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Please help guys, powertrain warning light drives me mad!!!

Commy SV6

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Hi guys,

Recently joined here! I know some of you will probably post "do a search" :hmmm: but Im currently banging my head against the wall with this "powertrain warning light" in the dash.

This warning light came on a week after 120000 kms service was done by my local Holden dealership here in Campbelltown NSW. Being the first time this has happened to me straight away I took the car in to a Holden workshop in Wetherill Park. They reckon one of the bank II O2 sensor is faulty so they replaced it, reset the code and off I went...... The following day this warning light re-appeared again so I returned back there where they had my car for a full day, checked everything, picked up the car in the arvo all is good, again on my way home that arvo the bloody light came on again!! :bomb:

Fed up, frustrated and wanted to get a 2nd opinion, I booked the car in to my local dealership for them to diagnose the fault and fix the problem. They rang me during the day and they came up with the same diagnostic as the 1st workshop ( O2 sensor ), at this stage I didnt really care I just told them to fix whatever that needs to be fixed so they fitted a new O2 sensor to my car. Picked up the car in the arvo and the lady in the counter told me that if the light re-appear again they'd have to do a software upgrade to the car ( means more money and more time wasted ).
Guess what????? The following morning this friggin light came back on! So I basically hit the roof, after multiple emails sent to them, I spoke to their service manager and expected them to perform this software upgrade for me free of charge ( booked in next Wednesday ) as obviously they have come up with a wrong diagnostic. They have agreed to do this and I will see how I go next Wednesday. If this software upgrade doesnt fix the problem I will demand a refund. :banstick:

My question is, what could be the real problem of this? Any ex Holden techs / Holden experts here that could help me with this? I doubt that this "software upgrade" will fix the problem, I think this was more their way to cover their f**k up. I dont think they have any idea of whats going on with the problem and they just pulled this "software upgrade" bs out of their a**e.

I really wanted to get this problem fixed once and for all, looked in this forum and I have tried disconnecting the battery and the ECU fuse. The light would go away for say 15-20 minutes and it would re-appear again :hmmm:

Please shed some lights my fellow forum members, especially VZ SV6 owners out there that had similar problems in the past. :idea3:

Cheers!
 

fixedit

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Same problem when I changed the spark plugs myself. Its the intake manifold gasket. They probably broke it when they lifted the manifold and didn't bother replacing it. The engine senses a problem because its taking in air from the break in the gasket. A new gasket is around $75. I just got some high temp sealer from the spare parts place, cleaned up the gasket and put sealer wherever i thought there was a problem/break in the gasket. Engine light hasn't come back on in 2 months.
 

Commy SV6

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Same problem when I changed the spark plugs myself. Its the intake manifold gasket. They probably broke it when they lifted the manifold and didn't bother replacing it. The engine senses a problem because its taking in air from the break in the gasket. A new gasket is around $75. I just got some high temp sealer from the spare parts place, cleaned up the gasket and put sealer wherever i thought there was a problem/break in the gasket. Engine light hasn't come back on in 2 months.

I know yes its a possibility, apparently Holden doesnt sell the stupid paper gaskets anymore, they have the metal ones now. So did you think I should mention this to them? And if they buggered the original paper gaskets and this caused the warning light to come on, what is my chance of getting them to fit the new metal gaskets there for free? Surely they will try everything they can to not do this.......... :axe:
 

fixedit

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Check to see if they billed you for a gasket. If they didn't you could argue they should have replaced it. Bit hard to prove either way. I think the gasket would always break when the manifold is removed.... It doesn't take long to get it off yourself. Maybe worth a try.
 

Commy SV6

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Check to see if they billed you for a gasket. If they didn't you could argue they should have replaced it. Bit hard to prove either way. I think the gasket would always break when the manifold is removed.... It doesn't take long to get it off yourself. Maybe worth a try.

Thanks for your reply mate, I will mention this to them next Wednesday and we'll see how I go. Checked my invoice and no gaskets were billed to me, so yes the pimple-faced 16 years old apprentice probably stuffed the gaskets and didnt replace them!!
I know I could get this done myself but my principle is "if you stuffed it, you fix it" so I will take this up to them and until they fix this warning light problem they will not see the back of me!

Anyone else out there that could help me with a possible explanation as to why this warning light keep coming back on?

