Yet another SV6 timing chain

[SgtBundy]

I have an MY10 SV6 auto which has always been Holden serviced as per the schedule. Just prior to the 90000 service started making unusual noises which I thought were transmission related, but at the service I was told it was simply low on oil (they didnt elaborate on what, and I assumed it was transmission not engine oil). The day after the service I got a "check engine" alert - I wanted to bring it straight back but was told I needed to book in again which wasn't possible with work at the time. The alert went away in a day or so. Not wanting to cop a service fee for what could be nothing I let it go, but after a while it started coming back intermittently. The car performed fine though which led me to dismissing it thinking it was just a sensor or something that got loose in the service.

With it persisting around the 99000k and the noise returning I took it to a different dealer. Again the oil was down again (4L in 10000km) and the codes were P0008 - which they told me was timing chain related. The recommendation was to do the firmware change to widen the timings and do an oil consumption test. As they also did the 105000 service as well as replacing the rear brake discs as well as an ECU clean, I left feeling like Homer in the tyre shop and now knowing that screwed feeling is common to whatever Holden dealer you get serviced by.

Since then the car has been fine. My own oil checks seemed fine and the oil consumption test I was told it had not used anything.

In the last week 3 things happened - I renewed the rego for a year, I paid the last payment on the car loan for it, and the fscking check engine light came back at 110000km. Its gone away again, but the feel of the engine is off - it labours a lot more, it seems sluggish to build power.

I have read the other threads. Yes, I left the serving to Holden as per the schedule - as a consumer I should be able to trust in that. I also copped the lecture from Dad about checking the oil myself, but in 4 commodores its never been an issue. My only defence is as an IT guy I expect alerts to tell me things (like low oil).

What I am looking at is I only planned to hang on to the car for another year, looking to replace it with a VFII next year. I am really not keen to spend $3000 to do the chain replacement if it comes to that, especially as I now see on redbook that is 1/3rd the cars value. I am also not keen to get Holden to tell me its needed, because of course they will say it is. I also guess having this hanging over the car makes the trade in difficult. What I would like to know is:

- If I ride this out what is the worst case? Is the engine going to fail spectacularly or just come to a grinding limp mode halt? I would really rather just live with it if its an annoying warning until our finances are ready for a new car, but if there are risks to it obviously I need to do something earlier.
- How likely is this affecting MY10s? I see there are threads for it, but all the detailed information seems to suggest it was mostly on earlier VEs. Could Holden just be jumping to a conclusion because its a VE SV6 throwing P0008?
- I want to get an OBD2 reader to check these codes - is there any metrics out that that I can look for that might give a clue as to how bad this situation is?

Thanks.

 

[Xplaya]

1. I drove my car with the check engine light for like 3 months, before then i think the previous owner drove it a bit longer before i bit the bullet and changed them. But in saying that, it sounds like this guy (https://forums.justcommodores.com.a...-v6-berlina-engine-replacement-options.251850) may have had his chain break or something cause he reckons he did not jump into limp mode? So its a gamble if you leave it.

2. There is a few threads that suggest it also happens with SIDIs, it comes down to servicing. Lack of services etc can bring on the problem.

3. Dont think there is any reading that can tell you if its really bad to safe, you can try the computer update which extends the parameters and once the engine light comes back on you pretty much need to change them (You mentioned this in your post, But did you get it done?)

Its wierd how much oil you are going through? I never had that problem with my chains.

 

[Benboy]

If you are a member of an Auto Club (RACV, RACQ, NRMA etc) contact them and book your car in for a complete diagnostic check. They will do this in their workshop (usually) and provide you with an un-biased report. If not a member, suggest joining - it will undoubtedly save you money over the life of your car.

 

[All5litres]

I'd take it to an independent mechanic for a diagnosis but to answer your question timing chain faults are more common on earlier VE's until they revised the chains in 2007 but it still seems to be a fairly common issue on later years also.

Also the car is more likely to go into limp mode and sound like a tractor with a badly stretched chain, if it snaps it will cause all sorts of carnage in the timing case and may even put a valve through a piston if the SIDI is an interference engine(?)

If you decide to do the chains make sure you shop around, I had quotes from $1800 all the way up to $4500 for the job.

 

[redvxr8clubby]

Ultimately it sounds like you'll have to do the chain, one question though, do you run it Premium fuel? I had an MY10 SV6 until about 15 months ago and had a couple of instances of the check engine light coming on, I didn't get to get codes read, Holden dealer suggested trying premium and couldn't book the car in for at least a week and I was away in Brisbane at the time. About a day after topping up with premium, the check engine light was gone. I also had similar thing on one other occasion with the same car. My wife was driving an 06 Lancer until about 18 months ago, and in the months prior to selling that car, I found if you didn't run it on premium, the check engine light would come on, again I didn't get codes read, but some time after filling with premium the check engine light would go off. Even if I used 95 in the Lancer the check engine light would come on, it had to be 98 or the light would come on.

 

[SgtBundy]

The check engine actually came back this morning so I took it to Holden to get them to read the codes and confirm - came back as P0008 again so its pretty much the chain. Talking with the service guy he said I could keep running it, but its likely to warn more frequently and will generally continue to perform worse, but its not an as much of a showstopper as I thought.

With regards to the oil, it seems to have just been either side of that 90000 service. The last 10000k it seems to have used nothing, and the tech today said the firmware they applied last time also changes some vacuum setting which reduces oil consumption.

For fuel I have pretty much always run this on 95. As above no issues with it until around the 85000k mark when it started this noise issue with the oil, followed by the check engine warning after the 90000k service.

As our finances are not really in position to do a new car we probably need to get it addressed to keep it going another few years. I will shop around and see if I can find a better price on doing it though.

Its a pity because I was staking on finally getting an SS or SSV before they shut the shop on them next year. That said, given how this SV6 has ended up maybe its a good thing to keep an SS out of my hands....

 

[HellSoldier]

https://forums.justcommodores.com.a...-timing-chain-replacement.223960/post-2526255

First off, don't speak to a tech monkey who's been a mechanic and now works customer service. Speak to a manager. Explain to them that you've done the research and looked through forums and spoken with people who have had the same issue and that it was all taken care of by holden.

At this point, they'll say it's out of warranty and they won't fix it, get it in writing and let them know you'll be forwarding it on to the ACCC and Consumer affairs to complain as it's a known issue that multiple people have faced and had fixed out of pocket and if it's not rectified at Holdens cost, you'll take it even further.

You didn't #### up with the oil. I missed 3 or 4 services - completely. It was still covered because it was a known issue.

 

[Capsule]

My only defence is as an IT guy I expect alerts to tell me things (like low oil).

I'm not saying the low oil caused all your issues and don't take that as a lecture but, well, as an IT guy you should also know what RTFM means, and I'm pretty sure the manual says you need to check the oil level regularly.

It's probably the dealers fault tho. They make you think driving a car in the modern world is just about going to the dealership for services and not worrying about anything else.

Sorry to disappoint but this in not true

What do you think dealers want? They want your car to just last during the warranty period without too many issues for them to cover, and sell you a new one when it breaks.
Rings a bell?

If you want you car to last, take care of it yourself, or at least check that everything is OK between services.

Anyways, good luck and I hope Holden will cover some of the repair costs.