Holden Colorado Problems

Was the lift kit an approved Holden fitment? I don’t think it was, I think it was done at dealer level, and that’s where you should be venting your frustration. By fitting the lift kit you have modified the car and voided the warranty in that area of the car. Remember, the dealer is an independent business, it is not part of Holden. Go back to the dealer and get him to sort the problem, and if needed call in the manufacturer of the lift kit.

Since both variants of Colorado here use essentially the same engine, I’m not sure what sensors would be different and require changing. That said, the MY17 Colorado got recalibrated hill-descent and hill-start functions, so maybe there are some differences there.

The major mechanical difference that I can see between a 2014 and a 2017 Colorado is probably the power-steering. In late 2016, the vehicle switched to an electrically-assisted system in place of the previous hydraulic set-up. So the later engine would probably lack the pulleys and mounting hardware for the hydraulic power-steering pump that your vehicle requires. Perhaps they can be removed from the old engine and fitted to the later one.

Perhaps an easier solution would be to return the engine originally supplied and ask for the correct version for your car. If the engine supplied originally was not fit for purpose, then you’ve every right to ask for a replacement unit that is.

It’s very difficult to diagnose problems over the phone, just as it is via this website. But, I’d be taking the vehicle straight back to the mechanic in question, because whatever is wrong is going to be fairly major.

In the majority of cases, an engine with a broken crankshaft won’t run. In fact, it won’t even turn over. Sometimes, it will still run, though, and the symptoms you’ve described are spot on for that. Either way, a broken crankshaft is one example of what’s called catastrophic failure and a new crankshaft (at the very least) is the usual result.

But those same symptoms can also be the result of a loose harmonic balancer. And here’s the clue: The harmonic balancer has to be removed to replace the front crankshaft seal (which was done the day before the problems started). If the balancer is not reinstalled correctly, it can start to wobble, tear up the new seal and make all sorts of noises and vibrations. The bad news is that often, the wobbling balancer destroys the end (called the snout) of the crankshaft in the process, so even though the crank is not broken or snapped per se, it may still need to be replaced. It does seem like a fantastic coincidence that the balancer started wobbling the day after it was removed and refitted. That said, if the crankshaft has failed, then a coincidence is precisely what it might be.

I’ve actually experienced this on a brand-new Colorado (during an evaluation drive, no less). In this case it turned out to be a couple of loose fasteners in the front end, which were fixed quickly and permanently. In your case, though, it seems as though even with everything checked and tightened, the noise is still there.

So maybe it’s not something as obvious as a loose coupling or fitting. Maybe you’re looking at noisy shock absorbers. Sometimes these components can contribute a clunk, but it’s usually when they’re worn out, not on a six-month-old vehicle. Does the noise occur in a straight line or with some steering lock applied? Perhaps the steering lock stops are the culprits. I’d be putting the vehicle back on a hoist and checking that everything from the engine mounts to the cross-member and the steering rack to the transmission mounts are torqued to the correct values. Don’t rule out silly things like a loose tub or tray, either; sometimes a clunk in the rear of a vehicle can be transmitted down a chassis rail to sound like it’s coming from the front somewhere.

I doubt that it is a low oil pressure problem; it’s more likely to be an electronic issue with the car’s computer or a sensor associated with the ECM.

The recommended service interval for this vehicle is every 10,000km. Roughly speaking, every second service is a bit more involved, so that suggests it’s more of a `major’ service. Either way, skipped services on a vehicle like this will be false economy in the longer term.

On the timing belt front, there’s good news and bad. The good news is that both the turbo-diesel and petrol V6 versions of the Colorado both use timing chains, so there’s no need to change a timing belt. The bad news is that the petrol version uses the Alloytech V6 which is renowned for its ability to stretch its own timing chain to the point where it needs costly replacement. This is a known fault with this engine.

There are three classic causes of a sinking brake pedal. The first is a worn out brake master cylinder that is allowing brake fluid back past the actuating piston. The second is a leak somewhere in the braking system, either a caliper itself or a brake line or union and, the third is an ABS system fault where the ABS pump isn’t working properly, usually due to a low brake-fluid level.

Regardless of the cause, there’s no `acceptable tolerance’ for a brake pedal that slowly sinks towards the floor. A braking system in good working order should be able to hold the brake pedal at the same level more or less indefinitely. Any sinking is bad news and is a serious safety issue. I wouldn’t even have the car towed to a workshop; it’s simply not safe to drive.

The symptoms you have certainly suggest an engine with far too much blow-by (combustion pressure escaping past the piston rings and into the crankcase). Sometimes, the same symptoms can be caused by a crankcase ventilation system that isn’t working properly, but it’s often blow-by that’s the cause. That’s usually the result of internal engine wear which, at 290,000km and counting, is hardly out of the question.

Basically, the observations you’ve made regarding crankcase fumes are about as far as you can go without actually performing a compression and cylinder leak-down test. The good news is that these tests aren’t overly complicated and don’t take long, but they will give you a vastly more accurate idea of what’s going on inside the engine. Oil in the intercooler can also be a sign of this sort of wear, but, as you’ve been told, can also be the fault of blown turbocharger seals. Either way, it sounds like your engine is due for a freshen up in the name of reliability and clean running.

As with any four-wheel-drive that is approaching middle-age, you need to treat every Colorado on its individual merits. How has it been driven? Has it been used as a work truck? Has it spent every weekend off-road?

Beyond that, the Colorado is subject to the same concerns that challenge all owners of modern, common-rail diesel engines. Those start with the soot filter which can clog up and require manual cleaning. The solution is to make sure you do at least one decent freeway journey every three or four weeks as a means of allowing the filter to regenerate as it’s supposed to.

The other thing that catches many owners out is a build up of black gunge in the engine’s inlet tract. The black ooze is a combination of oil mist from the crankcase ventilation system and soot from the exhaust (a modern engine consumes a proportion of its own exhaust gasses as an emissions-reduction measure). When these two compounds mix, the black, sticky murk is the result. If it’s bad enough it can trigger a check-engine light on the dash and can lead to poor running and fuel economy. Left long enough, the whole intake system will need to be removed and manually cleaned. An aftermarket oil separator stops this is it traps the oil mist before it can enter the engine and is a good addition to these vehicles.

On the lower-right corner of the dashboard, you’ll find the rotary switch that controls the headlights. On the same switch panel (just to the left of the main headlight switch) are a pair of sliding controls that control the headlight aiming (the right-hand slide) and the dashboard-light brightness (just to its left).

When the car’s headlights are turned on, the dashboard lights are automatically dimmed, and sometimes this provides insufficient light to see the gauges clearly in bright daylight. But by holding the adjustment slide in the up position, you can turn the dashboard lights to their brightest level of illumination.