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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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 Posted - 10 Oct 2006 : 7:00:01 PM
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Common problems for the VN include (but aren't limited to):
1) As mentioned, they have a bit of an appetite for fuel pumps. For no real reason, they just seem to eat fuel pumps. One second you're cruising happily the next you can't even get the engine to idle.
2) Crank Angle sensor. If you have a look at the front of the engine, down the bottom you'll see a BIG pulley. Behind that there are some fins that are attached to it, on the passengerside of the pulley there is a little sensor with wires running to it. This sensor is responsible for telling the ECU where the crank is in the engine, so that it can time the spark and the injection properly. Typically when these go they start to stall the engine when it's hot, when they cool down it can be restarted. If the engine stalls for no apparent reason pour some water over the CAS and try to restart it...they cost about $70 from Bursons and you can do it yourself provided you can get the harmonic balancer off
3) Harmonic Balancer. Remember the big pulley from number 2? That's called the harmonic balancer. It's a large rubber disk with a metal circumference. Over time the rubber cracks and splits and eventually falls to pieces. If your car ever starts to sound like a Sherman tank then check the harmonic balancer ;)
4) Rear main seal. This is a large problem in the S1 motors, because it's a two piece rope seal, it's less of an issue with the S2. It's widely regarded as the WORST job to do on a VN. They start to weep from the moment they are put in, after about 250,000km it's time to look at using a thicker oil to slow the leak, about a 20-60W oil is good. After 350,000km either look at using a 25W or a 30W oil or getting an engine rebuild.
5) Front strut tower bearing plates. Open the bonnet and at the top of each of the strut towers you'll see a black rubber surface. This should be flat and not cracked. If it's bulging or cracked...time to think about replacing it. It's a VERY important part of the suspension and when/if it fails will at least punch a nice big dint in your bonnet, I have seen a few that have punctured the bonnet.
6) Factory LSD. The LSD that Holden supplied with the VN was good for one thing...crusing. Anything more 'spirited' and you'll find that you quickly have to get it re-tightened. A properly working LSD is a wonderful traction aid for the VN (and god knows it needs it), but the Factory one simply wears too quickly.
7) Boot leak. Holden was so kind as to provide a water feature as a factory fitted piece of equipment. You had to pay extra for air-conditioning, but the water feature in the boot came free of charge. Check out the how-to section for a list of things to do to waterproof your boot. I don't know of too many that don't leak.
8) RUST. I'm not talking about little bits of rust that every car has when it gets to 18 years of age, I'm talking about the rust that forms along the top of the front and rear windscreens. Keep a close eye on it.
9) Steering racks/pumps. It seems to be more and more of a common failure, probably just due to age, but I know of a lot of VN's that have either just had their rack/pump done or they are about to.
10) Coil packs. It's not unusual to find a VN that's dropped a cylinder or two, either with a dodgy lead or a dodgy coil pack. Either way, make sure that when the coil packs get replaced you use the ones from the S2 motor.
It may seem like a long list, but seriously, they aren't bad cars. And most of the stuff that I've listed is fairly easy to fix yourself. With the exception of the rear main seal, everything can be done at home with a good tool kit, a mate and some beer. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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