I just got my VL a few months ago, and its been running fine with just a few REALLY annoying problems... :x (Its a 86 VL Commodore Executive 3L Auto to be exact) Whenever I pop the Bonnet, the little latch that locks it down (NOT the Safety Catch) won't spring back. Its getting stuck by the metal housing of the Lock, and I have to get a Screw Driver in there every time to release it... Its really hard to start when the Tank is getting low, it sometimes even takes multiple attempts and then coughs until it finally gets itself under control. When its full it works fine, but when its empty (or near so) it even has trouble backing out of my driveway... Theres something with my Suspension, its definitely lower than any Stock VL and the ride is really rough. It also bottoms out all the time, if I take Speed Bumps just a little too fast, and I mean I have to slow RIGHT down, same thing with driving out of driveways, I have to take more care than in my Mum's Subaru Liberty RX which is lowered with full Body Kit. The other day I was driving down a hill at about 60KMS and I let it roll to about 65KMS and at the end it bottomed out and the people behind me said there were lots of sparks, the same goes with Dips, just a little too fast, and it bottoms out. Also, whenever I go over Cattle Grids with 3 other people in the car, unless I come to a complete stop almost, it bottoms out if its a bit higher than the ground. And my muffler and/or Spare Tyre Recess will bottom out when I have more than 3 people in the car and I drive off a sloped curb or out of a steep driveway. My tyres also spin very easily, because of the extreme power of course... Is there any way to tell if the springs have been cut? And how much is it to get new shocks? I would like to keep it low as it is if possible... :roll: I KNOW my VL has Air Con, its got the stickers everywhere saying its been converted and from what I can tell, its got the Compressor coming off the engine belts. But there is NO switch to turn it on. I couldn't find any 'Loose' wires when I pulled my dash apart for the Stereo. It says 'AC' with a little vertical line next to the Heater Controls, but no switch. Does the Air Con come on Automatically on some settings in the Executive VLs? Also, my Fan Control only works on Speeds 3 and 4 and not 2 (There is only 2, 3 and 4, 1 is Off) which can be very annoying, can anyone tell me how it can be fixed if at all? My Wipers will just turn on whenever for absolutley no reason, its not the switch, because it still happened when I drove it around with it unplugged (The switch of course). Its completely random, sometimes it won't happen for weeks, and sometimes it will happen repeatedly in 1 Day. Has anyone else experienced this problem? :? My Right Head Light is looking rather discoloured in the middle, I think its the reflector, how easy is it to remove the front and replace or repaint the reflector with chrome Paint? Whenever I have the Steering on Full Lock, I hear a shuddering noise and the Steering Wheel is a bit shaky, what is it and how is it fixed, anybody? This is going to sound strange, but when I look up under the right side of the rear Bumper, up around the Fuel Cap, there are 2 hoses coming from around that area that have perished away to nothing, and one that comes from around the fuel tank area but I can't see exactly, which is also perished to nothing... But the car is running just fine and not leaking any fuel, any ideas? Lastly, as anyone with a stock VL will know, the brakes are designed purely for speed, because you can't stop with them. I don't want to even think about Discs on the back so what are my other options for a possible brake upgrade? Thanx alot for your Help... Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Quote: Originally Posted by Kylie Its really hard to start when the Tank is getting low, it sometimes even takes multiple attempts and then coughs until it finally gets itself under control. When its full it works fine, but when its empty (or near so) it even has trouble backing out of my driveway... I'd say your fuel pump might be on its way out... wouldn't be certain, but that would be my guess Just keep everything submersed in fuel if you don't want to replace it (ie full tank) Quote: Originally Posted by Kylie Theres something with my Suspension, its definitely lower than any Stock VL and the ride is really rough. It also bottoms out all the time, if I take Speed Bumps just a little too fast, and I mean I have to slow RIGHT down, same thing with driving out of driveways, I have to take more care than in my Mum's Subaru Liberty RX which is lowered with full Body Kit. The other day I was driving down a hill at about 60KMS and I let it roll to about 65KMS and at the end it bottomed out and the people behind me said there were lots of sparks, the same goes with Dips, just a little too fast, and it bottoms out. Also, whenever I go over Cattle Grids with 3 other people in the car, unless I come to a complete stop almost, it bottoms out if its a bit higher than the ground. And my muffler and/or Spare Tyre Recess will bottom out when I have more than 3 people in the car and I drive off a sloped curb or out of a steep driveway. My tyres also spin very easily, because of the extreme power of course... Is there any way to tell if the springs have been cut? And how much is it to get new shocks? I would like to keep it low as it is if possible... :roll: Hmm, the spare tyre is in the boot... or do you have a wagon? But anyway... you probably have cut springs then or just really saggy and old suspension, about 150/pair for super low springs (x2 sets)... Quote: Originally Posted by Kylie I KNOW my VL has Air Con, its got the stickers everywhere saying its been converted and from what I can tell, its got the Compressor coming off the engine belts. But there is NO switch to turn it on. I couldn't find any 'Loose' wires when I pulled my dash apart for the Stereo. It says 'AC' with a little vertical line next to the Heater Controls, but no switch. Does the Air Con come on Automatically on some settings in the Executive VLs? Also, my Fan Control only works on Speeds 3 and 4 and not 2 (There is only 2, 3 and 4, 1 is Off) which can be very annoying, can anyone tell me how it can be fixed if at all? Whenever the three settings with the blue colour, air conditioning is an automatically, you'll be able to notice because your car will rev a bit more when it's on, and you more or less just need a new fan switch -- try wiggling it around a bit on level 1-2 and see if it starts up... Quote: Originally Posted by Kylie My Wipers will just turn on whenever for absolutley no reason, its not the switch, because it still happened when I drove it around with it unplugged (The switch of course). Its completely random, sometimes it won't happen for weeks, and sometimes it will happen repeatedly in 1 Day. Has anyone else experienced this problem? :? Possible a dodgy relay, not sure about this one... Quote: Originally Posted by Kylie My Right Head Light is looking rather discoloured in the middle, I think its the reflector, how easy is it to remove the front and replace or repaint the reflector with chrome Paint? Just buy a new one from the wreckers, not sure what they cost (probably $70 or something) Quote: Originally Posted by Kylie Whenever I have the Steering on Full Lock, I hear a shuddering noise and the Steering Wheel is a bit shaky, what is it and how is it fixed, anybody? Just the power steering pump straining, nothing to worry about really, most cars do that a bit. Just dont have it on full lock Quote: Originally Posted by Kylie Lastly, as anyone with a stock VL will know, the brakes are designed purely for speed, because you can't stop with them. I don't want to even think about Discs on the back so what are my other options for a possible brake upgrade? Not really sure about this, your brakes might be in need of replacement, best to get them checked out by a mechanic... other than that if your after a bit more braking power, rear discs (probably a VLT diff would be good ) are the only other option... Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Quote: Originally Posted by Kylie Whenever I pop the Bonnet, the little latch that locks it down (NOT the Safety Catch) won't spring back. Its getting stuck by the metal housing of the Lock, and I have to get a Screw Driver in there every time to release it... I say take out the latch unit, take it apart, grease it and put it all back. Quote: Originally Posted by Kylie Its really hard to start when the Tank is getting low, it sometimes even takes multiple attempts and then coughs until it finally gets itself under control. When its full it works fine, but when its empty (or near so) it even has trouble backing out of my driveway... Is your driveway on a hill? If so than the fuel might be on one side of the tank which causes it to not be sucked up. You should check fuel pump too... Quote: Originally Posted by Kylie Theres something with my Suspension, its definitely lower than any Stock VL and the ride is really rough. It also bottoms out all the time, if I take Speed Bumps just a little too fast, and I mean I have to slow RIGHT down, same thing with driving out of driveways, I have to take more care than in my Mum's Subaru Liberty RX which is lowered with full Body Kit. The other day I was driving down a hill at about 60KMS and I let it roll to about 65KMS and at the end it bottomed out and the people behind me said there were lots of sparks, the same goes with Dips, just a little too fast, and it bottoms out. Also, whenever I go over Cattle Grids with 3 other people in the car, unless I come to a complete stop almost, it bottoms out if its a bit higher than the ground. And my muffler and/or Spare Tyre Recess will bottom out when I have more than 3 people in the car and I drive off a sloped curb or out of a steep driveway. My tyres also spin very easily, because of the extreme power of course... Is there any way to tell if the springs have been cut? And how much is it to get new shocks? I would like to keep it low as it is if possible... :roll: Take it to your local suspension place, eg Pedders, get them to do a suspension point check and check your springs etc. Sounds like your shockies are stuffed or someone has done a home cut job without changing the shockies to suit or putting dodgies in. Quote: Originally Posted by Kylie I KNOW my VL has Air Con, its got the stickers everywhere saying its been converted and from what I can tell, its got the Compressor coming off the engine belts. But there is NO switch to turn it on. I couldn't find any 'Loose' wires when I pulled my dash apart for the Stereo. It says 'AC' with a little vertical line next to the Heater Controls, but no switch. Does the Air Con come on Automatically on some settings in the Executive VLs? The first half of the settings you have your air circulation on with the controls the air con is in play there, but with the top few there is no a/c in play there, this is shown by that white line with AC written on the right, all the controls within that white line the AC is used on. Quote: Originally Posted by Kylie My Wipers will just turn on whenever for absolutley no reason, its not the switch, because it still happened when I drove it around with it unplugged (The switch of course). Its completely random, sometimes it won't happen for weeks, and sometimes it will happen repeatedly in 1 Day. Has anyone else experienced this problem? :? Replace your indicator unit in your steering column. Quote: Originally Posted by Kylie Whenever I have the Steering on Full Lock, I hear a shuddering noise and the Steering Wheel is a bit shaky, what is it and how is it fixed, anybody? Take a look at the front tires, there should be wear markes around the outsides, the wheels are most likely scraping on the guards most likely due to your suspension problem stated earlier.... Quote: Originally Posted by Kylie Lastly, as anyone with a stock VL will know, the brakes are designed purely for speed, because you can't stop with them. I don't want to even think about Discs on the back so what are my other options for a possible brake upgrade? Replace your front calipers with larger ones, search the forums for more info on this. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

