Holden EH/EJ, Known Issues and Common Problems
Overview
The Holden EJ (1962-1963) and EH (1963-1965) introduced Holden’s first overhead-valve engine family, the Red Motor, and represent a significant engineering leap over the Grey Motor cars that preceded them. The Red Motor is a fundamentally sound design that’s earned a reputation for extraordinary durability. The problems that affect EJ/EH owners in 2026 are overwhelmingly age-related rather than design flaws.
These cars are 61-64 years old. The mechanical components are simple and rebuildable. The electrical systems are basic. The bodies, however, are subject to the same relentless rust that afflicts every Australian car of this era. If you’re looking at buying or maintaining an EJ/EH, the engine and gearbox are the least of your worries, it’s the metalwork that demands your attention.
Engine, Red Motor (149ci and 179ci)
Rear Main Seal Oil Leak
What happens: Oil drips from the bellhousing area. Oil accumulates on the underside of the engine and gearbox. Oil spots on the garage floor.
Why it happens: The Red Motor uses a two-piece rope-style rear main seal that hardens and shrinks over time. This seal design is inherently less effective than the lip seals used on modern engines. Every Red Motor with more than a few years on the clock will weep from the rear main to some degree.
How to fix it: Replacing the rear main seal requires either removing the engine or dropping the sump and rear main cap. The seal itself is cheap ($20-40). Labour is the expense, budget $500-800 at a workshop. Many owners live with a slow rear main seal leak and just keep the oil topped up. If the leak is significant (more than a spot on the ground overnight), it should be addressed.
Severity: Minor if slow. Needs attention if the leak is substantial or drips onto the exhaust.
Worn Valve Guides
What happens: Blue smoke on startup that clears after 30-60 seconds. May also smoke on overrun (deceleration after highway driving).
Why it happens: The cast-iron valve guides wear over time, allowing oil to seep past the valve stems and into the combustion chambers. This is accelerated by infrequent oil changes and extended idling periods. The exhaust valve guides wear faster than the intake guides due to the higher temperatures.
How to fix it: Replace the valve guide seals first, this is a relatively simple job that can be done with the head in situ using a valve spring compressor and compressed air ($50-100 for a seal kit). If new seals don’t cure the problem, the guides themselves need replacing. This requires removing the head and having a machine shop press out the old guides and install new ones ($300-600 for a complete guide replacement with new seals).
Severity: Minor if the smoke clears quickly. Needs attention if oil consumption is significant (more than a litre per 1,000 km).
Carburettor Issues
What happens: Hard starting, rough idle, flat spots on acceleration, black smoke, poor fuel economy, fuel smell.
Why it happens: The EJ/EH uses Stromberg (single-barrel, 149ci) or Stromberg twin-barrel (179ci) carburettors. After 60+ years, the internal components, needle valves, floats, accelerator pump diaphragms, jets, and gaskets, are all worn. Modern fuel with ethanol attacks old rubber components.
How to fix it: Rebuild the carburettor with a rebuild kit ($60-120). If genuine Stromberg kits are unavailable, many owners convert to a Weber carburettor, a Weber 32/36 DGAV suits the 149, while a Weber 40/40 DCOE or similar is popular on the 179. Weber conversions cost $400-800 including manifold adapter and provide improved throttle response and easier tuning. For the 179, a set of twin SU carburettors on a purpose-built manifold was a popular period modification and is still available through specialists.
Severity: Needs attention. A poorly running carburettor wastes fuel and makes the car unpleasant to drive.
Cooling System Marginal in Traffic
What happens: Temperature gauge rises in slow traffic, particularly on hot days. May push coolant out the overflow.
Why it happens: The Red Motor generates more heat than the Grey Motor it replaced, and the cooling system, while adequate for 1960s driving, struggles in modern stop-start traffic, particularly in Australian summer conditions. The original radiator may be partially clogged with scale after 60 years. The engine-driven fan only moves adequate air at highway speeds.
How to fix it: First, have the radiator recored or replaced ($300-600). Flush the entire cooling system. Ensure the thermostat is functioning correctly (replace it, they’re cheap). Add an electric thermo fan behind the radiator for low-speed cooling ($100-200 for a Davies Craig kit). Check that the water pump is not leaking or cavitating. Ensure the fan belt is tight.
Severity: Needs attention. Overheating can crack the head or warp the block. The Red Motor’s aluminium head (on some variants) is particularly susceptible to warping.
Distributor Wear
What happens: Misfiring, erratic idle, timing drift, poor fuel economy, hard starting.
