cds
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2008
- Messages
- 309
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- Location
- Frankston, VIC
- Members Ride
- VE SSV Ute & WM Statesman
Hi Guys,
I've got 3 friends who own a VE and 2 mates at work who also own, they all own either a 2006 or 2007 model and in the last 12 month have been hit but what I am now seeing more frequently on JC/VE Forums appearing also for others.
Most of my mates try and fix these issues themselves now that there car is our of new car warranty but they are guessing what the problem might be, as some had intermittent engine light appearance day in and day out, and then some where very infrequent might appear for 2 days, then not again for several days and then of course there was me who has ESP turn off occasionally at low speeds and then sometimes the check engine light would illuminate.
I have spoken and looked at (my friends, work mates) VE's at my home and without a Tech2/Cheap Scan tool we have fooled around abit. Out of 6 VE (3 been Omega, 2 Been Sv6 and 1 been Calais) we have been able to get rid of the issue although I cant be sure how we fixed it has fixed the issue entirely but its stopped the engine light from illuminating and reporting issues with ESP. - Without a Tech2/Scan Tool you are guessing on issues. So if it was a drivechain issue then doing any of the below wouldnt fix it as I do know some 2006 models did suffer from drivechain problems. If you kept your car good until end of warranty then its likely this post might help.
I preformed the following things on each of the cars and costed me a total of $180 per car in stuff from Supercheap/Autobarn.
In summer, with outside temperatures above 38 degrees with your AIRCON running at max you may find your dash light up the alternator illumination and display on screen to check alternator - this has been seen on several cars and the alternator light just went away a day after. Dont have an explanation for this other than, its not a permanent issue as if it was the alternator illumination would remain days after.
To Reset Engine Illumination on Dash without a ScanTool/Tech2 disconnect the battery from the car for half an hour, your clocks and everything in the car will reset though (Radio Stations buttons/config Stayed for me?) - The logged error code will still remain in the computer regardless but this will get rid of the annoying orange dash light. Otherwise if you have done the above tasks you can just wait for a day or two and it should just go away of the fault was resolved.
I'm not sure how to check the transmission fluid level as I believe the 5 speed auto's dont have a dipstick in the engine bay and you need to get underneath to check - need someone to verify and fact this up a bit more.
On all the cars I preformed the above, I haven't seen or been told the engine light to illuminate or ESP randomly turn itself off and its been up to 6 month for some and couple month for mine and others.
This isnt a guide, or anything more a fact of interest as I know if your anything like me small issues like this bug me, especially when the car seems to run fine with then engine light on (minus ESP working). For $180 some may prefer to preform these tasks rather than, book at a local dealer and pay possibly more because if a ABS sensor is dirty they would quote to replace rather than just clean it. (Then again some just prefer to replace, but each to there own).
If anyone has any feedback, or would like pictures of any of the work preformed above, let me know I did take some on my iPhone incase I decided to write several howto's for VE V6 Alloytecs.
And if anyone does do the above and it solves there issue, please post to let others know of your symptoms and what you did to resolve. You could save someone a bit of cash
Cheers :boxing:
I've got 3 friends who own a VE and 2 mates at work who also own, they all own either a 2006 or 2007 model and in the last 12 month have been hit but what I am now seeing more frequently on JC/VE Forums appearing also for others.
Most of my mates try and fix these issues themselves now that there car is our of new car warranty but they are guessing what the problem might be, as some had intermittent engine light appearance day in and day out, and then some where very infrequent might appear for 2 days, then not again for several days and then of course there was me who has ESP turn off occasionally at low speeds and then sometimes the check engine light would illuminate.
I have spoken and looked at (my friends, work mates) VE's at my home and without a Tech2/Cheap Scan tool we have fooled around abit. Out of 6 VE (3 been Omega, 2 Been Sv6 and 1 been Calais) we have been able to get rid of the issue although I cant be sure how we fixed it has fixed the issue entirely but its stopped the engine light from illuminating and reporting issues with ESP. - Without a Tech2/Scan Tool you are guessing on issues. So if it was a drivechain issue then doing any of the below wouldnt fix it as I do know some 2006 models did suffer from drivechain problems. If you kept your car good until end of warranty then its likely this post might help.
I preformed the following things on each of the cars and costed me a total of $180 per car in stuff from Supercheap/Autobarn.
- Remove each ABS sensor and clean.
- Flushed Coolling System (not required unless 5 years old as per holden spec, but I did this anyway as we were clueless of causes of engine light).
- Changed Engine Oil & Filter
- Check AirFilter, none looked like it needed replacing so we didnt do this - but it is an idea if its due.
- Replace spark plugs, even if your not feeling misfire or loss of power - all cars were above 140k in odometer reading.
- If you are getting just intermittent ESP turning off and have ever seen ABS illuminate or Alternator symbol on screen check your Battery Voltage with car off for more than 4 hours and should be ~13v, with car running 14.2v+ if its under these there is any issue here. You can either replace your battery for anything between 180-240$ for a decent one and play the luck game or book at local holden dealer. ABS will fault if there is low voltage detected which will mean ESP will turn off forcefully and even if your car can start if your battery has been on low voltage for awhile could indicate issue with your battery or alternator. + We all know some 2006 models suffered from a software issue to do with draining battery so if your car never got this, holden service may be the wiser choice so there responsible in fixing it as they will suggest to put a new battery in even if you have already done so.
In summer, with outside temperatures above 38 degrees with your AIRCON running at max you may find your dash light up the alternator illumination and display on screen to check alternator - this has been seen on several cars and the alternator light just went away a day after. Dont have an explanation for this other than, its not a permanent issue as if it was the alternator illumination would remain days after.
To Reset Engine Illumination on Dash without a ScanTool/Tech2 disconnect the battery from the car for half an hour, your clocks and everything in the car will reset though (Radio Stations buttons/config Stayed for me?) - The logged error code will still remain in the computer regardless but this will get rid of the annoying orange dash light. Otherwise if you have done the above tasks you can just wait for a day or two and it should just go away of the fault was resolved.
I'm not sure how to check the transmission fluid level as I believe the 5 speed auto's dont have a dipstick in the engine bay and you need to get underneath to check - need someone to verify and fact this up a bit more.
On all the cars I preformed the above, I haven't seen or been told the engine light to illuminate or ESP randomly turn itself off and its been up to 6 month for some and couple month for mine and others.
This isnt a guide, or anything more a fact of interest as I know if your anything like me small issues like this bug me, especially when the car seems to run fine with then engine light on (minus ESP working). For $180 some may prefer to preform these tasks rather than, book at a local dealer and pay possibly more because if a ABS sensor is dirty they would quote to replace rather than just clean it. (Then again some just prefer to replace, but each to there own).
If anyone has any feedback, or would like pictures of any of the work preformed above, let me know I did take some on my iPhone incase I decided to write several howto's for VE V6 Alloytecs.
And if anyone does do the above and it solves there issue, please post to let others know of your symptoms and what you did to resolve. You could save someone a bit of cash
Cheers :boxing:
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