please help

[quiksilver1]

I brought a vs spac 2 weeks ago,the temp seems to go up and down a fair bit in traffic,up to 3/4 before fans come on,is this normal???? car runs at a 1/4 while on the hwy..also just got some oil dripping from rear of motor yesterday.just my luck. what price should i be looking at to get the rear main replaced?? thanks.

 

[haloeight]

the thermo will come on just after 1/2 way on the heat gauge

and it is normal for it to change a lot in traffic, any sustained run should go down to 1/4, so it all sounds perfectly normal, dont worry

the vs series one is renowned for a rear main seal failure, it is a big job, if you search around on the forums you will see how other people went with this one

 

[quiksilver1]

thanks mate i was a bit worried about temp as it changes more than any other car ive owned,now for the rear main.wont even think about doing it myself.rough price would be really handy though. cheers

 

[hako]

The oil dripping at the rear of the motor may not be the rear main seal - it could be leaking down from a rocker cover. Even if it is the rear seal you do not need to panic unless oil is dripping continuously on to the road. Most of the early VS motors were modified by now so keep your fingers crossed.

 

[cunners3]

My fan kicks in a 3/4 too, i think some are at 1/2 some are at 3/4... yeah like they said the temp isn't much to worry about

 

[Slow VR]

Check the valley covers, mine leaks some oil from there. Ive given up tryn to sort my temp issues out.... New water pump, thermostat, rad tanks n flush, temp sendors, rad cap, thermo relay. Still gets over 3/4's if it gets loaded up a bit, sometimes in traffic gets over 3/4's to.

 

[mattman]

Just put a cooler thermostat in.. fan kicks in sooner... simple..

 

[Harvs82]

Temps you mention seem fine, mine will go just over 1/2 to 3/4 sitting in traffic, seems to be fine, as the fan always kicks in when its meant to. Check the the quality of your coolant, if in doubt, put the correct mix of 50/50 concentrate and water in, and replace the thermostat whilst you are at it.

Re your oil leak, it wouldn't be a V6 commodore if the rear main seal didn't leak! Perhaps just use some degreaser everywhere you see oil, and then wash it all off. A couple of days later have a look again, and see if you can find out where the oil is coming from.

My rear main seal weeps a bit, but a shot of degreaser every 4 months or so keeps the mess to a minimum. I wouldn't bother fixing it, the cost is often upwards of $800, and there is no gaurantee that it won't happen again later on.

 

[quiksilver1]

thanks for the replies,for what ive been reading the temp does seem normal. just not used to seeing temp up so high in a car as its the first vs ive owned. i think i was a bit too worried as ive just purchased the car. everything else is going smoothly now after a little bit of TLC. Cheers again for the replies..carmed the nerves!

 

[Harvs82]

thanks for the replies,for what ive been reading the temp does seem normal. just not used to seeing temp up so high in a car as its the first vs ive owned. i think i was a bit too worried as ive just purchased the car. everything else is going smoothly now after a little bit of TLC. Cheers again for the replies..carmed the nerves!

Thats ok, its what we are all here for! I prefer a guage that actually moves in relation to the temperature of the coolant, most Japanese cars just sit at half all the time, or even the new Astra, which doesn't have a temperature gauge at all, it just has a warning light!