Vn ss 1990 5ltr - possible head gasket issue, help me

[geronamo2008]

Hi, I am new to this site. I own a 1990 VN SS, running the 5.0 304 engine. and off that i have extractors and 3inch exhaust, its done 300ks.

The issue is just recently the temperature gauge went right up to the top of dial in my dash. the bonnet was so hot. and steam was pouring out from under my engine bay.
I opened the engine bay and the overflow bottle is full. there is steam coming out from the left hand side of the engine near the fuel rails and infront of the radiator near the engine. Since this time, the next couple of times i took it for a 10min drive, the temp guage climbs so quickly. then I stop. anyways I am unsure if its a head issue, or is it just a blocked radiator, because the engine is hot, and one side of the radiator was hot, but the other side wasnt and when i take off the cap, I had to put 3litres into the radiator so it must have been near empty when the overflow is full.

My predicament is, I am unsure what it is. and where to go from here, I have been guided by one friend and checked the oil, but its fine, dark, thick, good quality - no milk or watery look.

I just dont want to spend possibly $1000+ to replace the headgasket being a V8... if its something else. I have owned the car 6months now. It has alot of power and torque, still does. it just gets hot easily.

can someone point me in the right direction? or possibly be able to do the job for me at a reduced cost? I am located near Clayton in MELBOURNE CBD. feel free to reply on here with any information for me or email me.

[Garth]

might i sugest that you do the following.

remove the thermistate and check it's operation. if it heaps up that quickly, with one side of radiator hot, and the other side not hot, it tells me either your car is posesed by some demon, or your water pump or thermistate has failed,

check those before getting a head or cooling system test done


remove thermistate, take inside, get a plastic container, and put thermistate inside it, use boiling water poor over the thermistate, it should open, if it doesnt it's shaged and get a new one

[vpete]

I would go get a "new" thermostat and put it in. I agree with Garth, it sounds like your thermostat has jammed shut and not letting the coolant past it to the other side of the radiator to recirculate it. It should be a cheap fix if no more damage has been done by driving it in this state!

Cheers.................................Pete!

[geronamo2008]

thanks for the reply but a few months ago my mate ripped the guts out of it so the thermostat is always open and even put new gaskets on that, he told me to check hoses, the one at the top of radiator was hot, but the one at bottom of radiator wasnt, I have been told by mechanic they will do a quick radiator check for free and then give me a quote, i just like to know other peoples opinions and experiences, I do not want to pay for a head gasket

[Garth]

quick test for you.


remove your top radiator hose, jump in the car, and start it, quickly have a look to see if water is being pumped out of the engine block from teh disconected hose, if it is, water pump is fine, if it isnt, water pump is shaged, and a new pump will fix your issue

[geronamo2008]

id like to thank everyone for their help. I took car to mechanic and straight away he noticed an air/water leak and pin pointed it to be the hose under the engine covers. the hose that connects to some heater tap near the throttle body was worn and 3/4 ripped off, so thats where the water/steam was coming from and not getting into the engine! the mechanic replaced the broken hose and re-sealed it all back and the temperature is now back to normal and the water is going thru the radiator, and the engine is fine now! I have other things that need to be addressed but my mechanic will do them later on, If anything else comes up I will come back to this site again! thanks

[Phoenix21]

good to hear its sorted out mate take a fair bit to do the head

[Blown V6 Hatch]

Do yourself a favour and put an operational thermostat back in it. Why is it, whenever a car starts to overheat people rip the thermostat out? The thermostat is there for a reason....

[geronamo2008]

thats fine, and I didnt do it my mate did it, but the car has still a few minor things to address, but im glad shes fine and running well again!