vx ss using oil and coolant! Please help

[jay_wr8]

Hi guys i'm new to this site but have been a long time reader, I bought a vx ss manual ex cop car about 2 months ago, i had the racv check it out and they said it was fine so i bought it, anyways just went and checked the oil after i got home and notice a couple of small bubbles on the dipstick and the oil was low? i opened the filler to top her up and noticed steam or smoke coming out of filler? after she cooled down a bit i noticed the coolant was low so i opened it up and had steam out of that to? i then decided to start her up and i check the exhaust and saw moisture forming in the tip? i then held a rag over the tip and gave it a rev, the rag ended up with black spots on it and moist? also have poor fuel consumption (may be from heavy foot), and somtimes an off fuel smell? any thought/comments would be greatly appreciated, Cheers

[VSHeaven]

All I can say is the cops would have run it in nice for you. Being a VX it would have other owners before you got your hands on it. Seriously, have a qualified independant mechanic check it out for you. The cost will either set your mind at ease or have you reaching for your wallet.

[jay_wr8]

Yeah i figured that, dont really wanna pay a mechanic to tell me it's F***** tho

[VSHeaven]

Better that than a major hemorrhage, but that's your call

[jay_wr8]

so does this sound like head gasket or something else or both?

[Vt_vic]

every car ive bought the next day ive taken it in for a service just to put my mind at ease being a v8 ex copper pretty sure its been heavily thrashed

[jay_wr8]

i know its been thrashed but i'm trying to find the fault not the history, can anyone help without making me feel bad about buying a piece of shit?

[S.T.K.E]

Where did you buy it? if you bought it from a dealership and only have had it for 2 months it will still be covered by statutory warranty. You will be able to take it back to the dealership and say fix it (depending on the cover of vic roads statutory warranty) and it will cost you.............. nothing

[VSHeaven]

I seriously doubt this was bought from a dealership but who knows. Jay, there could be many reasons why you are having problems with your car. It's hard to pinpoint your particular problem without checking the car to eliminate the possibilities. As i suggested, get someone professional to look at it before it costs you a packet. I can guess if that's what you are asking. My guess is that it is showing signs of a hard life. Loss of coolant and/or oil usually means there is a blown gasket or worn engine internals. Water in the oil is a telltale sign. Also, check the PCV hose...it usually screws up on the end with the shortest section of straight hose on it.

[jay_wr8]

Thanks guys yea no dealer just private thats why i got the pre purchase inspection done, sounds like i might have to get me mechanic to check it, anyone wanna buy a vx ss manual? lol

[jay_wr8]

bubbles on the dipstick would indicate water in the oil wouldn't it?

[jay_wr8]

possible causes for bubbles on the dipstick? any ideas?

[Cobez]

First off, RACV checks are RUBBISH. I don't know why everyone thinks so highly of the RACV, their insurance is expensive, their "roadside assistance" is expensive, their "qualified mechanics" are a load and they know that because they have such a famous name from middle age and elderley people getting their insurance with them, if they whack an "RACV tested" sticker on a car, alot of people will think it's tip top and perfect. Let's just get that out there.

Second, you want to know what's wrong with your car, but you want people to sugar coat it so you don't feel bad about buying what could possibly be a car in very bad shape, yet you won't pay an independant mechanic to have a look over it for you? It's either you ask on here, get a million different answers and probably still NOT know what's wrong with it, or fork out a few bucks, get a mechanic to go over it properley, and tell you what is almost definantly wrong with it.

Cmon mate, you just bought a 5.7L V8, if you can afford the fuel and insurance on it, you can afford the few bob for a mechanic to diagnose your problem and save you a massive headache when your car decides to pack it in on the side of the road somewhere and then you will have to pay for towing, THEN for a mechanic to diagnose and fix it anyway.


Sorry i can't help you with your question, i'm no mechanic, i could tell you 3 things that it COULD be, but ****ed if i know if they are right or not. Every car i buy i couldn't give a toss who the dealership had "inspect it", i get MY independant mechanic to THOROUGHLY go over it on a hoist for me. I'd trust an independant mechanic over a half assed RACV mechanic or a Holden dealership mechanic anyday. Independant mechanics are more likely to be honest with you and not rip you off, their reputations are more at risk in local area's than big companies like Holden and RACV, who are already rolling in the cash.

