VS 95 commodore ecotech auto

[Squash85]

Hi, I need some input from the hive mind, I'll preface by saying I know almost nothing about cars....when my mates in school where saying; "there goes a brand new holden SS!!!" I'd be saying " there goes a....ute!!!"..

I have a Holden vs v6 executive 95 model, auto.. I bought it off the original owner, all (most) original (he only drove it to and from work at the super market around the corner), its ODO stopped working around 270k mark after i bought it, I'd say maby 300k estimate it has on it......

I'm slowly learning.... and would like to invest a bit more time and money into it while I'm learning...

So far:

Work done by mechanics over the last 3 years for rego:
New battery
New starter motor
New ignition barrel (he broke the ignition barrel while testing the starter..
It's old it happens, I trust him)..
Looked at air con for me said it'll probably cost more then the cars worth to get it fixed (doesn't blow cold...does blow...)

Things I've done(learnt from youtube):

Oil change
Brake pad change
Coolant flush and change
Spark plug change
Clean and detail inside and out (that.. caribou? wax did wonders for the old paint)
Cleaned the engine bay (you tube)
Changed head lights
Changed fuses where needed
Removed wiper motor (mechanic sourced and replaced a second hand one as I was working away and rego was due)...
Gonna tint the windows next.

..while I was under the hood wiping down the engine bay, I thought what can I do to improve my knowledge and this car??

Questions:

Where's a good place for a "learner" to start?.

Can I maby replace all the cables/hoses in the engine bay to make more reliable/shine?.

Is there a good place to start with regards to replacing oil filters, air filters, ect?.

How do you guys find what parts/upgrades you could put into your specific vehicle? (Any tips here greatly appreciated)

What in your opinion would deliver there best bang for my buck/learning? Eg: engine, exhaust, tyres, Electrics???

Thanks for any input team...
Kindest regards,

The "there goes a.....ute" guy...

 

[losh1971]

My suggestion would be to book it into My Car for a $75 safety inspection. They will give you a list of what it needs. Then from there you can start to work out what the priorities are. Jump online and buy a Gregory's or an Haynes or get one from Repco etc if they have one. This is what I did when I bought my old VR ute and everything they told me it needed doing sure enough did. Unfortunately I left the tailshaft bearing too long and it blew out on a remote road with no phone for 30km back towards Town.

 

[Squash85]

My suggestion would be to book it into My Car for a $75 safety inspection. They will give you a list of what it needs. Then from there you can start to work out what the priorities are. Jump online and buy a Gregory's or an Haynes or get one from Repco etc if they have one. This is what I did when I bought my old VR ute and everything they told me it needed doing sure enough did. Unfortunately I left the tailshaft bearing too long and it blew out on a remote road with no phone for 30km back towards Town.

Thanks for the tip, it's never given me any trouble till early last year so I figured she'll be right, but, I'll definitely look into this as it seems like a solid starting point

 

[the_boozer]

do you need a yearly inspection in NSW ask the mob you get to inspect it what they think it needs. ie radiator and heater hoses , my friend was too tight to do heater hose when he did radiator hoses one of the old heater hoses held him up in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Squash85]

As luck would have it the guys I take it to are the same guys it's been taken to since new (small town) they are fairly leniant with rego stuff, but they have always been honest with me, like if somthing really needs to get done they do it, I don't really beat em up about it, they do both mine and my missus cars and they've always given me an honest explanation of the works required...

Maby I should ask them specifically to go over it with a fine tooth comb, considering I want to keep it for a long time and "invest" in it if possible???

 

[stick3]

change oil/filter at 5000k air filter every couple of years you can pull it out to check if it dirty just replace it there not dear and fuel filter about 50k try not to let the tank fall under 1/4 that also helps keep the fuel pump cool and whats on the bottom of the tank clogging up the filter

flush the brake fluid and you have done the rest and of course something will break but the old vs they are easy to work on not as complex as later cars parts are easy to get

there only one crucial part you cannot buy now vs v6 is the fuel pressure regulator
i have solve that problem by fitting a aftermarket adjustable fpr which i have fitted to my 95 vs ute and i had it since new