Why it happens: The distributor shaft bushings wear, allowing the shaft to wobble. This causes the points gap to vary and the spark timing to become erratic. The centrifugal advance mechanism’s springs weaken, and the vacuum advance diaphragm can rupture.
How to fix it: Rebuild the distributor, new shaft bushings, points, condenser, advance springs, and vacuum unit. Budget $100-200 for parts. Alternatively, fit an electronic ignition module (Pertronix) that replaces the points and condenser with a maintenance-free electronic trigger ($100-150). This is the single most effective and invisible upgrade you can make to the ignition system.
Severity: Needs attention. A worn distributor causes poor running and can damage the engine if timing drifts significantly.
Transmission
Second Gear Synchro Wear (3-Speed Manual)
What happens: Grinding or crunching when shifting into second gear, particularly on quick downshifts.
Why it happens: Second gear synchro wears because it’s the most-used ratio. After 60 years, even lightly-used gearboxes will have wear.
How to fix it: Gearbox rebuild with new synchro rings. Budget $800-1,500. Double-clutching on downshifts extends synchro life. Some owners simply tolerate the crunch.
Severity: Minor. Won’t cause sudden failure.
Column Shift Linkage Slop (3-Speed)
What happens: Vague, imprecise gear selection from the column-mounted lever.
Why it happens: The column shift mechanism uses rods and bushings that wear with time. Detent springs weaken.
How to fix it: Replace worn bushings and adjust linkage. Budget $100-300. A floor-shift conversion using an aftermarket kit is an alternative, more positive but not period-correct.
Severity: Minor. Annoying but not dangerous if all gears can be selected.
Clutch Wear
What happens: Clutch slips under acceleration (engine revs rise without corresponding increase in road speed). Clutch pedal bites very high. Judder on takeoff.
Why it happens: The clutch disc friction material wears over 60 years. The pressure plate springs weaken. The flywheel face glazes.
How to fix it: Replace the clutch kit (disc, pressure plate, throw-out bearing). Have the flywheel machined or replaced. Budget $400-800 including parts and labour. The gearbox must be removed to access the clutch.
Severity: Needs attention. A slipping clutch gets worse quickly.
Suspension and Steering
Worn Ball Joints
What happens: Clunking over bumps from the front end. Vague steering. Uneven tyre wear. Steering wheel vibration.
Why it happens: The EJ/EH uses ball joints (upper and lower) in the front suspension, which wear with age, mileage, and Australian road conditions. Worn ball joints allow the stub axle to move relative to the control arms, which directly affects steering precision and wheel alignment.
How to fix it: Replace all four ball joints (upper and lower, both sides). Budget $150-300 for a complete ball joint set. Replacement is a straightforward job with basic tools, though a ball joint press or separator tool is helpful. Always get a wheel alignment after ball joint replacement.
Severity: Needs attention. Severely worn ball joints can separate, which causes complete loss of steering and wheel control.
Leaf Spring Fatigue
What happens: Rear of the car sags. Car bottoms out over bumps. Wallowing ride quality. Rear axle tramp under hard acceleration.
Why it happens: Leaf springs lose their spring rate over decades of use. Broken leaves are common, particularly the main leaf.
How to fix it: Replace the leaf spring packs. New springs are available from suspension specialists ($300-600 per pair). Re-tempering existing springs is an option ($100-200 per spring) but doesn’t fully restore original ride height on severely fatigued springs.
Severity: Needs attention. Sagging springs cause poor handling and can allow the rear axle to contact the body.
Steering Box Wear
What happens: Excessive play in the steering wheel before the front wheels respond. Heavy or inconsistent steering effort.
Why it happens: The recirculating ball steering box wears internally. The sector shaft bushings develop play. The worm gear and ball races wear.
How to fix it: Adjust the steering box first (there’s an adjustment screw). If adjustment can’t eliminate the play, rebuild or replace the box. Reconditioned boxes are available on exchange ($400-700).
Severity: Needs attention. Excessive steering play is a safety issue.
Brakes
Leaking Wheel Cylinders (Drum Brake Cars)
What happens: Soft brake pedal, reduced braking power, brake fluid on the inside of the drums.
Why it happens: The rubber seals inside the wheel cylinders harden and fail with age.
How to fix it: Replace all wheel cylinders ($50-80 each). Do all four at once. Flush the brake system with fresh DOT 3 fluid.
Severity: Urgent. Leaking wheel cylinders mean reduced braking. Do not drive until fixed.
