Thread: VT commodore advice

Rear main oil seal leaks are common. Check service history. 160,000 will be due for major service, plugs, filters, trans fluid (i think from memory).
If I think of anything else i'll post.

Hmmmm around this age I've seen quite a few VT abs modules fail. Does it have one of those? heh, also very common to stuff up indicator switch assemblies, not that they are hard to change. Other than that, nothing really comes to mind. I'll think some more on it.

DIFFERENTIAL!!!! From past experience

Check for any clunking noises from the differential when taking off or going from overrun to accelerating.

If you can find a steep-ish hill, reverse up it. Stop halfway up and take off in reverse again, being a "little" brutal on the throttle. This can reveal severe differential wear (it will make a hell of a scowling noise).

This fault is quite common on Commodores that have done a lot of extensive towing (i.e. retirees Bev and Shirl pulling the Evernew around Aus). Holden recommend a synthetic heavy duty lubricant is used in the differential if towing extensively.

I just sold my VT Berlina and while I didn't have any major problems, the sway bar rubber busted several times. However this was only a cheap repair.

The compressor on my sisters VT failed at about 170km and leaked gas - but I'm not sure how you can check for that.

Check the gas struts for the bonnet as well.... mine failed and gave me a headache one day... literally.

The VT was a very good car, never had to get it towed and was a nice safe car for a young driver.

It's pretty exy for a VT these days but it could be in exceptional condition.

Transmissions have been known to crap themselves and the odd cooler line splits or cracks at the crimp and if it's been lowered or if he plans on lowering it then it will need a caster correction kit.

Drive shaft CV's can crack boots if it's IRS.

Steering rack and pump leaks are common as are rocker covers and I have seen 2 so far recently that have coolant disappearing for no reason.

All this is from a heap of VT's/VX's that I have worked on in the last couple of years which were all owned by workmates or freinds so not all these thing would probably happen to 1 car specifically.

Hope it helps.

The only one I know is the VP.
Never buy one. I'm deathly serious in this.
The VP especially, has a totally messy front end.

I know.

I did the emergency quick fix, on the very first pre-sales builds. 12,500 hastily reworked power steering units. Holden at Elizabeth, could not get the VP front end to bolt together. TRW, made some mistakes in their work, which made a real mess of the VP front end.
Holden rang me, I spent 18 1\2 hours out there, fixing the total screw up the front end of the VP was. And still is.

If you own an early VP, take a close look at the mountings for the steering rack.
You should find some really heavy duty file work on the mounting lugs.
Myself, and my team of fitters did that, to get Holden out of the POO.
A hacked and bashed, bushie emergency roadside repair, that should never have been sold to the public.
But they did.

I some how can't see the VT, or any other Holden being much better.

If it hasn't already got one .Get a camber kits for the IRS because they love to chew the inside of the tyres out . It took holden to get to the VY to correct the problem ...Not a major thing but tyres will last a hell of a lot longer

Originally Posted by wannalandy

If it hasn't already got one .Get a camber kits for the IRS because they love to chew the inside of the tyres out . It took holden to get to the VY to correct the problem ...Not a major thing but tyres will last a hell of a lot longer

That's what I was talking about.

Sounds like Holden stuck with my quick fix for a while, the cheap bastards.