95 VS cooling problems

[lo-rolla]

hey guys,

driving my car for the 1st time in a while last nite and it overheated. its never overheated on me. then got home same again. but i found out that the temp gauge isnt working. can anyone shed some light. possibley be the thermostat?

ben.

[hako]

The thermostat should not affect the temp gauge which will be an electrical problem (unless the cooling system was bone dry). What were the symptoms of your overheating -i.e. boiled etc? and was the system low on coolant.

[lo-rolla]

yeah boiled. its was over 3/4 full. i had just picked it up.
i am currently having electrical problems - 95 VS fuse problems...?
Could those current electrical problems be affecting why my temp gauge is not working?

thankyou, ROLLA.

[greenacc]

why only 3/4 full ? your radiator coolant should be full to the cap, always !! also make sure your thermo fan is switching on when the temp gauge reaches half way.

[lo-rolla]

well the thermofan sorta "chooses" when it wants to work. but i cant tell you if it goes off off halfway on the temp gauge because its not working.

[vsl67]

when your temp gauge doesnt work,low coolant is always the first thing you check ,it will even cause a false gauge reading & make your thermo fan operations unpreditable ,try bleeding the system if it is low or has been dumping a lot

[hako]

Sounds like you're having electrical mayhem!. With the thermofan I'd try hotwiring it so it runs all the time to solve your boiling problem although you say it chooses when it wants to work which is pretty much the way its supposed to...as long as it chooses the right time to switch on which it sounds like it isn't. When you say it was 3/4 full do you mean the overflow coolant reservoir tank or the actual radiator?
Re the interior light - someone hasn't turned it to the "stay on" position?

[alex2_s]

the temp sender wire connector may have come off at the inlet housing, quite easy to accidently do when removing the belt etc.

[BlackVXGTS]

The coolant temperature sensor is used to determine whether or not to switch the fans on. A separate temperature sensor is used to pass the temperature signal to the gauge on the dashboard. As previous posts have suggested, you need to ensure that the coolant is at the correct level (between half and full on the overflow tank), you are using the correct grade of coolant - 50% water, 50% ethylene glycol (genuine Holden coolant is best ), and that the cooling system has been bled properly.

Oops, just read the BT1, Holden V8 engines automatically bleed the air from the cooling system. You just need to keep topping up the overflow tank for a couple of days after you change the coolant.

[lo-rolla]

ok, thermostat was shagged. has been replaced and bled.
but.... thermo fans DO NOT WORK. driving, stationary, nothing.
all plugs are in, relay is good.

also the temp sender cable that runs to the gauge does not work, and neither does the gauge (temp).

what else could be wrong? i've checked all the earths, and connections.

[VR38]

Is it getting hot enough?
My VR shows nothing under 60deg and fan only runs with A/C on unless hot enough.

[lo-rolla]

yes, it is way more than hot. all level's are good.
and yes, tried it with aircon and still, nothing.

[mxmark]

is there any way of adjusting when the fan kicks in. Because mine gets up to near 3/4 before its kicks in. ive had the fan controller and thermostat changed over.

[VR38]

You could put in a manual overide switch.

[BlackVXGTS]

yes, it is way more than hot. all level's are good.
and yes, tried it with aircon and still, nothing.

Have you checked your fan relays and fuses? Swap with another similar size relay (for example the horn relay) and see whether that solves your problem.