Engine still breathing heavy....

[me&myVZ]

Hi Guys not long back I was discussing my engine issues, I had it in the workshop for 3 days and spent a fortune assuming it was fixed. It went in for a service Yesterday and I was told he had never seen an engine breath so heavy? I can't work it out.... Is it damaging for my engine? Why is it breathing heavy? Thanks Guys!

[pau13z]

Do you mean it's struggling to breathe or it's sucking in a lot?

If it's struggling to breathe the simple solution is your air filter, upgrade to a K&N.

If it's breathing heavy it could be a problem with one of your exhaust's oxygen sensors, or perhaps the Air Flow Meter (AFM).

If the Oxygen Sensors are picking up a rich mixture they should simply inject less petrol into the cylinder, but it could also be trying to suck more air to compensate.

The way AFM's work is they sit in the intake pipe and have little wires in them that get heated up, and determine how much air is flowing through by how quickly the wires cool down. Over time the wires get covered in dirt and grit and don't cool properly, so the engine doesn't think it's getting enough air and tries to suck more in.

The only other thing I can think of is the valve within the plenum chamber which splits it into 2 is stuck open.

Hope this helps.

[VK SL 3800]

Im not sure of the crankcase ventilation setup on the new commodores, but it should have the PCV setup all plumber back into the intake and you shouldnt be able to tell how its breathing unless you actually went to check. Either way if thats the case they've dont well to pick it up, i certainly wouldn't have noticed when doing a service.

Breathing heavy is generally a sign of worn rings - compression escaping past the rings also known as blow by.
Other symptoms may include high oil consumption, low power and poor fuel economy.

Have a compression test done.

If it is the rings there is nothing you can do except pull the engine apart and replace the rings, which will be timely and expensive.

[impulsive]

my thoughts exactly ^^

Mate just got rid of his car for this reason (major blow-by) Worn rings isnt an easy fix nor a cheap one, if i remember rightly 3k was a rebuild alone

I think that generally with the alloytecs, if you pull the hose that goes from the passenger bank rocker cover to the intake pipe off at the intake pipe, and there is pressurised grey smoke coming from there thats a sign of blow by

[CRUSTIN]

someone please tell me what he means by breathing heavy, I haven't got a clue.

[impulsive]

well i assumed he was talking about exactly as above ^^ blow by

[me&myVZ]

I haven't noticed high oil consumption, low power or poor fuel economy. Apparently there is oil in an inlet or something. I don't understand it as the car is running fantastically!

[richardpalinkas]

pull the hose off that goes to the air intake pipe and see if it is blowwing smoke out of it, or vapor. block the hole on the intake pipe with your finger while the car is running. let us know what is happening

[me&myVZ]

Well Im hoping I did it correctly, but noting happened. And I didn't notice any smoke.

[impulsive]

What do you mean exactly by "its breathing heavy" its low on RPM, the exhaust it different?

[me&myVZ]

Well to be honest impulsive I don't know. It was the term the mechanic used. My car is stock standard and built to police specification with the exhaust that was installed at the factory. It's driving perfectly and the Revs have never changed.