Brake Caliper Seizure (Disc Brake Cars)
What happens: Car pulls to one side under braking. One wheel is significantly hotter than the other after driving. Uneven pad wear.
Why it happens: The caliper slide pins or pistons seize from corrosion and lack of use. This is common on cars that sit for extended periods.
How to fix it: Remove, strip, clean, and rebuild the calipers. Replace all rubber seals and slide pin boots. New pistons may be needed if the bore is corroded. Budget $200-400 per caliper for a rebuild. Replace brake hoses at the same time, old rubber hoses can collapse internally, acting as a one-way valve.
Severity: Urgent. A seized caliper causes uneven braking and excessive wear. A caliper that’s seized “on” will overheat the brake and can cause brake fade or fire.
Electrical
Generator/Alternator Failure
What happens: Battery goes flat. Dash ammeter shows discharge. Dim headlights.
Why it happens: The EJ uses a generator; the EH uses either a generator or alternator depending on the variant. Generators produce limited output at low RPM and their brushes and commutators wear. Alternators are more robust but the voltage regulator (external on these cars) can fail.
How to fix it: Recondition the generator/alternator or replace with a modern internally-regulated alternator ($200-400). This is the most common and worthwhile electrical upgrade on these cars.
Severity: Needs attention. A failed charging system will leave you stranded.
Corroded Wiring and Earth Points
What happens: Intermittent lights, flickering instruments, starter motor cranks slowly, horn doesn’t work.
Why it happens: Sixty-year-old wiring with cloth insulation deteriorates. Connector terminals corrode. Earth points develop high resistance.
How to fix it: Trace and repair individual circuits for isolated faults. For widespread issues, a complete rewire with a reproduction loom is the solution ($400-800). Clean all earth points to bare metal and apply dielectric grease.
Severity: Needs attention. Electrical faults are a fire risk.
Body
Structural Rust, Floor Pans and Sills
What happens: Perforated metal underneath the car. Soft, crumbling steel. Visible rust from inside the cabin (carpet lifted).
Why it happens: Water ingress through deteriorated seals, combined with road spray from underneath, attacks the floor pans and sills relentlessly over six decades. The enclosed sill cavities trap moisture and rust from the inside out.
How to fix it: Cut out the rusted metal and weld in new panels. Reproduction floor pan sections and sill panels are available from Rare Spares and similar suppliers. Budget $2,000-5,000 per side for sills, $3,000-8,000 for full floor replacement. This is skilled work, poor welding repairs are worse than the original rust.
Severity: Urgent if structural. Perforated floors and sills compromise the unibody’s integrity.
Lower Guard Rust
What happens: Bubbling paint, perforation, and corrosion along the lower edges of front and rear guards.
Why it happens: Mud and water collect between the inner and outer guard skins. The curved shape prevents drainage.
How to fix it: Reproduction guard panels are available for the EH (less so for the EJ). Professional repair involves cutting and welding new metal. Budget $500-1,500 per guard.
Severity: Needs attention. Not structural but cosmetically unacceptable and progressive.
Boot Floor Rust
What happens: Rust in the boot floor, particularly the spare tyre well. Water pooling in the boot.
Why it happens: Water enters through tail-light seals, boot lid seal, and breather holes.
How to fix it: Treat minor rust with converter and sealer. Perforated boot floors need panel replacement. Reproduction boot floor panels are available. Budget $500-1,500.
Severity: Needs attention. Water in the boot accelerates rust in adjacent structural areas.
Preventive Maintenance
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Change engine oil every 5,000 km. Use 15W-40 mineral oil. The Red Motor’s generous clearances need the protection of a heavier oil.
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Grease the chassis every 5,000 km. The EJ/EH has grease nipples on ball joints, tie rod ends, and universal joints. Regular greasing extends component life dramatically.
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Check and adjust the brakes every 10,000 km. Drum brakes need periodic adjustment as the shoes wear. Disc brake cars need pad checks and caliper inspection.
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Inspect for rust twice a year. Get under the car with a torch. Treat any surface rust immediately with rust converter and sealant.
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Replace all rubber hoses every 10 years. Brake hoses, fuel lines, heater hoses, and radiator hoses all deteriorate with age, regardless of how much the car is driven.
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Keep the car dry. Store in a garage. If the car gets wet (rain, car wash), ensure it dries completely, particularly underneath. Moisture is the enemy.
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Drive it regularly. A car that sits deteriorates faster than one that’s used. Weekly drives keep seals lubricated, brakes from seizing, and moisture from accumulating.
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