VF Issues without resolution from dealer

[Redline16]

I find going to another dealer can sometimes help, certain ones don't give a crap and others will go out of their way to help

 

[deanojet]

I find going to another dealer can sometimes help, certain ones don't give a crap and others will go out of their way to help

It's a shame as I have been taking our Holden Vehicles to this dealership for the past 8 years for log book services.

 

[revster]

4. Cold start producing loud knocking sound until warm and even while driving sounds like I am driving a diesel from inside the car. (normal apparently)

Wait three minutes at least before driving from cold. Yes it is normal

You can't be serious. The engine produces a loud knocking sound until warm and your advice it to wait 3 minutes? It sure as hell isn't normal in my VF.

 

[Immortality]

Should be able to drive a car from a cold start without waiting. Even my much older VN commodore owners handbook states their is no need to warm up the engine as it just wastes petrol yada yada yada.

The only consideration would be to not over rev the engine.

 

[TinSnips]

re. the seat issue, do you mean it rocks back and forward and seems loose?

If so, the same thing happened on my previous VE, a number of times. It was caused by a bent base bracket that houses, going by the cost of replacement, someone's first born.

 

[PIR4TE]

You can't be serious. The engine produces a loud knocking sound until warm and your advice it to wait 3 minutes? It sure as hell isn't normal in my VF.

Yes I'm serious. See I've studied this particular engine and associated owners comments here for nearly four years now, and is likely a short duration lifter tick noise that occurs after cold start and can last for several minutes. Under certain conditions that is normal, the result of air in the high pressure chamber of the lifter affecting valve train lash. When this occurs, valve closing velocity is increased, which causes the noise.

Air can be present in the lifter at shutdown due to an aerated oil condition, or it can be ingested into the lifter during a cold start from a suction side leak at the oil pump or oil pump pick up tube o-ring. Oil aeration level, oil viscosity, time to achieve oil pressure, engine speed, and lifter design all play a part in whether lifter noise is observed. Once air gets into the high pressure chamber, it will slowly be expelled through the very tight clearance of the plunger and body.

I found the simplest way to confirm the above is on cold start you pre-pressurise the lifters by putting the accelerator flat to the floor and turning engine over three or four times, two or three times (ECU will not let it start). If noise is just as loud then it's not just an aerated lifter issue.

OP simply organize to leave the car with dealer to perform a cylinder power balance test when cold, as you suspect an aerated lifter issue. Those keywords and documented result of the investigation is actionable, even if they are deaf. The cause of the issue can be repaired easily under warranty and is statistically unlikely to be anything more sinister, in any case the Tech2 will pick-up if the noise is local to one cylinder (valvetrain or piston pin or piston to cylinder wall).

Certain ticking noise within three minutes of startup is normal for myriad reasons, I am not suggesting that you ignore these sounds rather get to know them and not panic is all.

Is this normal?
[video=youtube_share;1blRAkgAFWg]http://youtu.be/1blRAkgAFWg[/video]

Over the past 180,000km under various conditions the startup noise does change, generally nothing to worry about with L77.

Should be able to drive a car from a cold start without waiting. Even my much older VN commodore owners handbook states their is no need to warm up the engine as it just wastes petrol yada yada yada.

The only consideration would be to not over rev the engine.

Worrying about wasting petrol during critical moments of startup is false economy.

 

[Neptunesblood]

My VF doesn't make any knocking sound when its cold?

 

[PIR4TE]

My VF doesn't make any knocking sound when its cold?

Haha! Thanks for that. If only everyone who didn't have an issue chimed in when someone does, this forum would be a lot more active!!

 

[deanojet]

Thanks for the detailed reponses pir4te.

re. the seat issue, do you mean it rocks back and forward and seems loose?

If so, the same thing happened on my previous VE, a number of times. It was caused by a bent base bracket that houses, going by the cost of replacement, someone's first born.

Yeh, when I go around corners or accelerate, I feel it move under me. It's a really annoying issue.