VZ Calais Problems!

[VZCALAIS190]

Hey Guys,

Experiencing a few headaches with the Calais, to start off with the cruise control will not work (will turn on but won't activate!). Second problem is that ESP fails once it reaches over 100kph. Thirdly on cruising at 100ks the revs sit at 2000rpm instead of 1700rpm. Really annoyed hoping they won't be major problems but any tips will be greatly appreciated.

Also when i got home i disconnected the battery for 5mins ad pressed on the brake pedal till it was hard to try resetting the ECU so hoping it may fix everything.

Looking forward to your answers!

Cheers!

[ashbox]

i know with my old sv6 it would sit around 2000rpm at/around 100kmph
could've been 110kph
cruise control could purely be the stalk on the way out, maybe try and find someone you know who has one you can borrow, or even pull out of their car to test it.
not sure about the esp, maybe take it to a mechanic with a diagnostic tool or even better an auto elec and see if its throwing a fault code

[Surfwagon]

My cruise control stalk went the same way, persavered for a while with it sometimes working and other times not.
Bought a new stalk, took about ten minutes (maybe less) to fit and all is well again.

[VZCALAIS190]

Thanks for the replies guys,

The stalk actually works though indicator works and the cruise on/off button just not the activating knob whatever that's called.

The revs at used to always sit around 1700rpm on 100kph cruising, just out
of no where started to cruise at 2000rpm. I don't have aftermarket diff gears or anything either, all stock 2.87's so just can't understand why it's doing it. It's also not throwing any trouble codes on the cluster but i might buy a OBDII scanning tool to see if that picks up anything.

[nathanVY]

The stalk actually works though indicator works and the cruise on/off button just not the activating knob whatever that's called.

Yeah sometimes just one of the wires inside can break.

[VZCALAIS190]

I should also add that all these problems appeared to happen when my battery went flat and i had to jump start it. I've also realised that all my instrument lights turn on when you press on the brake pedal with the car off, don't know if that's factory but i've only just realised it.

[VZCALAIS190]

Can anyone please shed some light on what i may be experiencing? Could it be a blown ecu? really need to get it fixed!

[KrisHolden]

I should also add that all these problems appeared to happen when my battery went flat and i had to jump start it. I've also realised that all my instrument lights turn on when you press on the brake pedal with the car off, don't know if that's factory but i've only just realised it.

Hey man... sorry I cant really help you with anything else. But I do know that if the car is off, headlights are off and door closed, that pressing the brake pedal does NOT turn on the instrument lights ie the speedo or the buttons around the air con and cdplayer etc.

Thats really weird :S
Iv heard the computer or something in these cars can mess up and be costly to replace. Not sure if thats the ECU, but yeah keep it in mind

[leethal1]

this may sound wierd but try pulling out your brake light globes and see if that problem goes away. there may be one that is briged to the park lights hence powering them up when you apply the brake.

this could also be the reason for the cruise control not engaging. please do not drive the car without brake light globes, just test the lighting up issue.

[HoldenOnn]

Have you recently installed LED tail lights or done any mods to the lighting/electrics of the car?

What was the last mod or work done on car the day before the battery went flat?

[leethal1]

just to add to my previous post - your torque converter will not lock up either if the car thinks you have your foot on the brake which explains the higher revs while crusing...

[VZCALAIS190]

Thanks for all the replies guys really appreciate it.

Funny a couple hours ago before reading this, i was about to leave to a mates house so i turned the car and lights on and went back in to get something. When i came back out i realised that the stop lights were on (including the rear park lamps)
without having the brakes applied. This got me so confused and annoyed, i started to check every fuse & relay and couldn't see a thing wrong. Reset the ECU to see if that'll fix it, nothing changed. Got to the point that i was going to rip out my ECU and plug it back in. Went back inside to grab a screwdriver and thought i'd ask Dad as his a mechanic by trade, first thing he asked me was what i did last. Last thing i did was change the brake bulb as it was blown, told me to double check if it's a faulty globe or a 24v. Ended up being a faulty globe (the small part inside the globe had actually melted onto the larger part, not sure what there called lol) Anyway changed the globe and it fixed everything. Such a feeling of relief! All that messing around and worrying because of a faulty globe!

