3degrees&overheating

[LisnM8]

Guys & Girls really need some help, my 5 litre stato is still overheating in these freezing conditions, wtf...its been a constant battle with this car to keep her cool, and its getting the better of me...OK water pump was a jap one so replaced it when it **** itself the other day with a genuine holden one as there propellers sit closer to the block and are more effective...still no luck, changed the cap, raditor was reco'd about 2-3 years ago by previuos owner, tryed new themostat no luck so drilled holes in her to allow a little more coolant to flow still no luck, i have been told to take the thermo completly out but i was also told by another mate it will overheat the motor more because the coolant will flow to quick not allowing it to soak up the heat from the block...mind you this is freeway driving and she sits in the notch between H and halfway ie 3/4+...one thing i noticed you know that black peice of plastic thats attached to the bottom of the radiator my cars has been taken of it usually sits bellow the bumper if you look at the front of your car does that serve a purpose to deflect air onto the motor?????Also could it be a faulty heater water valve ???? ANy suggestions please help before she blows up:bang: ANd its runnin antifreez i just put some in yesterday and she's not losing any coolant....

 

[spice weasel (BAM)]

I have head you can get thermostats which get the cooling system running earlier, making it run cooler.

Im no car mechanic, but im sure that might be able to help

 

[TheForgotten]

one thing i noticed you know that black peice of plastic thats attached to the bottom of the radiator my cars has been taken of it usually sits bellow the bumper if you look at the front of your car does that serve a purpose to deflect air onto the motor?????

yep that's exactly what they do, but you wouldn't know by looking at them. called a baffle I think.
can't offer any advice other than getting a new one. was missing off my car and I had overheating probs too. bought one from holden, bolted it on in their driveway and it solved my prob

 

[defyet]

It seems you have a tried a fair few things. Maybe the sensor is screwed?
Maybe its reading hotter then the car really is?
It seems odd that its heating up with freeway driving and on cold morning/days.
Either that or the radiator/engine is full of junk?
Are you 100% sure the fans are working also?
Even with them not working it should stay cool when your driving in cold temps on a highway.
Does it get even hotter when the vehicle if not moving and in warmer weather or is it that same as when your freeway driving in the cold?

Cheers,
Scott

 

[LisnM8]

Yeah i have tried thermostats which open earlier, and it isn’t the sensor the motors really hot and sensor new, already went down that path, i flushed the system, it did have massive clunks of 'dirt' actually was my trans cooler..it let go so put an external one on now its pretty clear...the fans well its got a clutch fan it looks ok and the aircon thermo fan at the front i by-passed it so i could manually turn it on however when i switch it on, makes no noticeable difference, if anything she cools down at the lights which is bloody weird and as for driving in the summer it was constantly heating, had to keep pulling over getting sick of it really maybe i should invest in an Audi A4 afteral, looks like ill ring holden for this baffle...thanks for the ideas ill keep at it trying to solve the mystery of the big blue stati

 

[Boonz]

may sound silly but have you mixed 2 different brands of coolant together???
sometimes and only sometimes they have a chemical reaction and it turns thick and doesnt cool cos it sounds like a bit of problem when youve replaced all those things..... or maybe you have a blocked water jacket in the block????

 

[hako]

When you say the motor is "really hot", just how do you measure this? Unless the motor actually boils it is not overheating. You say it is not using coolant so this would mean it is not boiling because if it is then you would lose coolant. Also you say that the trans cooler failed - if so then how did you know it failed as coolant in your trans oil = buggered trans. Guages are not always accurate so dont place all your faith in them. Good Luck.

 

[LisnM8]

When you say the motor is "really hot", just how do you measure this? Unless the motor actually boils it is not overheating. You say it is not using coolant so this would mean it is not boiling because if it is then you would lose coolant. Also you say that the trans cooler failed - if so then how did you know it failed as coolant in your trans oil = buggered trans. Guages are not always accurate so dont place all your faith in them. Good Luck.

hako, it was oil in the coolant, idiot me initially thought it was the head gasket as i had water marks down my block so i pulled the heads of got them machined and changed it all, but il was tranny oil in my radiator, i have flushed all the gunk out but maybe its beyond repair? I also Brought that Air Shoot for bellow the bumper it has dropped the temp to half way but now she rises when i start slowing down:ranting: Another question how does the clutch fan work does it simply work of engine revs, ie does it just have a centrifugal clutch inside or not?
Also were should my gauge be siting freeway driving in 3degrees temp???Bellow half way or ????

Thanks alot guys

 

[hako]

The fan has a bi-metallic coil which senses the temperature of the air coming from the radiator and this in turn determines how fast the fan will turn. It is not centrifugal. If its cold, the fan will slip a lot whilst if the air is hot the fan will have minimal slip and move lots of air. The fan hub contains silicone oil (I think) which allows the fan to 'slip' much like a torque converter, and this oil can leak out or the fan can fail internally. I think the basic test for this type of engine driven fan is whether the fan sucks/blows lots of air when the engine is hot - if it seems to be 'free-wheeling' then it is buggered. If you try to turn the fan blades (engine stopped) by hand it should have some rsistance and not spin. When you rev the motor, the fan should blow/suck heaps of air and you should be able to feel it with your hand placed around the front of the grille (and not near the fan!). You must be getting close to finding a fix!!!

 

[LisnM8]

. I think the basic test for this type of engine driven fan is whether the fan sucks/blows lots of air when the engine is hot - if it seems to be 'free-wheeling' then it is buggered. If you try to turn the fan blades (engine stopped) by hand it should have some rsistance and not spin.

Hako when you mean it shoudnt spin do you mean if you give it a good old push(spin) it shoudnt continue to spin yeah, well just tested it and it stops intantly well maybe 1/4 of a turn if not less...and well i rev the motor i can feel a fair bit of air passing through the radiator, and it doesnt look like its free wheeling........could i put on a traditional stlye(flexifan) fan from a 308 and test that out? Do they fit?Even though it may not sit inside the shroud which would probably be worse huh.........arrrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhh just when i thought i found the solution :realangry Dont be suprised if my next post is in the For Sale section........