Big_Valven
25-08-2014, 11:13 PM
Hi guys, I have been lurking since the good old days but don't seem to find as much time for the forums as I used to.
I've got a VY SV8 which has had it's fair share of mods inside and out. I bought it at a less-than-fresh 160,000km and have bumped it to 200,000 in the last 2 years. Engine-wise I picked it as a reasonably good car and to that end it hasn't let me down. The OTR, tune and full exhaust system helps with fun, as did the C5 HSV brake retro-fit.
I am keen at maintaining the car myself but lately feel I have been taking one step forwards and two steps back!
1. The front end has had Nolathane lower bushes, swaybar links and radius rod bushes fitted at 170,000 which are a bit firm for my liking but working well nonetheless. I replaced my struts at 190,000 with KYB Excel Gas along with new Mackay rubber strut top bushes, bearings and tie rod ends. Now I get a clunk from the front right when hitting bumps with even a small degree of left hand lock, and the strut tops creak when going over speed bumps etc - the typical rubber creaking on metal sound. I've inspected several times and can't find anything loose - especially strut bolts, caliper bolts and swaybar links.
2. I recently replaced my power steering fluid - sucked the reservoir out with a syringe, added new fluid, and ran lock-to-lock a few times with the engine running to circulate. Now the power steering shudders. It is so common with VYs I shouldn't be surprised, but it didn't used to.
3. While replacing the exhaust (the last cat-back was rusty, and broke in a few places thanks to a steep driveway. The new one sits even lower - scrapes even worse - yay!) I noticed the tailshaft centre bearing rubber badly cracked. I duly installed a new bearing, hoping it would take care of a tiny vibration at 110km/h. Now it vibrates heinously - I mean ridiculously - at 60 - 80km/h. I marked the spline when I took the tailshaft apart, but unfortunately didn't mark the position it bolted to the trans and diff - it's only got three bolts at each end so I (probably wrongly) assumed it didn't matter. At this rate, it's only a matter of time before I stuff a seal or bearing in the trans or diff.
4. I re-finished a set of 18" HBD J series alloys for the car. The car has NEVER driven smoothly on the highway, with the standard 17s and these wheels. I spun them up on my lathe (very slow speed) to check roundness when I was working on them, and found the best one to be within 0.5mm of round, and the worst to have a flat spot of approximately 1.5mm on the inside edge for about 5% of it's circumference. Running Toyo Teo Plus 235/45 18s. The balance was done at the start of the year and I'm about to try it yet again, as I honestly believe I have eliminated anything else which can cause wheel wobble - new shocks and bushes all round, new tie rod ends, exceptional wheel alignment, the lot. Still it wobbles.
With those issues and having to re-visit the exhaust to stop the tips rubbing on the bumper + trying to get it to sit high enough to get into my garage, machining the brake rotors to stop ridiculous amounts of brake shudder, trying to stop the door and window rubbers creaking (not to mention the glue that holds the roof turret on creaking over bumps - WTF???) and the myriad of interior rattles and noises, the car is starting to feel like a dog. All I want to do is enjoy it until I can afford something new and leave the experience of a high-km car well and truly behind me.
Can anyone help with those points? :)
I've got a VY SV8 which has had it's fair share of mods inside and out. I bought it at a less-than-fresh 160,000km and have bumped it to 200,000 in the last 2 years. Engine-wise I picked it as a reasonably good car and to that end it hasn't let me down. The OTR, tune and full exhaust system helps with fun, as did the C5 HSV brake retro-fit.
I am keen at maintaining the car myself but lately feel I have been taking one step forwards and two steps back!
1. The front end has had Nolathane lower bushes, swaybar links and radius rod bushes fitted at 170,000 which are a bit firm for my liking but working well nonetheless. I replaced my struts at 190,000 with KYB Excel Gas along with new Mackay rubber strut top bushes, bearings and tie rod ends. Now I get a clunk from the front right when hitting bumps with even a small degree of left hand lock, and the strut tops creak when going over speed bumps etc - the typical rubber creaking on metal sound. I've inspected several times and can't find anything loose - especially strut bolts, caliper bolts and swaybar links.
2. I recently replaced my power steering fluid - sucked the reservoir out with a syringe, added new fluid, and ran lock-to-lock a few times with the engine running to circulate. Now the power steering shudders. It is so common with VYs I shouldn't be surprised, but it didn't used to.
3. While replacing the exhaust (the last cat-back was rusty, and broke in a few places thanks to a steep driveway. The new one sits even lower - scrapes even worse - yay!) I noticed the tailshaft centre bearing rubber badly cracked. I duly installed a new bearing, hoping it would take care of a tiny vibration at 110km/h. Now it vibrates heinously - I mean ridiculously - at 60 - 80km/h. I marked the spline when I took the tailshaft apart, but unfortunately didn't mark the position it bolted to the trans and diff - it's only got three bolts at each end so I (probably wrongly) assumed it didn't matter. At this rate, it's only a matter of time before I stuff a seal or bearing in the trans or diff.
4. I re-finished a set of 18" HBD J series alloys for the car. The car has NEVER driven smoothly on the highway, with the standard 17s and these wheels. I spun them up on my lathe (very slow speed) to check roundness when I was working on them, and found the best one to be within 0.5mm of round, and the worst to have a flat spot of approximately 1.5mm on the inside edge for about 5% of it's circumference. Running Toyo Teo Plus 235/45 18s. The balance was done at the start of the year and I'm about to try it yet again, as I honestly believe I have eliminated anything else which can cause wheel wobble - new shocks and bushes all round, new tie rod ends, exceptional wheel alignment, the lot. Still it wobbles.
With those issues and having to re-visit the exhaust to stop the tips rubbing on the bumper + trying to get it to sit high enough to get into my garage, machining the brake rotors to stop ridiculous amounts of brake shudder, trying to stop the door and window rubbers creaking (not to mention the glue that holds the roof turret on creaking over bumps - WTF???) and the myriad of interior rattles and noises, the car is starting to feel like a dog. All I want to do is enjoy it until I can afford something new and leave the experience of a high-km car well and truly behind me.
Can anyone help with those points? :)