Leethal1 you were spot on! Makes sence as to why cruise control wasn't activating must of mislead the system into thinking i was braking.

Thanks for all the tips once again guys, guess we can leave this one for reference to anyone else that it may happen to.

[KrisHolden]

Absolutley amazing how something only worth a few dollars can make it seem a problem exists worth $$$$ lol

And the Calais goes on strong once again!

[VZCALAIS190]

Hahaha its amazing isn't it! Glad it's all fixed! It sure does! Absolutely love the VZ Calais!

[HoldenOnn]

Sounds like your Dad thinks in very much the same way that I do. Hence my post above referring to a tail light issue, or tracing back on the last mod/work you did on the car the day before the battery went flat.

Great to hear that you got it sorted and the Calais lives on.

I have just installed new LED bulbs in my tail/brake lights and my reverse lights. With such a small load on the braking circuit now due to the minimal load LED require, it made my ESP not engage, and also cruise control was an issue. This is due to the cruise control and ESP sending a pulse down to brake light circuit to make sure all is good. If something is wrong or it senses no load or very little, then it will throw up these types of issues.

I changed my high rise brake light also and this was slightly illuminated due to the pulse by the cruise/ESP sending down the line. My best mate who owns auto electician just installed a load resistor on the high rise brake light and this fixed all the issues.

[KrisHolden]

Great to hear things are good

Sounds like your Dad thinks in very much the same way that I do. Hence my post above referring to a tail light issue, or tracing back on the last mod/work you did on the car the day before the battery went flat.

Great to hear that you got it sorted and the Calais lives on.

I have just installed new LED bulbs in my tail/brake lights and my reverse lights. With such a small load on the braking circuit now due to the minimal load LED require, it made my ESP not engage, and also cruise control was an issue. This is due to the cruise control and ESP sending a pulse down to brake light circuit to make sure all is good. If something is wrong or it senses no load or very little, then it will throw up these types of issues.

I changed my high rise brake light also and this was slightly illuminated due to the pulse by the cruise/ESP sending down the line. My best mate who owns auto electician just installed a load resistor on the high rise brake light and this fixed all the issues.

Can I ask... when you used the LED bulbs, and you noticed ESP was playing up, did it throw any error codes\messages?
In my next service I want them to ensure Im running the latest firmware cause I never see any warnings but I know ESP is working

[VZCALAIS190]

Haha yeah i guess great minds think alike

What kind of LED Bulbs are they? What are the LED's like in the taillights? Are they brighter then the ordinary globes? I was thinking of putting a set of SMD LED's in the tail lights aswell but was afriad if they'd be too dull or won't work with the parkers and stop light. I've got a set of 18 SMD LED reverse lights and they work really good, very bright and look much much better. Just about everything on my Calais is LED except for the vanity mirrors, stop and front/rear turn signals. Anyone know what type of bulb the sunvisors hold? Keen to change them aswell.

[HoldenOnn]

Hey Kris, I didn't get any error codes. And even if you don't have the current software upgrade, your car will still run perfectly well.

Can I say Kris that with all the threads and posts you have about certain problems you think your car may have, can I say that you think far too much

Maybe go back to a VL commodore if all the technology worries you

Don't take it to heart. Just stirring a little

Regards
Matt

[KrisHolden]

Hey Kris, I didn't get any error codes. And even if you don't have the current software upgrade, your car will still run perfectly well.

Can I say Kris that with all the threads and posts you have about certain problems you think your car may have, can I say that you think far too much

Maybe go back to a VL commodore if all the technology worries you

Don't take it to heart. Just stirring a little

Regards
Matt

lol Im not a mechanic by any means. Im not only technologically minded I am also curious about things and very logical. I drive a few cars and inconsistencies make me pop up the questions. I think the ESP was the only problem I thought I had which turned out I didnt have lol All the other problems were problems haha

Nevertheless, I dont think I could go to anything less than the VZ Calais :P

cheers!

