VE Engine Rebuild

[SV805]

Sorry in Advance for the long post.

Well, after having my VE SS for exactly a year with pretty much trouble free running and having done almost 40,000 k's, I have a major problem.

Decide to take it to the dealer early last week to get centre dash speaker replaced due to occassional crackling. Day before it was booked in I noticed 2 small oil drops on garage floor :confused:

Anyway assumed sump plug loose or something pretty small. I was waiting for them to do this and expected around 2 hours to wait. Then I get the service guy come in and advise that there are a couple of leaks from rear main seal and somewhere else. Major job to replace seals as needs gearbox dropped out to do. We will need your car for a few days. Day 4 waiting for the call to pick it up (last Friday). Get the call to say that they have replaced seals and taken it for a run only to find more oil. Wipe it down, start it up whilst on the hoist only to see oil seeping from the BLOCK. Can't tell if it is a really fine crack or there is some porous metal that is seeping due to being next to an oil gallery....Sorry sir will need it for another week as we will have to get a new block for it from Melbourne.

Popped in today to see if there were any dramas and to see if it would be ready this Friday, only to be told that it is a big job and may not be ready Friday....2 Hours later get a call to advise that they have sent the Crank to an engine place as it had some marks on it, and was told they should replace it. Now need to order Crank from Melboune so will need your car into next week, maybe Wednesday.

I start to wonder at what stage they find it easier and cheaper to replace the motor. I am not too pissed at this stage as these thinks happen, but I will be really annoyed if I have further dramas when I get the car back after they have put it all back together.

Just though I would share with understanding soles, as for some reason my Wife can't understand why I have this issue and she has never even heard of a Block cracking.

[VXS]

Shite...........Could this be history repeating itself back in the early days of genIII and rebuilds?:vpo:

[Sonnymad]

I hope these guys at ur dealer are smart,as i have had over 50 ve's thru the shop now and almost every second ve had oil at the rear of the engine.After noticing this with so many i investigated the leak.When the car is initially was inpsected it seems as though the rear main seal is leaking,the actual leak is cuming from the passenger side rocker cover,the reason for the leak is the rubber seal on the rocker cover is actually swallen or made too long and doesnt seal right.I actually got another seal from the dealer under warranty to replace the old one,and again the new one was too long as well,i put this to the dealers attention which are going to notify GMH as it took 3 seals to get one that actually fits & seals.hope this helps.

regards sonny

[R8HSVHRT]

I would not settle for holden to build the engine as they are not engine rebuilders the are just mechanics i say this because i had problems with my engine in my VX R8 and only settled on a new crate motor

[SV805]

I hope these guys at ur dealer are smart,as i have had over 50 ve's thru the shop now and almost every second ve had oil at the rear of the engine.After noticing this with so many i investigated the leak.When the car is initially was inpsected it seems as though the rear main seal is leaking,the actual leak is cuming from the passenger side rocker cover,the reason for the leak is the rubber seal on the rocker cover is actually swallen or made too long and doesnt seal right.I actually got another seal from the dealer under warranty to replace the old one,and again the new one was too long as well,i put this to the dealers attention which are going to notify GMH as it took 3 seals to get one that actually fits & seals.hope this helps.

regards sonny


Thanks Sonny. I will speak to the foreman about this. Unfortunately as the motor is in pieces and the new block has arrived I guess after I wait another few days for the crank to arrive and they put it back together. Imagine if they have done all this only to find the side rocker cover is still leaking and all of this was for nothing....

As I am definately no mechanic, any idea of marks on the Crank as to how or why without having a look at it...???

[VZGEN4]

I hope these guys at ur dealer are smart,as i have had over 50 ve's thru the shop now and almost every second ve had oil at the rear of the engine.After noticing this with so many i investigated the leak.When the car is initially was inpsected it seems as though the rear main seal is leaking,the actual leak is cuming from the passenger side rocker cover,the reason for the leak is the rubber seal on the rocker cover is actually swallen or made too long and doesnt seal right.I actually got another seal from the dealer under warranty to replace the old one,and again the new one was too long as well,i put this to the dealers attention which are going to notify GMH as it took 3 seals to get one that actually fits & seals.hope this helps.

regards sonny

Great find Sonny, A cruicial bit of info for everyone right there. Great to see someone doing a bit extra for the customer.

[Wonky]

Imagine if they have done all this only to find the side rocker cover is still leaking and all of this was for nothing....
Quite a possibility is my guess! :( Well done Sonny! :thumbsup:

[SSV8pilot]

Not sure how the system works but given the number of instances, I presume GMH would have issued a bulletin to dealers about the issue to avoid the traumas SV805 has had.

Will need to keep an eye on mine as the next service is still 10k's away (30k).