Cheers guys!!
 

mattyr82

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i had same prob with "check powertrain", i changed all 4 o2 sensors and it went away, i hindsight i would have only lashed out the cash for the front 2, 1st, as they are the main culprits i have read.
all gaskets are metal now as in the ve's, they are better and hardier, i am doubtful that they would have broken or if they did left a broken gasket on there.
did ur mechanic only change 1 o2 sensor? i would have thought that changing the pair would be the go.
apparently coils are a problematic item for these cars also. i am changing mine soon i think.
 

Commy SV6

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i had same prob with "check powertrain", i changed all 4 o2 sensors and it went away, i hindsight i would have only lashed out the cash for the front 2, 1st, as they are the main culprits i have read.
all gaskets are metal now as in the ve's, they are better and hardier, i am doubtful that they would have broken or if they did left a broken gasket on there.
did ur mechanic only change 1 o2 sensor? i would have thought that changing the pair would be the go.
apparently coils are a problematic item for these cars also. i am changing mine soon i think.
1st workshop replaced the bank 1 sensor ( before cat ), 2nd workshop replaced the bank 2 sensor ( before cat also ). The thing that pisses me off is that both of them diagnosed the car, plugged in their u-beaut TECH2 thingo, it tells them that the O2 sensor is buggered, it even tells them which sensor, which bank etc but the PROBLEM REMAINS. The reason I took the car to Holden was that they are suppose to be the experts and have all these technical informations handy when problems like this arise but unfortunately it isnt working at the moment. I will let youse know how I go tomorrow with the software upgrade!
 

mattyr82

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1st workshop replaced the bank 1 sensor ( before cat ), 2nd workshop replaced the bank 2 sensor ( before cat also ). The thing that pisses me off is that both of them diagnosed the car, plugged in their u-beaut TECH2 thingo, it tells them that the O2 sensor is buggered, it even tells them which sensor, which bank etc but the PROBLEM REMAINS. The reason I took the car to Holden was that they are suppose to be the experts and have all these technical informations handy when problems like this arise but unfortunately it isnt working at the moment. I will let youse know how I go tomorrow with the software upgrade!
so i assume they/you disconnected the battery for a while, to reset the cpu? also maybe make sure the wires to the o2 sensors havnt been rubbing on exhaust etc. its a tough one mate, when this happened to me, i just change everything as it needed to be done anyway. plugs, filters, cleaned throttle body, new o2 sensors and that fixed it, if it didnt i was gonna do the coils, but it is hesitating on takeoff under heavy accelaration lately so they may need to be done. good luck mate hope you figure it out. keep us posted
 

Commy SV6

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so i assume they/you disconnected the battery for a while, to reset the cpu? also maybe make sure the wires to the o2 sensors havnt been rubbing on exhaust etc. its a tough one mate, when this happened to me, i just change everything as it needed to be done anyway. plugs, filters, cleaned throttle body, new o2 sensors and that fixed it, if it didnt i was gonna do the coils, but it is hesitating on takeoff under heavy accelaration lately so they may need to be done. good luck mate hope you figure it out. keep us posted

:banstick::banstick::banstick: I have had it with this problem..... Took the car in back to Holden to get the software upgraded, it went alright for 35kms trip to work in the morning. Guess what on my way home this arvo, it came back on again. Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep :bomb::bomb::bomb:
Yes mate, I have tried disconnecting both the battery and the ECU fuse with no luck. Both dealerships might've had it reseted through their TECH2 scan tool though.

I am going to demand a refund from them because the problem wasn't fixed also worth mentioning that they billed me for this software upgrade but I refused to pay as their diagnostic is obviously INCORRECT and the problem wasnt fixed the first time around. So people if you take your car to a Holden dealership to get it repaired and if the problem still exist, get it up them, dont let them trying to pull their BS out of their a**e and expect you to keep paying more and more for their incompetence.

Im not sure of the sensor wiring rubbing against exhaust mate but if this was the case wouldn't you think they would've picked this up? :banstick:
Plugs were done in the last 120000kms service last December and there is no hesitation whatsoever from the engine, everything with the car / engine is normal so this is a tough one fellas.....
As soon as I have got my money refunded its time to find a "real mechanic" and let them find out whats wrong with it. Stay away from Holden Service I'd say, bunch of uselesss and pathetic people!

Its a shame that Holden built great cars but their aftersales support is crap!
 

JAAV

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Try an up to date Auto sparkie....Lot of mechs out there dont have the tools or know how..Got some problem VZ in the shop now thats costing a lot of time that cant be recovered. Even the Holden dealers send out the problem cars, we have to know everything and then get hammerd by the customers because we dont know our job. I think some ppl need to see the other side of the fence....
 
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