Overheating?

[Mr_Slim]

I check the levels reasonably regularly (every couple 1000kms) and last time i checked i had plenty of coolant.

well the other day im driving and i look at the guage - the temp is off the roof, and the little light came on it was all happening. So i went to the closest servo, and there it is - totally out of coolant. so that was a suprise as i had checked it only 3wks ago.

i bought some more coolant, filled it up to the max line, and put a bit of water in it too. the temp went down, but over a week it has only gone down as low as half way. normally the temp sits in the bottom qtr.

it has been pretty damn hot in sydney lately (well all of australia in fact) and its the first time i've owned a VP in the summer so not sure what to expect - would this be the cause of my problem, or something more sinister?

thanks guys

[immortality]

after topping the system up you'll need to bleed the cooling system of air. do a search, plenty of threads on cooling systems. might also pay to replace thge thermostat and radiator cap.

[xcop5l]

ok it sounds like you have only toped up the over flow bottle and the vp's dont have a header tank my first sujestion would be to take the raidator cap off and top up the coolong system not just the resivour.
then take it for a drive and get it hot... park it in the drive and let it sit for a while (20min) then go out and have a general look over and underneath for leaks

[Burnout_bro]

happend to me and it ended up being my waterpump, you couldnt be that stupid just to fill up the overflow tank.

[2greedy]

happend to me and it ended up being my waterpump, you couldnt be that stupid just to fill up the overflow tank.

M8 some ppl are that stupid! because they dont know....

Fair go m8!!!!!

[Morton]

1) when you checked that your car was out of coolant, did you check the radiator cap, or the overflow bottle?

a) if you checked the overflow bottle, chances are you still had coolant left
b) if you checked the radiator cap, was there any hissing? (you let the car cool down first, right?)
c) I'd be checking a VP every three days, not every three weeks

2) Park the car, come back in an hour, and open the radiator cap. Fill it with water 'till it's up to the brim, and loosen the air bleeder valve a little. (you have a VP, so you should have a bleeder valve.)
Then run the car for about 15 seconds, turn it off, and fill the radiator to the brim again. Shut the cap tightly. Crank her up again, and this time watch the bleeder valve with the engine running. (just to be clear, you want this valve to be loose, but not off.) Then when you see it consistently running water (30sec or so?), shut it tightly. NOW you can fill up the overflow tank.

3) run the car for a while, and see if the temperature guage stays down low. If not, then it's time to look into things like your thermostat, water pump, clogged radiator etc.



PS: don't stress about coolant (antifreeze). Not in australia. You'd be set just running a 100% water mix in there through summer. Coolant is good for its anti-corrosive qualities, and if you're really fussed, you can add some lube pills that you can get from Holden. Other than that, if you ever run out of liquids again, water will do just fine. Don't stress about getting coolant just to get you home.

[Mr_Slim]

1) when you checked that your car was out of coolant, did you check the radiator cap, or the overflow bottle?

a) if you checked the overflow bottle, chances are you still had coolant left
b) if you checked the radiator cap, was there any hissing? (you let the car cool down first, right?)
c) I'd be checking a VP every three days, not every three weeks

2) Park the car, come back in an hour, and open the radiator cap. Fill it with water 'till it's up to the brim, and loosen the air bleeder valve a little. (you have a VP, so you should have a bleeder valve.)
Then run the car for about 15 seconds, turn it off, and fill the radiator to the brim again. Shut the cap tightly. Crank her up again, and this time watch the bleeder valve with the engine running. (just to be clear, you want this valve to be loose, but not off.) Then when you see it consistently running water (30sec or so?), shut it tightly. NOW you can fill up the overflow tank.

3) run the car for a while, and see if the temperature guage stays down low. If not, then it's time to look into things like your thermostat, water pump, clogged radiator etc.



PS: don't stress about coolant (antifreeze). Not in australia. You'd be set just running a 100% water mix in there through summer. Coolant is good for its anti-corrosive qualities, and if you're really fussed, you can add some lube pills that you can get from Holden. Other than that, if you ever run out of liquids again, water will do just fine. Don't stress about getting coolant just to get you home.

Thanks for that mate, ill get onto it ASAP.

And yes i did only fill up the overflow tank. stupid - no. stupid would be just assuming that everything is fine now and continuing to drive it.

you learn a new thing everyday, and this is what i've learned today. thanks everyone!

[xr388]

Running straight water without any anti- corrosion protection in a V6 would be asking for trouble. V series coolant is made specifically for commodores and protects against electrolisis which is a big problem given the material that the welsh plugs are made from.