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Stimpy
P Plater
21 Posts
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 Posted - 01 Oct 2006 : 4:18:46 PM
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hi agen guys.
my vn has been driving rough ever since ive had it and i thought well now ive had it for over 2 years it might be time to do something about it. the problem is i can feel every bump i go over and it is extremely rough to ride in. all the shokies seem to be in good condition so i thought maybe the springs need retempering. ive got the fatter tyres on there and do tow my caravan but this has been like this ever since ive had it. its funny how you just ignore things isnt it. well any help would be good guys
thanks
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id rather sleep with an old hen than pullet |
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matt
P Plater
95 Posts
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Posted - 02 Oct 2006 : 12:33:36 PM
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| Point out the obvious, what tire pressure do u ride on, iv just started settin mine at 35 psi and i noticed that it rides a fair bit rougher now than before when i think they were at bout 22-25 when i checked them after i bought it. |
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Stimpy
P Plater
21 Posts
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Posted - 03 Oct 2006 : 9:11:48 PM
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i run 32 in all the tyres. the tire ppls said they rekond it was the best
i wack them up to 35 wen i tow my caravan tho. |
id rather sleep with an old hen than pullet |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 04 Oct 2006 : 3:30:04 PM
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First up, kudos to your tyre people...finally someone who doesn't just crap on about 'what-the-manufacturer-recommends-is-best'. 32 IS a good pressure to run, hell of a lot better than the 28 that Holden recommend.
Onto the problem at hand though, the shocks are only one part of the suspension, I'd check out the condition of all the rubbers you have, also...is the car any lower than stock or has it got a 'sports' suspension in it? Because either of those would mean that you'll have stiffer springs in there than came from the factory. Which would make it ride fairly rough. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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Stimpy
P Plater
21 Posts
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Posted - 04 Oct 2006 : 8:13:32 PM
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| ive got sports suspension the tyre ppl told me!!. my car is a tad higher than others tho, and thats the way i like it. i drive a hell of a lot on gravel roads and also towing the caravan, where a bit of height comes in handy. il take your advice and have a good look at the undercarriage tho!!. im scared to go under there tho cause of all the oil leaks and everything ;)it means more work!!!. im an apprentice mechanic though wich is silly- but u know what they say about mechanics cars, cabinet makers cupboards etc etc!!!! |
id rather sleep with an old hen than pullet |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 04 Oct 2006 : 9:45:05 PM
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Well...I think we've found your answer...a sports suspension will do it.
As for the oil leaks, I share your pain on that one, every time I get under mine, my wallet starts to scream, just in case I decided to look at the rear main seal which seems to leak more each time I check it out. That's one that I'm NOT doing myself. Actually...when that one does need doing, I'm going to use that as an excuse for a full engine rebuild ;)
With your car being a tad higher than the other VN's around the place, do you have any large metal plates underneath the car? I'm wondering if you haven't actually got the C5W suspension from Holden. It was available as a factory option, and called the 'country-pack' suspension. It raises the car by about 1" and is a much firmer ride than the standard (designed specifically for towing on gravel roads). It also had large 'stone-protection' plates around the underside of a few parts to stop them getting damaged from stones flying up.
On the build plate check to see what suspension it has listed (if it's on the build plate, I can never remember).
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Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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Stimpy
P Plater
21 Posts
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Posted - 05 Oct 2006 : 12:18:42 AM
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ha ha yeah my rear main seal is leakin!!! get in line. my boss rekons that it hapens a couple of times in every holdens life. the seals chop out real easy he sais- i say how can u stop it- he sais you cant and u just gotta keep replacing it!!. thats crap. he also rekons its really easy to replace
same as the front seal behind the harmonic balancer!!. these engines are cursed.
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id rather sleep with an old hen than pullet |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 05 Oct 2006 : 12:33:07 AM
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Uh...to do the rear main seal the engine needs to come out...well...officially it does anyway. The LEAST you have to do is drop the sump, gearbox, steering rack and the crank end-cap. It's a job that most places I've come across quote somewhere around $1000 to do. It's widely regarded as the WORST job you can do on a VN.
As for having to replace it, you need to realise it's not a nice rubber seal, it's a two-piece rope seal, so it just dies with age. When the engine was used in the states (mounted east-west) it was much easier to get at. Being turned around in the Commodore sort of made it harder to get at. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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Stimpy
P Plater
21 Posts
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Posted - 05 Oct 2006 : 7:15:16 PM
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well by the sounds the old bastard was probably bieng sarcastic and i fell for it is it really that hard?? sounds like its just cheaper to get a new engine!! i did my usual trip to the wreckers as i usualy do every week and he had a engine he pulled out of a lexen wich had done 130000 k`s. we did the compression test on it and the compression on every cylinder was near on exactly the same as the specs!!!!. i had never seen sumthin like that from a engine that old!!. he said if i gave him 300 bucks i culd have it!!. i thought for a while but no deal- when my engine finally dies on my vn, then il get a better one. anyway i mite think twice about fixing the rear main seal then- mite just fill it all with selastic and no more gaps |
id rather sleep with an old hen than pullet |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 05 Oct 2006 : 9:41:00 PM
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| If the rear main is really starting to leak a lot, try a thicker oil ;) Works for a little while anyway. Just slows it down enough so that you don't leave half your engine oil on the drive-way. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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