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Black EST 202 pinging so is it a CAS vac leak or the EGR

1985VK

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I dont think youll ever get much out that way, when you pull the sleeves out youll see why.

I can tell the passages are convoluted around the sleeves ... i am also tempted to rig some tubing into the port and load it with carby cleaner for a good soak (the crud is soft and oily) and then blow the crud out with compressed air. Maybe that will work? What do you think?
 

1985VK

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For those that want to pull the sleeves out of a cylinder here is one way to do it ... use a cylinder sleeve puller ... or make your own

 

VK SL 3800

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If it soft you might have a chance, but its just gonna flush a lot of crud into the intake, mine was rock hard and needed to be chiseled out.
 

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Its a very rudimentary ignition system, i would recommend ditching it for a Blue motor dizzy.
Its not adjustable in anyway, moving the Dizzy does not do anything. All it does is point the rotor button roughly at a plug lead and the ECM fires the coil.

This is all true (from what I remember).
My VK had the black 202 with varajet carb. Pinged its heart out, it did. I did a complete flush of the cooling system as well as clean out the emmission components, didn't help.
Attempting to adjust the distributor does jack. It is set by the ECU. I connected a timing light on to it and thought something wasn't right when I couldn't adjust it. Should have just swapped with a blue motor dizzy and the whole thing would have run sweeter, but I didn't.

The little plastic vacuum hose trees that screw into the inlet manifold will be brittle and will snap easily. Now this is testing the brain cells but I recall the thread being either 1/2" BSP or BSW (is anyone able to confirm?) , so when one snaps off you can temporarily blank the hole in the manifold with a bolt or plug or find the right sized tap to clean out the threads.
 

1985VK

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Did you get the EGR and thermal valve working? It is supposed to open up and let some exhaust gas through when the engine is hot to reduce combustion temp.
 

Angus5

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I do remember having issues with it and I am sure it was resolved. Was it the large diaphragm situated under the centre of the inlet manifold, connected to the exhaust manifold with the air hose connected via a valve screwed into the thermostat housing? I sold the VK many years ago so the memory is a little dim.

I put the pinging down to running unleaded through an engine designed to run on leaded fuel. The rating in those days was 89 or 87, not even the 91 we have now.
 

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It is interesting that you say it reduces combustion temperature. I would have assumed that it would increase it, but you are right as VK SL 3800 puts it.

What it does lowers peak combustion temp creating less Nox and therefore being cooler you can advance the timing further before getting pinging.
Without the EGR its hotter so you get the ping.
 

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While we are on the subject of VKs, mine was certainly the best handling commodore I have owned. With wider rubber and stiffer struts it was a joy to drive through the Adelaide hills. The borg warner 4 speed wasn't anything special but it certainly wasn't a heavy shift. I then moved onto a 5 speed VN. The engine was a big improvement over the 202 but the handling was woeful.

It was second hand but fitted with the original rims and tyre size - Goodyear 185/75 R14. Yep, remember them. Massive understeer in even just a mild hurry and matched with strong power steering with little feed back did not help. Wider rubber and new struts did help but i realised then it was never going to handle as sweetly as the VK.
 

1985VK

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Weird thing with the EST is many say it is not adjustable. I am not sure that is true. The VK was pinging and i decided to rotate the rotor cap slightly and it made a good difference. Rotating the cap moves the spark plug contacts around relative to the position of the rotor button. It must affect the timing.
 
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