Commodore (VB-VL)

1978-1988 / Sedan / Estate / Australia

All Commodore (VB-VL) problems All workshop issues

Common Engine, Nissan RB30ET (VL Turbo)

Turbocharger Wear

Symptoms

Blue smoke under boost, oil in the intercooler piping, excessive shaft play (compressor wheel contacts the housing), whistling or grinding noise from the turbo.

Cause

The factory Garrett T3 turbo wears from age, heat cycling, and inadequate oil supply. Running the engine hard and then shutting it off immediately (instead of letting it idle for 60 seconds to cool down) accelerates turbo bearing failure. Running low-quality oil or infrequent oil changes also shortens turbo life.

Fix

Replace or rebuild the turbo.

A new aftermarket T3/T4 hybrid turbo is $400-800 and is a popular upgrade over the stock T3.

If rebuilding the factory unit, a rebuild kit is $100-200 but requires the turbo to be sent to a turbo specialist for balancing.

Always replace the oil feed and drain lines when fitting a new turbo, blocked or restricted oil feed is the number one cause of premature turbo failure.

Cost mentioned in fix

$400-800$100-200

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Other known issues

Critical Engine, Nissan RB30ET (VL Turbo)

Head Gasket Failure

Overheating, white smoke from the exhaust (especially under boost), coolant loss with no visible external leak, milky residue on the oil filler cap, coolant in the overflow bottle that smells of exhaust, bubbles in the coolant when the engine is running.

Common Engine, Nissan RB30ET (VL Turbo)

Air Flow Meter (AFM) Failure

Engine stumbles, surges, cuts out, or won't rev past a certain point. May run fine at idle but die under load. Intermittent misfiring.

Critical Engine, Nissan RB30ET (VL Turbo)

Boost Creep / Overboosting

Boost gauge reads higher than the set level, particularly in higher gears under sustained load. The car feels faster than it should.

Minor Engine, Holden Six (3.3L / 202ci)

Worn Valve Stem Seals

Blue smoke on startup that clears after 30 seconds to a minute. May also smoke briefly on deceleration after sustained highway driving.

Common Engine, Holden Six (3.3L / 202ci)

Carburettor Issues (VB-VH)

Hard starting, rough idle, flat spots on acceleration, flooding, poor fuel economy, black smoke.

Critical Engine, Holden Six (3.3L / 202ci)

Oil Leaks (All Holden Six and V8)

Oil on the garage floor, oil smell, oil coating on the underside of the engine.

View all 21 Commodore (VB-VL) problems