vs 5.0l temp issues

[SICKTG]

ok so my vs has seen the half way mark and the notch above that aswell on the temp gauge it used to sit on 1/4 and never move from there. i have replaced the thermostat radiator cap it has antifreeze antiboil coolant, the water pump is not even a year old and the engine fan/clutch seems to be working properly. i have a spare water temp gauge in the shed im going to put in and see what happens but what other things should i be checking where does the temp gauge sit on other 5.0's? any help would be much appreciated cheers, brad

[VrWagz1]

If your in traffic, that may be ok. But if its just in regular travelling then i would say theres an issue there. Take some temperature readings and see if it actually overheating and then chase it from there. Nothing worse then a bum gauge or sensor unit giving you the run around. Im not sure of the exact temps you should run, but im imagining about 90-95 degrees. Some one else here may know exactly????

[SICKTG]

If your in traffic, that may be ok. But if its just in regular travelling then i would say theres an issue there. Take some temperature readings and see if it actually overheating and then chase it from there. Nothing worse then a bum gauge or sensor unit giving you the run around. Im not sure of the exact temps you should run, but im imagining about 90-95 degrees. Some one else here may know exactly????

ill put the aftermarket gauge in and see what happens can someone tell me what the temp should sit on? i was thinking maybe the clutch in the fan may be dying should i just **** off the fan and get an elec thermo?

[Morton]

The temp should sit at whatever your thermostat is rated at. If you have a 90deg thermostat, then your temp should be around 90-95deg.

Easy way to tell if the clutch fan is working:

1) turn the car on
2) get up the front with the engine cover off
3) rev the throttle spindle, and see if the fan speeds up quickly.

If the clutch fan IS dying, then you're probably best off getting another one. They do a very good job, and drain very little power compared to always-on fans. You can throw in twin-thermos from an AU, but it's a lot of money and hastle when a clutch fan is cheap and always turns, keeping the motor very cool.

Also keep in mind we're coming into hotter weather, and this will have effects on your car's temperature. Instead of 15-20deg air flowing through the radiator, it's now over 30 during the day, which will increase operating temperatures.

My VP used to never get above the first dash in winter, but would run hot as an oven in summer.

[commsirac]

ill put the aftermarket gauge in and see what happens can someone tell me what the temp should sit on? i was thinking maybe the clutch in the fan may be dying should i just **** off the fan and get an elec thermo?

Rather than an aftermarket gauge, Id buy yourself an infrared temp sensor. You can get a fairly accurate temp reading on most things, in an instant. They cost ~$40, less than an aftermarket gauge.
You can see which bits of the motor are getting hot, whether the coolant is circulating, how much temp drop through the radiator etc

If your clutch fan has had it, replace it with something that will work just as well.....a new viscous clutch unit.
There is usually a steady decline in performance of the fans where it can change from having only ~15% slip when new when engaged and increase to over 80% with use.

How do you tell if they have had it? If its very bad, the fan will barely increase above idle rpm when you rev the motor. But for optimum performance there is only one way to test for sure and that is to measure fan speed versus pulley speed, you need either a strobe or optical tachometer.
Typically most dont bother and use a few rule of thumb methods:

Here's one more:

When stopping the motor, if the fan doesnt stop within one spin, its stuffed(this applies to the acdelco units fitted to holdens, but not to all viscous units which may keep spinning depending on what temperature they are at)

or alternatively, if the motor is stopped when it is overheat condition, try spinning the fan by hand, if it spins more than half a rev...its stuffed.

[SICKTG]

ill test the fan out tommorow cheers for that^ and the reason i said ill throw the gauge in is becuase i already have one sitting in the shed... i was watching it driving home tonight it would get to half and drop back a notch almost as soon as it reached the half mark. does anybody know off hand how much the clucth part of the fan is worth new? and if i was going to put a thermo in id put a thermostatic switch in to run it thanks for your help so far guys

[commsirac]

Buying new, the acdelco ones from your holden dealer at a guess would be around the $100 mark, the same for the craig davies units.

There are other brands, but my experience with some of them is that they dont always work to spec.

Ive had more success with 2nd hand genuine units that Ive picked up for $5 or even two I found on a nature strip!

Unless they have been stored vertically, it is hard to tell from spinning the units by hand if they are stuffed or not. If you buy from a wrecker, just get an agreement that you can refund it if it is no good. Given that they can be fitted in ~ 10mins, do it while you are there.

[SICKTG]

i may just put an elec unit from an el ford in does anybody know if the v8 computer has a thermostatic switch even tho they didnt come with thermo's?

[BlackVXGTS]

If you decide to replace your viscous fan just buy the centre bit not the entire unit (which includes fan blades). The fan blades are usually OK (unless they have been damaged in an accident etc.) and just buying the centre unit is much cheaper.