefully its fixed soon for you :P
yes got it checked at a couple of auto electricians and they cleared the codes but didnt solve anything(one was a trans code but after that my mate put the trans in his car and it was great,just like it used to be before i disconnected the battery to try and reset the airbag light on dash).changed engine and trans between trips to the auto electricians and still the same codes.it goes into limp mode when it warms up and doesnt go real good at all.this is when it kicks back to third(when hot)also battery terminals get pretty hot.sometimes it goes allrite and sometimes it just lacks power real bad.all depends what mood its in.cheers
well its been like it for about 5 months now(im on a disability pension and cant afford to take it to anyone that charges $80 an hour,so i just have to do what i can with it.i live out in the country and anywhere that i want to take it to get looked at is 65kms away)but yes i reckon its a wiring problem.when i disconnected the battery to clear the airbag light on the dash,(it was running perfectly up until that point)i reckon its copped a bit of a heart starter when i re-connected the battery somewhere??maybe ive blown something?matey boy at the auto electricians said that the pcm wasnt communicating with some other thing and his $$$$$ worth of test machines couldnt tell him what was going on.anyway i still love holdens but its taken its toll on me.hahahaha.sold a car that was reliable to get a vt,thought it was gonna be the ducks guts but turned out to be duck ****!
How you going mate ive had the exact same problem drove me nuts, im told its the torque converter...but then Holden tell me it needed a new gear box pfftt. Anyway i cant provide help but ive left mine because the reality is it doesnt do any engine damage, you are getting that little bit of exra performace...but your fuel bill will be a little bit higher haha...oddly enough im told that if you have the A/C on it does it. So today im going to go 4 a little cruise with the A/C off and see how she runs. Let you no later 2day.
gday mate,good to see that im not the only one thats had this.yes,it seems to play up worse with the a/c on(seems to be struggling for enuf power to things)(dont know about the torque converter theory though).i cant figure out why its gone like this??fine one minute and a dud the next?(just from disconnecting the battery).its like its not letting the power thru to the engine components.its like its got a bad connection or something or a broken wire that when it gets hot does something???something a miss in some box-module-sensor??not like the old e.h where you could just throw a new set of points at it or a coil or plug leads.cheers.richard
..... so you've replaced both the engine AND the transmission and it is has done it on both sets of engine and tranmissions..... Was it a complete engine swap? Like did you take it all out back to the transmission? Did you use the electrics from the new engine and transmission? What about throttle linkages etc? Did you swap the computer from under the passenger foot well kick panel?
Could you borrow that computer from your friend's car to see if that stops it happening?
I haven't lost my mind, it's backed up on tape somewhere
yes,ive replaced engine and transmission,ive tried a new pcm(behind the kick panel),but it was doing it with the old engine as well as the replacement one(and replacement trans.)im still using the same wiring harness but i've changed coils,alternator,starter motor,battery(and terminals).its like im only getting half electrical power when the car gets to operating temp.something is shutting it down to limp mode.cheers.
Have you tried replacing the torque converter?
Check out this thread
yes i replaced the torque converter with engine and trans swap.i cant see how the torque converter can be doing it but im not a mechanic mate.mite just have to bite the bullit and take it to holden?if i disconnect the tps and drive it out the road it wont kick back to 3rd but its pretty savage on the gear changes.hahaha.or when its cold it changes great,but as soon as it warms up,goes straight back to 3rd.cheers.
if the torque converter is worn and doesn't lock up, it will overheat the oil causing it to drop back to 3rd (limp mode)
gday,i can see where you are coming from mate.i mite give it a try?my only thought is that i disconnected the tps and drove it out the road and it didnt do it(kick back to third).now if its the torque converter,would it still kick back to third regardless of that tps being connected(go into limp mode) or not?so,tps connected-kicks back.tps disconnected-doesnt kick back.looks like im gonna get to spend the day under the old girl if you are right.thanks for your input.regards,richard.
Nots sure how the TPS comes into play tho - might even be dodgy wiring somewhere. I guess if all else fails you could always get the box manualised.
Just a though... have you replaced the O2 sensors at all? I don't know if they could cause the problem but if they are faulty you will loose power (and most likely drop a gear). given that the engine fuel map is based off the TPS position, the RPM and what the O2 sensor is saying, it could explain everything.
Last edited by matt08; 10-04-2008 at 08:55 AM.
What about the engine temperature sensor giving the wrong readings?, read some where that if the engine over heats the box drops back a cog to reduce the engine load and to get the coolant circulating a bit quicker.
Pablo
how would increasing the revs reduce the engine load? I understand the better coolant flow with the faser moving water pump, though, so it could still be true.
I know it's unlikely, but you may have had two bad torque converters. When your friend installed the first transmission you had did they install the torque converter that came with it too? If they did and as you said it worked perfectly, then it won't be the torque converter.
Again it has to come down to electrics, something that wasn't swapped when you installed the second engine.
I haven't lost my mind, it's backed up on tape somewhere
gday,have just replaced O2 sensors and was no change.10kms out the road and straight back to third.dunno what to do now?i think it will need a good(but cheap)auto electrician that knows what he's doing.anybody got any ideas,feel free to let me know!(besides a can of petrol and a match.hahaha).cheers.richard
Have you tried a different ECU? I have a similar issue but differentand am about to swap ECUs to rule electrical out. If that desn't fix it I'll chuck a new loom on. All still cheaper than changing trannies when it's an electrical fault
[QUOTE][/how would increasing the revs reduce the engine load?QUOTE]
If you don't understand that, think what a truck driver does when he is going up a hill and the motor is working flat out, he will change back a cog or two to increase the revs so as to not over stress it. A labouring motor WILL run hotter.
Pablo
disconnect the battery for half an hour or so - only thing is you will need to re-enter the pin number into the radio after you reset it.
To reset the ECU it takes 10 seconds of the neg terminal been disconnected. I always do it for 10 minutes just to make sure![]()