VL 30e Idle and gearbox woes

[dazza84]

Hello everyone, just purchased my second VL exec to do up and run into a couple of dramas already and would really appreciate any help offered.

1. when cold starting engine misses quite badly for about 20-30 sec and if i try to rev it it just bogs down and can hear it backfiring through the intake, then out of nowhere revs suddenly raise by it self and smooth out as if a choke has come on, once warmed up it seems to idle quite high about 1500rpm or more i think (guess) and it wants to stall as soon as its put in gear, i cant work out why.

2. Another problem i have is overdrive is not working at all (only 3 gears) and when i have the PWR/overdrive(off) button on/out and switch the headlights on the PWR light on the dash goes out, really weird.

3. Gear selector wont go into first.

other then that on the road the engine runs smooth and quiet but gear changes seem slightly firm. So hopefully someone on here could give me an idea of whats going on cause its got me stumped. Cheers

 

[harry3]

you need to switch ign on and wait until fuel pump stops whining before starting motor, with foot off accelerator

 

[detox_nath83]

They r a 4 speed gearbox with lockup converter(overdrive) u will find either the trans ecu is failing or somebody has unplugged the lockup solenoid on the side of the box to stop the lockup shudder which is a common problem on the jatco 4spd

 

[IMCRZY]

They r a 4 speed gearbox with lockup converter(overdrive) u will find either the trans ecu is failing or somebody has unplugged the lockup solenoid on the side of the box to stop the lockup shudder which is a common problem on the jatco 4spd

No they are a 3 speed with an over drive or 4th.... The lock up is just in the converter and not a gear.... Id say the speed sensor could be an issue with the OD not working....

And id say your cold start has failed thats why is **** on start up, i have removed my cold start and have the same problem when cold

 

[Munz]

agreed with detox they are 4speed as you can turn off the electronic overdrive solenoid and still retain the extra gear

Jatco do make a 3speed that were used in datsun/nissan vehicles - 3n71b, VL/Skyline use the 4n71b gearbox

 

[Jxfwsf]

1. sounds like afm or cas issues (the temp related effect leans me more toward cas), beg and borrow a replacement to confirm before going out and spending big bucks on replacements

2. if nothing has been disconnected on the trans i'd be pulling the cluster out and making sure all the connections are clean and not corroded/tarnished, especially the small lead on the speedo with 6 wires (this is the vss connector) also check the plugs going to the auto ecu (to the right and below the steering wheel where the fuse box was in earlier commodores)

3. pull the console apart and double check gate control on the selector and make sure it's moving enough to allow the selector to go into first position, sounds like it's not moving far enough.

 

[dazza2384]

sorry about the late reply, i have found that the cold start issue was the water temp sensor not connected properly (broken right the way around where the clip goes) pushed the sensor plug on and started perfectly but still high idle once warm, I havent had a chance to go for a drive to check the overdrive cause of work and also a flat tyre, will report back once i get a chance to check the rest of the advised sensors. Thanks alot guys for all the replys.

 

[dazza2384]

and in regards to the possible cluster issue the odo says 750000k so possibly been fiddled with considering the interior is almost (almost) like new ive never come across a stock vl 30e auto thats so clean, all seat fabric in like new condition (seat covers) only mods by previous owner have been pods fitted to the front door cards, 6x9's semi lovingly hacked into the rear parcel shelf and a nice JVC head unit. If the issue with gearbox stays a problem i think ill just get this one converted to reco manual aswell seems to be alot less drama.

 

[Jxfwsf]

Didn't mean a cluster issue as in tampered with or changed, the car is 24-26 years old and the contacts for plugs on the cluster are not gold plated, they're either copper (which after that many years will tarnish), solder plated (the top plug and solder which is lead/tin will tarnish quicker than copper, nfi why holden did this) and the smaller plugs are i'm guessing nickel plated which will also tarnish.

Tarnish or corrosion will cause an issue with electrical conductivity.

I've seen this cause a problem in a couple of vl's i've owned and have known many more to suffer from it also, unplugging and plugging back in the connector scratches the layer off and creates a good contact again.

 

[detox_nath83]

the odo is gear driven and as stated the cars are old.. this gear breaks/stripps as it gets brittle.
u can get the replacement gear on ebay.
mine starting making intermittent problems while driving. then it stopped. for about 3 months then all wheels slowly turned and mine is now stuck at 750XXX kms lol..

good test on your cts sensor is get your car to operating temp, and unplug the sensor.. if the rpm speeds up once unplugged and slows once plugged back on it is functioning correctly.

if no rpm changes its either your CTS or the plug