[HoldenOnn]

Haha yeah i guess great minds think alike

What kind of LED Bulbs are they? What are the LED's like in the taillights? Are they brighter then the ordinary globes? I was thinking of putting a set of SMD LED's in the tail lights aswell but was afriad if they'd be too dull or won't work with the parkers and stop light. I've got a set of 18 SMD LED reverse lights and they work really good, very bright and look much much better. Just about everything on my Calais is LED except for the vanity mirrors, stop and front/rear turn signals. Anyone know what type of bulb the sunvisors hold? Keen to change them aswell.

You have virtually the same fully converted LED Calais like me apart from sunvisors and turn signals. All my other globes inside and out are either LEDs or HID or upspec'd Halogen Bulbs etc.

I have spent alot of time researching and playing with LEDs. My latest reverse and tail lights are the best addition yet. I get most of my LED bulbs from Superbrightleds.com in America. Prices are not cheap like ebay, and postage isn't cheap, but the specs, performance, quality are so much better.

I was afraid of the stop/tail lights in LED being too dull but I thought I would bite the bullet after doing research. Below is the link to the brightest and best LED and reverse globes available as a plug and play swap;

45 High Power SMD LED 1156/1157 Tower Bulb Specifications

Pictures that I have taken don't do justice so I won't post. But can I say they are AMAZING!!!

The stop/tail lights are not necessarily brighter, but on the other hand....they are definetely not any duller....its that they bring the rose coloured slighted faded red lens back to looking bright and vivid RED. I believe they stand out even more and LEDs respond a split second quicker than halogen bulbs too.

I even did my high rise brake light with an LED and that is now so bright and vivid RED. I did need a load resistor on the high rise brake light so as not to cause problems for ESP and Cruise Control Systems.

This is my high rise brake light bulb in red;

High Power SMD WLED-xHP9-T (194 type) 360 degree Wedge Base bulbs Specifications

Make sure you match the globe colour to the same as the lens that its going into. eg red globe for stop/tail, and cool white for reverse.

The reverse are bulbs are just as impressive. Bright white piercing light that looks brilliant and lights up the back of the car so brightly.

If any more questions, then ask away.

[HoldenOnn]

For those who requested pics from me, here they are. Pics of lights can be deceiving. If the camera lens is left open slightly longer, then if leads you to believe the lights are brighter than they are. This is why I have posted a few below so you can see the difference mainly in the colour and not necessarily the brightness.

The right hand side (in every picture) has been modified with the new LED stop/tail light bulb and also the reverse bulb. Also the high rise brake light has a red LED installed;

[VZCALAIS190]

Haha it's a must for the Calais! Infact my mate calls me the LED man lol. My last car was a Proton Satria GTi and that thing also had every bulb changed over to LED. Thanks for the write up, feel sorry
for whoever drives behind you at night though they will be blinded by your light the minute you brake! hahaha. I've also got a set of HID's in my low beams absolutely amazing!

Where exactly did you put the load resistor on the high level brake light? Did you need them for the tail lights aswell?

By the way what kind of number plate LEDs do you have? Seem to be alot brighter then my 5 SMD LEDs...

[HoldenOnn]

Haha very true. Some new cars which come factory with LEDs are super bright also when sitting behind them at traffic lights.

I only have HID on high beam as my low beam didn't give a nice enough spread of light due to slight ageing and pitting of my headlight lenses. I have 2100 lumen H9 bulbs in my low beam and 55w 6000k Canbus HID in my high beam.

I have done most of my mates commodores at work, plus other mates cars with HIDs and LEDs, also I have done my parents car. I always have parcels rolling up with LEDs in them. I love them.

Not all LEDs are created equal. I have changed certain LEDs maybe 4 or 5 times while trying to get the best look possible.

Cheap ebay LEDs can look terrible when placed next to a quality LED which has a better colour temperature and higher lumen output.

99% of mine are from LED Lights & Accessories - SUPER BRIGHT LEDS

My number plate LEDs are; High Power SMD WLED-xHP9-T (194 type) 360 degree Wedge Base bulbs Specifications

Load resistor is only needed for the high rise brake light. I will get a pic later for you. Its not needed for the other stop/tail lights. My auto elec mate used a 24v load resistor as it doesn't heat up as much as the 12v units. It puts enough load back onto the brake light system to fix any ESP or Cruise Control issues that may come from installing LEDs.

Load resistors here; Load Resistor Kits

[HoldenOnn]

Pics of Load Resistor;