hey guys, i recently transplanted a rb30et into my calais (was a n/a but dropped in a complete genuine A8 block engine) but for some reason it does not idle. i have changed the AFM, TPS, AAC valve, coil pack, fuel reg, i've cleaned all the cam gear, changed spark plugs and leads, checked for vacuum leaks (found none). and it still won't idle. so i did a compression test on it and got the results at cranking speed (cold start): Cylinder 1 = 145psi Cylinder 2 = 145psi Cylinder 3 = 145psi Cylinder 4 = 130psi Cylinder 5 = 145psi Cylinder 6 = 135psi is that good or bad? i have had a search on here and read up on it, but no-one had the same kind of results so i thought i'd ask on here. If its bad would that stop the car from idling? or does anyone have any idea what could be stopping it? cheers for any info inferno. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

all seems pretty good 2 me nearly all the same wat doese it do idle then stall???

i start it, it maybe runs for a second then just drops down and dies. or i start it with the throttle open and it will rev and then when i release it will just die. it just won't hold any idle at all.. its very strange.

I'm thinking air regulator might be the culprit.

oh yeh i've replaced that too, with a known working one i honestly am out of idea's of what it could be? Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

With the AFM, have you tried disconnecting it whilst the car is running? When you disconnect the AFM and notice the car idle dose not change the AFM would be the problem. But if you to disconnect AFM and you notice a drop in idle or if the engine changes it's RPM you know it's working. Do a diagnostic on the ecu and see what's working. Tell us which code comes up and I will run you through on how to remove the codes and if any code are left that would be the culprit.

when i disconnect the afm and start the car the RPM starts pulsating between about 2000-3000 and just keeps going up and down fast, and as soon as i plug the afm back in it stalls. i'll check the codes tomorrow morning cheers. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Before you do a diagnostic test. Mark the original location where the dial was then move it to diagnostic mode. The red light represents 10's & the green light represents 1's. With the compression test. Minimum psi - 120 Maximum psi - 165 Difference between cylinders - 14 psi With the compression being low in cylinders 4 & 6. Pour a small amount of oil into the cylinder and retest the compression tester. If adding oil helps increase the compression pressure, the chances are that piston rings are worn or damaged. If the compression still stays low with a small amount of oil in the cylinder, chances are a valve might be sticking or seating improperly.

just did what you told me with the oil. Cylinder 4 was 131psi now its 141psi. and Cylinder 6 went from 135psi to 142psi. So does that mean that something is definitely wrong with the pistons/rings ? the error codes in the diagnostic mode are = 14, 23, 24, 31 cheers.

Quote: Originally Posted by inferno [View Post] just did what you told me with the oil. Cylinder 4 was 131psi now its 141psi. and Cylinder 6 went from 135psi to 142psi. So does that mean that something is definitely wrong with the pistons/rings ? the error codes in the diagnostic mode are = 14, 23, 24, 31 cheers. If oil helped compression it would lead me to believe the rings are worn. Might be time for a rebuild. As for codes 14, 23, 24, 31, With the ignition turned on.(engine not running) 23 - Press & release the throttle pedal to cancel code. 24 - Place the car into neutral then into gear then neutral and that will cancel the code 31 - Turn the air conditioning on then off to cancel that code. When the engine is running. 14 - speed circuit sensor. Drive the car above 10km/hr to cancel the code. As for the other codes not coming up like. 11 - Crank angle sensor 12 - AFM (air flow meter) 13 - Coolant temp sensor 21 - Ignition signal 32 - Starter switch 34 - Detonation Sensor Means they are all in satisfactory condition.(working OK) Another question. Before doing to compresion test did you remove the fuel pump fuse/relay?

thats what i was afraid of.. just did the codes, errors 14,23,24 all cancelled. error 31 stayed on. But my air-con needs to be regassed. so i presume that means its time to lift the engine out for a rebuild? ---------- Post added 16-03-10 at 12:48 ---------- no i didnt remove that, should i have?? this is the first time ive done a compression test.

Did you hear the air conditioning compressor click in & out. Maybe to that a few times to cancel the code. If you don't hear the air conditioning compressor click in or out, might be the faulty relay. Pull that out give it a few taps, clean the terminals, reinstall & try again. Also petrol acts as a lubricant to your cylinders & rings. You also might have blocked injectors(blocked injectors can cause ring wear). If your going to do a rebuild have your injectors cleaned at a injector shop.

yeah its clicking, and sounds like its working, just not blowing any air. but that wouldn't stop the engine idling.. would it?

Quote: Originally Posted by inferno [View Post] yeah its clicking, and sounds like its working, just not blowing any air. but that wouldn't stop the engine idling.. would it? No it won't affect the engine idle, but it should have cancelled the code though by turning the air conditioning off & on. I suppose the next best thing to do is have it dyno tuned. At least they have to eye's & ears to work it out. Also all the testing equipment.

an engine with ****ed rings will still run lol you have worn rings but its not the end of the world. when the compression tester read 0, thats when you **** bricks

Quote: Originally Posted by misk [View Post] an engine with ****ed rings will still run lol Exactly. With worn rings it still should idle. But what would be casing it to run ruff?

id check for vacuum leaks man. do you have a boost gauge hooked up? tell us what vacuum its reading at what revs (the lowest revs you can get it to run at) last week my falcon was being a **** and wouldnt run, had to up the idle screw *** heaps to make it home and didnt think to check my gauge for vac at idle. i was just missing a hose off the manifold. might be different for VLs cause you have the AFM not a map sensor but worth a shot?

ive checked for vacuum leaks, none i can see (ive checked everyhose). nah i dont have a boost gauge or any mods. another problem is its running really rich, if not flooding the engine? could that be a faulty fuelpump?. ive even completly opened the idle screw, and still wont idle.

try a different AFM or oxygen sensor. if its running ritch then somethings not right in those kind of areas. have you actually tried playing with the AFM settings to see if it makes any dfferences?

yeh ive tried different settings on the afm, and different afms. also changed o2 sensor, still the same.