Holden Rodeo Engine Problems

IT'S A hard call. You'll be about $1500 out of pocket after you get the rebate, which means you need to add that to the price before you break even. When you do that, you're reducing your potential market of possible buyers. I think the Rodeo will appeal to a young tradie, and as such it may have more appeal as is with its lower selling price than it will if you fit it with LPG and increase the price. I would sell it as is and let the buyer decide to fit LPG.

THE Rodeo's V6 is the same Alloytec V6 that's used in the current Commodore. Holden offers a dual-fuel kit for the Alloytec V6 in the Commodore, but it has been modified for running LPG. Holden had been working on a similar installation for the Rodeo, but backed away from it because of difficulties having the LPG-compatible engine fitted in the Thailand plant where the Rodeo is built. It also checked to see if it could get away with running the standard V6 on LPG, but found problems quickly developed with the cylinder heads so never went ahead with the release of the kit. That was an injection kit being developed for Holden by Impco. Impco's advice at that time was that the Rodeo V6 was not suitable for gas, but the guys at the Australian LPG Warehouse have developed kits for it and claim they have fitted them to Rodeos and Commodores and have had no problems. The secret, they say, is they make sure the engine runs rich enough at wide open throttle on LPG so the combustion temperatures don't get high enough to cause problems with the valves and head.

HOLDEN offered a dual-fuel system for the RA Rodeo with the 3.5-litre V6 engine and that's the one I would recommend. It was developed by Impco and sold through Holden dealers. The warranty will be affected by modifications made to install the system. That means Holden won't cover the engine and other parts of the car that have been modified. You need to talk to the person installing the system to see what cover they provide for the equipment they supply and the work they do.

THAT'S about right for the V6 Rodeo, I'm afraid. Apart from converting it to dual-fuel, the only things you can do are to ensure the wheel alignment is OK; the tyres in good condition and inflated to the recommended pressure or slightly higher; and ladder racks and other items affecting the aerodynamics are removed.

EVEN though you're still shy of the mileage for the change, I'm sure you'll find you've exceeded the recommended time, having gone eight years without changing it. Having gone all that time you could probably get away with waiting for the 160,000km to roll around. Any mechanic can make the change. It's not necessary to go to a dealer.

It's odd that Holden's diagnostic equipment failed to find the problem oxygen sensors. In any case it is good to get an outcome, and it's something any other owner with a fuel consumption problem should think about checking.

The 3.5-litre Rodeo uses more fuel. I recommend the Toyota. Consider a diesel if you are concerned about fuel economy.

Holden cancelled its LPG development program on the Alloytec engine in the Rodeo when it couldn’t make the valves and valve seats of the standard engine live long enough on gas. While Holden uses the Alloytec engine in its dual-fuel Commodore it’s fitted with hardened valve seats and valves in that car, but for reasons only known to Holden it couldn’t or wouldn’t fit the dual-fuel engine in the Rodeo. Talk to an LPG specialist about the conversion as some claim they can do it quite successfully, but approach it with caution.

THERE seems to be no problem with converting the current Rodeo four-cylinder to dual-fuel. Same for the Hilux. It's best to use a Sequential Vapour Injection system.

IT DEPENDS what you regard as incredibly thirsty. Four-wheel-drives tend to be thirsty. They're heavy and have to drag all that extra four-wheel-drive gear around, and the Rodeo's petrol V6 is a 3.5-litre unit. If fuel consumption is a key consideration for you, try a diesel. Fuel consumption will be much lower, and you won't lose too much performance.