It started with overheating.....

[t0mm0]

I was driving home on the highway this morning *3am* and i noticed that the heat needle was OFF the gauge. Past hot. As i coasted down a hill i threw it in neutral, and it idled for about ten seconds then shut off completely, so i pulled over and tried starting it. It was hard to start, and when it did start it idled really rough and blew out a shitload of black smoke for about ten to fifteen seconds, then the idle went back to normal and i put it in drive and drove off. (before i restarted it i checked the water reservoir and it was full.) when i slowed i noticed a tapping sound from under the bonnet and it didnt seem to have the normal power that it usually had. I had checked the oil that morning, and it was just under the full line, and there was coolant in the radiator and reservoir.

The car is a 94 VR Series 2 executive, has anyone got any ideas on what the hell is going on?

[t0mm0]

*UPDATE*

I checked the oil and water this morning, the reservoir was full and the radiator was empty, and there was no oil. Refilled both and car started and has been idling for two minutes with no strange sounds or issues. It revs up and down fine. Any ideas what is going wrong?

[mx kid]

if its gotten that hot then i would say you have blown a head gasket or even warped/cracked ur heads. when u checked the oil this morning was it white and bubbly kind of like a milkshake under the oil cap? cos if it is then ur up for a head gasket atleast and hopefully hasnt done much damage to the heads.

this happened to my 95 VS ecotech about a year ago... one of the radiator hoses had blown off when i was driving down the highway and dropped all my coolant and then overheated. i had to get recon heads for it and its a pain in the ass stripping everything off to change em over.

BUT if its still holding water now then i have no idea why it would have lost all its water and oil. sorry mate

[bloodylegend]

this happened to me in a car once, wasnt a commodore it was a magna. was in the middle of nowhere too somewhere 300kms near kalgoorlie in WA. cost me almost 2grand to get fixed (

[Jimmy2228]

Could it possibly be a broken thermostat??

[mx kid]

Could it possibly be a broken thermostat??

yeah i thought that as well... but it doesnt explain the loss of water... and if the radiator is empty then i would of thought the resorvior would empty as well, not stay full...

water pump could be stuffed and leaked all ur water out too.

but if its blown a gasket or stuffed the head then ur gonna have to get in there to rip it apart anyway so mite as well test the thermostat and replace it if its not working. and also check the waterpump. try running the engine and see if u can find where its dropping water from (if it still is losing water)

[Chris_vr]

I had the same problem. Turned out to be my radiator... But unfortunately the damage was done to the engine by this point

[Gus The Snail]

check the plastic end tanks for cracks.. most usually under the power steering reservoir , there will be a small trail of coolant.

It is possible you have done the headgasket.. i did it in my old sedan , chewed water but no signs of leaks.

get the cooling system pressure tested , this will tell you if there is pipe leaks or head gasket leaks

[t0mm0]

Seems to be fixed now, here's what i did.

Flushed out the radiator, the water hadn't been cleaned out for quite some time. There were no traces of grey water so i dont think i have done a head gasket. Might have been close tho. Replaced oil, and put oil honey in with it. Car is now running like a charm, no sign or smoke or any odd noises.

I've driven it for about an hour and a half today and just checked the oil before, after it had a few hours to settle, No traces of white or bubbly oil under the oil cap, and the no coolant has been lost as far as i can see.

What warning signs should i be looking out for that it's going to happen again, if it does?

[VrWagz1]

keep an eye on that temp gauge. If it gets that hot you mise well just roll down the window and start throwing 50's out. Check your oil and water(when it cools) everytime you drive it now for atleast a week and then very regulary for a while. Im thinking cracked head myself.

[t0mm0]

If the head was cracked, wouldn't some of the water be grey?