[TLX]

I hope these guys at ur dealer are smart,as i have had over 50 ve's thru the shop now and almost every second ve had oil at the rear of the engine.After noticing this with so many i investigated the leak.When the car is initially was inpsected it seems as though the rear main seal is leaking,the actual leak is cuming from the passenger side rocker cover,the reason for the leak is the rubber seal on the rocker cover is actually swallen or made too long and doesnt seal right.I actually got another seal from the dealer under warranty to replace the old one,and again the new one was too long as well,i put this to the dealers attention which are going to notify GMH as it took 3 seals to get one that actually fits & seals.hope this helps.

regards sonny

Thanks Sonny...

HSV have replaced a sensor near main seal which they thought was causing the leak.....now we have the answer:)

Tully

[SV805]

Update on progress. Dropped in the dealer today to see if the Crank Shaft had arrived and to get an idea on how long it will be before I get it back.

:vpo: Get told that Holden can't find a new Crank Shaft in the country and will take 2 weeks -:vpo:

At what point do you reckon they will throw a new motor at it, rather than waiting another 2 weeks.

[Tre-Cool]

Update on progress. Dropped in the dealer today to see if the Crank Shaft had arrived and to get an idea on how long it will be before I get it back.

:vpo: Get told that Holden can't find a new Crank Shaft in the country and will take 2 weeks -:vpo:

At what point do you reckon they will throw a new motor at it, rather than waiting another 2 weeks.
at 40K kms i wouldnt be accepting a rebuilt motor. I would have thought a new crate motor would be far more cheaper then getting a holden dealer to rebuild.... if they can that is.

[SV805]

at 40K kms i wouldnt be accepting a rebuilt motor. I would have thought a new crate motor would be far more cheaper then getting a holden dealer to rebuild.... if they can that is.


That is what I want, I just don't seem to be getting that message to the right people.

[wrexed03]

Sorry to hear about your issues. Pretty Sad. Tell them to stick the crankshaft you know where. Demand a new engine nothing less.
You paid top dollar for this vehicle expect nothing less.

Good luck with it.

[Lennox]

Sonny

The engines mentioned in your email, were these 6 litre V8 engines?

Regards
Lennox


I hope these guys at ur dealer are smart,as i have had over 50 ve's thru the shop now and almost every second ve had oil at the rear of the engine.After noticing this with so many i investigated the leak.When the car is initially was inpsected it seems as though the rear main seal is leaking,the actual leak is cuming from the passenger side rocker cover,the reason for the leak is the rubber seal on the rocker cover is actually swallen or made too long and doesnt seal right.I actually got another seal from the dealer under warranty to replace the old one,and again the new one was too long as well,i put this to the dealers attention which are going to notify GMH as it took 3 seals to get one that actually fits & seals.hope this helps.

regards sonny

Sonny

Were these VE engines 6 Litre v8's.

Regards

Lennox

[Brockfan05]

ok, I am concerned now. Might get that checked as I have had to have the engine oil topped up 3 times in 15000km..... :banghead:

[SEMPER FI]

Lennox,

Originally Posted by Sonny@Marranos http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=1035238#post1035238)
I hope these guys at ur dealer are smart,as i have had over 50 ve's thru the shop

I think Sonny is talking about VE's as they all come in 6 Ltr's !!

[Wonky]

ok, I am concerned now. Might get that checked as I have had to have the engine oil topped up 3 times in 15000km..... :banghead:
How much of a top up though? If your motor doesn't use any oil in 15,000km something is seriously wrong!

[SV805]

Latest Up date on my engine dramas......

Finally they have agreed to replace the whole motor....This is a good result, depite the fact the car has been off the road for 3 1/2 weeks now.

Worse still have been advised that the new motor won't be at the dealer until 15th November (YES Thats right 15th November)

On a positive note due to the extended off road period which will be around 8 to 9 weeks, they have organised a hire car for me......

VE Calais. Only a 6 cylinder, but is pretty good... Would love a V8 Calais V.

So although I have my car off the road for at least 8 weeks, I get a brand new motor and get to rack up around 5,000 k's on this hire car....

Frustrating but a good result and although it took alot of pushing and vists and phone calls, at the end of the day Holden will have fixed my problem.

[Brandonsdad]

Latest Up date on my engine dramas......

Finally they have agreed to replace the whole motor....This is a good result, depite the fact the car has been off the road for 3 1/2 weeks now.

Worse still have been advised that the new motor won't be at the dealer until 15th November (YES Thats right 15th November)

On a positive note due to the extended off road period which will be around 8 to 9 weeks, they have organised a hire car for me......

VE Calais. Only a 6 cylinder, but is pretty good... Would love a V8 Calais V.

.