as for your fan not working on 1 & 2, there is a little orange fan speed resistor that is behind the glovebox, this will most likely need to be replaced, it is very hard to get at unless you remove the lower section of the dash, it is attached into the blower fan plumbing.

id say your cars a little ****ed.

Thanx for all the help, I'll be sure to check out that stuff during this week, I'm gonna change the Coolant, Brake Pads/Fluid, Oil/Oil Filter and Fuel Filter on the weekend and possibly the Ball Joints if I have enough in my pay packet tomorrow. Also, my car isn't ****ed, 8O its just old and a lot of things haven't been paid attention to as you normally would as the guy I bought it off never drove it since he bought it himself. The body and the interior are almost perfect except for a few small things which I've already replaced or fixed up. Its got 222KM on it and the engine and the Auto are working perfectly. Besides, I only paid $3500 for it. Shame about the Fan Switch thing, I had the whole dash out twice last week to put the stereo in... :x Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

can i give ya one advice! NEVER leave your fuel tank to the last umm watcha call it? that last line the one after the red line lol i cant explain in mechanical terms but basically in other words try to have your fuel tank above 1/4 full becoz if its anywhere near the empty stage you will be ****ing up the fuel pumps thats what my boss says :P and i think this only concerns VL's

Do you know why it would **** up the Fuel Pump? I can understand how running it dry might **** it up, but I can't think of anything else... :?:

lol.... i dunno, my car is lucky to ever be above the 1/4 mark Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

...you start sucking up all the crap in your tank as the fuel gets lower. you could even have water condensation in your fuel tank if its been sitting for a while. I have heard you can chuck a bottle of metho in you fuel tank and this absorbs the water and passes it through your engine - I have never tried it and I dont know how good it is for your injectors etc either.

Do you mean metho or methanol.LOL I wouldn't put metho in the tank.

..yeah metho, as in methylated spirits. Its a well known fix to rid water from your fuel system as it absorbs water and burns - but like I said I have never done it and I'm not sure if I'd recommended for EFI cars? Mathanol would probably do ok as well as it also absorbs water - its just not as easily available.

One of my mates told me that metho in the tank is just like getting your car carbon cleaned, but I can't say I ever tried it Kylie I think that the hoses on your car that perished away to nothing might be a fuel return line or something, cos the same thing happened to mine just the other day and now it uses a lot more fuel than it should. Anybody else know if I'm right or not? Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Yeah I figured out what they were too, one of them is the Fuel Return Line and the others are for the Fuel Vapour Emission Control thing, they can be accessed much easier if you take the Guard off behind the wheel. I think I posted something like this in another Topic, but anyway, thats what its for, aparently a lot of people's Hoses there are not as good as they could be. If you replace them, it would be a good idea to use Fuel Resistant Hose as I don't think Holden did and thats why they are basically non existant today... :?