Good luck with it though man, i hope it's not too bad!

[jay_wr8]

Thanks mate, RACV insurance and assistance aint that bad, when your 21 they seem to be the cheapest and having insurance with them gives me free roadside assistance and towing, RACV checks are just a load of shit and i should've worked that out after i got them to check my first car and the motor blew after a week, I would of got my mech to check it but i bought it out of town.
I will be getting my mech to check it out this week but i just wanted to hear a couple of possible things that could be wrong with it and that would also help me decide whether i should be drivin it on not, i have decided not to before anyone says,

believe me i'm hoping its not to bad too, cheers

[Cobez]

May as well man, i'd trust any independant mechanic's word over an RACV bloke. I only used RACV once, a long long time ago, i called them up to tow my old VP home because it had a cracked radiator, the bloke showed up and had a look for some reason and tried to tell me it was something else, i said "listen mate, the radiator was on it's way out anyway, it's blatantly obvious that it has a cracked radiator" and pointed AT THE CRACK IN THE RADIATOR where the coolant was leaking out from, then he had nothing to say and they towed my car LOL.

But yeah hopefully it's not much dude. Good luck!

[Drewie]

Like others have said if your worried get a mechanic to check it out, but you may be worried about nothing, the black moisture at the exhaust on your rag may only be condensation and soot from the rear muffler, you would be surprised how much water collects in the exhaust, they need a good long run to dry them out, I have seen maybe half a litre come out of a muffler taken off a stock GenIII, it was mine when I put a new cat back exhaust on several years ago, the coolant loss could be some thing like a leaking water pump or loose hose clamp, as far as oil use goes GenIII's are notorious for using a bit of oil especially if they are driven hard, the earlier cars VT/VX and early VY's had a few issues with oil use, provided you kept the oil up to them they still ran fine, my VX had the VYII updated pistons fitted to it under the new car warranty, it really didn't use oil though.
Also depends what oil is in it as well as the GenIII's are a bit finicky when it comes to oil choice, what works in one is no good in another. Don't stress get it checked and go from there, try and find a workshop that is familiar with GenIII's rather than just any local mechanic. Good luck with it.

[Cobez]

I recommend Castrol Edge 10W60 for a GenIII V8. I serviced mine the other day, runs quite nicer with the Castrol. Alot smoother.

[jay_wr8]

ok cheers mate, i might have to find a new mechanic, i'm not to sure if my mechanic would know anything about gen 3's

[westbad]

ill swap you my vs ss for it lol

[jay_wr8]

lol we'll wait and see what the mechanic says haha

[Vt_vic]

that wuld be the smart decision even if the engine was stuffed i still wouldnt swap it for a 5l

[s_ikari2015]

Sounds to me it needs a bloody good clean out too. Injector cleaner should help with fuel consumption, coolant flush will give you an idea of contamination and so will an oil change. Standard servicing really. then just monitor levels and quality over the next week or so. Would also be an idea to check the spark plugs, see if they're corroded and how dirty.

[jay_wr8]

i was only joking about the swap vt_vic, yea it does need a good servicing i flushed the engine and gave it new oil about a month back, have been meaning to flush the cooling system, change the fuel filter and chuck some injector cleaner in, i noticed the throttle body is coated in black shit, might see what me mechanic says and if theres nothing major wrong i'l get him to give it a major service

[Cobez]

Very true. If you can be arsed, do the major service yourself, then when you change the oil, check it when it's in the drip pan for any seperating fluids (like when you drop cooking oil into water, how the oil seperates and floats on top in little circles), if you have that in your oil, it's more than likely coolant you have in there.

[andyman]

well

1. complete combustion creates water, water in a hot exhaust boils and produces steam..... motors create carbon as a by product of combustion, so add those 2 together is pretty self explanitory

2. cars burn oil, part of life, all cars have blow by, there is also moiture in the sumo from condensation becaue of heat differances, so youll see steam puff out the top of the oil cap while running, or casually drift out when not running,

3, common for commodores to crack side tanks in radiators, see if its leaking, car may have just not been maintained properly by the old owner and coolant went down, coolent gets hot and usually gets steam off it when hot, more so if under concentrate,

do an oil and filter change aswell as coolent and monitor it, most likely will be ok,

obviously if you have creamy coolant or oil youve got some issues