Ask and make sure it is a brand new motor and not a remanufactured motor. With a lot of the GEN3 problems, they started to remanufacture older motors with all new internals and then it went in cars with warranty replacements. I dont know if thats what theyre doing with the VEs or not but ask the question and get a definite answer and not a "yeah im pretty sure its new" response. Their definition of new is probably not the same as ours.
Frustrating but a good result and although it took alot of pushing and vists and phone calls, at the end of the day Holden will have fixed my problem.

[scoot1]

I would not settle for holden to build the engine as they are not engine rebuilders the are just mechanics i say this because i had problems with my engine in my VX R8 and only settled on a new crate motor

Mechanics are not just mechanics anymore. We are rebuilders, auto elecs and techs. I personally doubt that I would be hired if I could not rebuild. Engines, Gearboxes, Diffs, pumps, these are all parts on cars, they do wear out and consequently require rebuilding. It's not all changing oil filters and lube stickers.

[Smash]

Mechanics are not just mechanics anymore. We are rebuilders, auto elecs and techs. I personally doubt that I would be hired if I could not rebuild. Engines, Gearboxes, Diffs, pumps, these are all parts on cars, they do wear out and consequently require rebuilding. It's not all changing oil filters and lube stickers.


Ill second that. We arent (well.. most of us) just dumb grease monkeys anymore, and i take great offense to people who think we are!

[Sonnymad]

Sonny

The engines mentioned in your email, were these 6 litre V8 engines?

Regards
Lennox



Sonny

Were these VE engines 6 Litre v8's.

Regards

Lennox

They are ve 6litres :)

[Mungrel]

Good to see a new motor has been organised for you.
Even though its taken longer than you would have liked, at least you didnt get the somewhat standard "we couldn't find anything wrong with it" answer.

Good luck with it all mate

[6.2L.Club]

Mechanics are not just mechanics anymore. We are rebuilders, auto elecs and techs. I personally doubt that I would be hired if I could not rebuild. Engines, Gearboxes, Diffs, pumps, these are all parts on cars, they do wear out and consequently require rebuilding. It's not all changing oil filters and lube stickers.

Well said.

l'd much rather a rebuilt motor using quality parts than another crate motor which is flawed from the factory.

[Brockfan05]

How much of a top up though? If your motor doesn't use any oil in 15,000km something is seriously wrong!

Nearly 3 litres in just under 15000km. I took it to the dealer 3 times, everytime it went low on the dipstick. I keep a close eye on it as I have had dramas in the past............

BTW, it has just started to get noisy too - not so bad as previous LSx engines I've had, but needless to say I am getting a feeling of De ja vous........

[SV805]

Well after 11 weeks I have finally got my baby back yesterday.....Felt weird driving a manual again after 11 weeks. Also got a new clutch put in at the same time so it is like new again...

Really missed teh extra grunt.

[OzJavelin]

Well after 11 weeks I have finally got my baby back yesterday.....Felt weird driving a manual again after 11 weeks. Also got a new clutch put in at the same time so it is like new again...

Really missed teh extra grunt.

Did you end up finding out if it was NEW engine or a rebuilt exchange one? My SV8 got a rebuilt exchange engine, which has ended up being better than the old one. At 50,000km it's still nice and quiet hot-or-cold, uses no oil and seems to have same power as the original. Only downside is that I have an MY03 vehicle with and engine block date coded MY01? :(

[r8death]

got a ve r8 and been using a lot of oil just over 6l in 17000kl so there doing an oil cunsumtion test pepole tell me that the engine may have 2 be replaced but will see what holden tell me

[TAKEITEZ]

i also take offence to people shit talking mechanics... i've worked in a dealership before, and aside from doing oil changes i'd done a number of engines, manual box's, auto box's and a couple of diffs too... we'd farm out the machining work and then do assembly of the motors...

back on some sorta topic...................
6 litres of oil in 17000kms is pretty mega!!!...
thats almost outside audi's allowable oil consumption of 500ml per 1000kms before they would consider covering and repairing your oil burner under warranty....


however - VE's... are they leaking or burning the oil...???

[SS Enforcer]

Well said.

l'd much rather a rebuilt motor using quality parts than another crate motor which is flawed from the factory.

How many are flawed from the factory.

Mine doesn't leak or burn any oil or have any unusual rattles or knocks in it at 34000.

Cheers

[lethal66]

My ve r8 ues a bit of oil to

I think its because of the mobil 1 thats in it.Too thin

[370HSSV]

I found that with the factory oil mine used quite a bit, but since changing to Pennzoil i have had no issues. Its been 8000km since the last service and has bearly used a drop and is only now starting to become a little noisey.
Ill be getting my mechanic to check for any leaks on the next service though for sure.