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Holden L98 engine: known problems

Used in 3 guides · 5967cc petrol · 8 known problems

Displacement

5967cc

Layout

V8 NA

Fuel

petrol

Timing

Chain-driven, inspect from 250,000km+

Known problems8

Everything our guides list for the variants with this engine: the engine itself plus the gearbox and ancillaries it's paired with. Each shows which cars it's listed for.

High

AFM lifter collapse

Active Fuel Management (4-cylinder mode) lifters can collapse over time causing severe valvetrain noise, misfires, and potential cam damage. Affects high-km neglected examples most.

Fix: AFM delete (lifter swap, valley plate, tune) is the popular fix - removes the system entirely and improves reliability.

From 150-250k km · ~$3000-6000

Listed for: Holden Commodore VE / VE II

High

4L60E transmission (if auto)

Same 4L60E pattern as LS1 — torque converter shudder, slipping, failure.

Fix: Mandatory fluid changes. Rebuild if needed.

From 120-200k km · ~$2000-4500

Listed for: Holden Commodore VY / VZ

Medium

Oil consumption (AFM-related)

AFM system can allow oil into combustion chambers - oil consumption can rise to 1L per 1000-3000km.

Fix: Catch can helps. AFM delete eliminates the issue entirely.

From 100k+ km · ~$0-200/oil

Listed for: Holden Commodore VE / VE II

Medium

Differential whine (3.45 ratio)

Live axle rear diffs can develop whine due to bearing wear or ring/pinion wear.

Fix: Rebuild rear diff. Some convert to upgraded 9-inch or LSD setup at same time.

From 150k+ km · ~$1500-3000

Listed for: Holden Commodore VE / VE II

Medium

Diff bearing wear

Same diff issues as LS1 — bearing wear and whine.

Fix: Diff rebuild.

From 150k+ km · ~$1500-3000

Listed for: Holden Commodore VY / VZ

Medium

Lifter tick / valvetrain wear

Like other Gen IV V8s, hydraulic lifters can tick at higher km, particularly with extended oil intervals; AFM-era hardware adds complexity over the LS1.

Fix: Maintain oil quality/intervals; replace lifters and inspect cam lobes if persistent.

From 150k+ km · ~$1000-3000

Listed for: Holden Ute VU / VY / VZ

Low

Rear main seal weep

Rear main seal can weep oil over time.

Fix: Reseal during clutch/torque converter service to save labour.

From 150k+ km · ~$400-800

Listed for: Holden Commodore VE / VE II · Holden Commodore VY / VZ

Low

Oil consumption at higher km

Valve-stem seals and rings can allow some oil use at high mileage causing light exhaust haze.