Ecocrap

[grigor]

Bought a VS Ecotec the other day. Thought it would be cheaper on fuel, oil changes etc. than the Rb20

She developed a big end knock so I stripped it down and they're worn out at 180K's. Don't people change oil anymore?

But the worst thing is it's such an absolutely crap engine. I've never worked on something so poorly designed that you just can't tell if it's going to work or piss oil and water out everywhere.

Then on my adjacent engine stand is my old Rb30 block which has done at least 400K's. It's still got the hone marks in the bores and the crank is perfect. That's nitriding for you instead of the cheap crap rolled crank journals in the Holden.

The Rb is destined for a big power build up. The Holden is destined for another place.

[IOWNU]

LoL....it's a Holden. Did this come as a suprise to you?

[grigor]

Sure did. Had a VP as a company car, did 275K's without a hitch. I bought it when I moved and just drove to Perth, all the West, South you name it. Just added fuel and did one oil change. Not a power giant but 8L per 100K's. My mistake was I thought the ecotec was the same engine but with a newer ecu etc. It's a completely different engine.

[RyanVLSL]

LoL....it's a Holden. Did this come as a suprise to you?

It can happen to any car and guess what, it can even happen to a NISSAN what a shock.

My RB30 was sludged up with crap a while ago, am I going to blame this on its Manufacturar, Nissan? No because its just one of those things that happens.

[Freddy Kruger]

my VS has 279 000kms, still good 'cept for a minor PS leak. been reco'd tho. by "other day" how long ago? did you buy private or thru a dealer. i got mine thru a dealer for $5500, it got a full on service, and when it developed a PS leak (the first time, and as all commodores do) i got a new PS Pump installed aswell as new sway bar links and bushes.

What date is it? any ecotec before june/july '05 are f*ked. seal leaks, oil leaks etc etc...

[Big Rizza]

my mistake was I thought the ecotec was the same engine but with a newer ecu etc. It's a completely different engine.

I looked up what the upgrade to "ECOTEC" status entailed:

"The comprehensively upgraded ECOTEC V6 benefited from low friction technology and included a new cylinder block design, lightweight, high-compression pistons, lighter cylinder heads, new Bosch throttle body and sequential fuel injection."

So yeah there is quite a bit of difference there. New ECU, new block, new heads, new pistons, new throttle body, new fuel system... Not a lot of the old engine left really! I assume the basic design is based of the same 90 degree Buik V6 from 1954 the original VN V6 was based upon, but it seems most components have been comprehensively redesigned. I was going to say "improved," but I will leave it at "redesigned"

Edited January 28, 2006 by Big Rizza

[Are_thirty_two]

Ill tell ya another holden 'oil' story. my brother had a holden and there is a constant reminder of that aussie junk, thanks to the huge oil stain the car produced in our garage. That car left a lasting impression that will never leave us, and insured that no holden will ever enter our home again.

If we got visitors with a holden, you best believe their car is to never enter our property and stays parked on the street outside.

[racsov500]

my mate has a vn 3800 thats still NA and does a 13.1 pass with nitrous, so they cant be that bad

[Crimpage]

My mates VS Commodore is jinxed... Its had just about everything fixed or replaced.

He had huge fuel problems with it getting about 300K from a full tank... spent probably $1500 trying to get that fixed and it went up a little bit, but not before the engine shagged itself at about 150,000K.

So got the VT Ecotec put in there and extractors, exhaust and suspension done all at the same time... Had had probably 4 problems with exhaust comming loose and bolts coming out of it, had power steering problems... The works...

Not a bag to all holdens but I know this one is deffinately jinxed!