14th Aug 2003, 01:56

Judging by your mileage, a likely cause of your speedo sticking is the effect of 'cable run' - this is where the speedometer cable itself begins to stretch as a result of it unraveling - this is common on many older cars. Once the cable stretches, it has nowhere to go except along the length of the cable, putting pressure against the speedometer gears, making the needle stick.

Do try the odometer suggestion, as it is a good idea, but maybe you do need to replace the speedo cable - it's a very simple job on the VL.

Another thing to add is that when you have the hoses replaced, it is a very good idea to have the entire cooling system flushed. The problem with the VL motor is that Holden did not use the Nissan cylinder head, they used their own design for the VL - resulting in a head that was more prone to overheating and warping (beats me why Holden went to all the trouble of sourcing a Nissan motor and not using the cylinder head designed specifically for that motor!). The remedy for this is to just make sure the cooling system is regularly flushed, and that you use a really good coolant - I recommend a concentrate coolant that you mix and top up with distilled water (not tap water!!). Also, you will need to back this up by ensuring your thermostat, water pump, hoses, radiator and the rest of the cooling system are in great shape - a little preventative maintenance really pays off here! This should give you trouble free motoring and a cooler running engine.

Hope this helps.

David (carsurvey.org member)