VT V6 overheading

[schrinky]

Hi guys,
i was stuck in some traffic today for as little as 20mins and my temp needle went through the roof, normally sits at around the 1/4-1/3 mark yet it rose to as far as 7/8, the temp on the digital gauge in the eng mode said it was sitting at around 115 C, needless to say i did the smart thing and turned it off to stop the temp rising, when i got to work the radiator was empty, and i mean empty, it drank about 5L of water and then i let it sit all day, got back to it this arvo and it was only about half full, put another 3L or so in it. Now im at home after a 20min drive from work and its empty again, i cant see any water leaking, there is no water in the passenger footwell (heater core) but i am yet to check the oil due to how warm it all was...would really love some help on this as i am completely stumped as to what to do next.

Thanks
Matt

[VT-565]

Check the cheapest things first, look for coolant spray around the engine bay, check all hoses and it might pay to have the radiator pulled, checked and cleaned.
If the issue is not there, i would say it is leaking into the combustion chamber via a stuffed gasket or a crack somewhere.

Check the oil and let us know

[BPX-31H]

Mine did the same today, got it towed it was the heater tap,

[schrinky]

Mine did the same today, got it towed it was the heater tap,

LOL the first warm day of the summer and our cars crack the shits, where is the heater tap??

[VT-565]

Up on the firewall mate, look for some hoses feeding into a black plastic junction.
Should have a cable connecting to it as well, coming from inside the cabin

I think thats right lol

[schrinky]

well ive run some new coolant through it, checked the oil and there was no sign of water in it, dad and i checked every single hose within the engine bay and have not found a leak, both driver and passenger footwells, there is no coolant spray in the engine bay, but a very strong smell of coolant, its funny my dad noticed all these things about my car that have changed since he owned it, cause i drive it every day i have gotten use to them, such as the coolant smell from the heater core and the fact that it idles at around 400RPM after the tune it had at the last service...anyways, im going to try and ring my mechanic tomorrow and take it to him in the afternoon for a pressure test and check.

[HARVZ-6]

Gona vote for heater tap... wrap it in paper towel somethings it can only leak a fine spray at full temp, which will instantly boil off leaving no signs..

[schrinky]

Gona vote for heater tap... wrap it in paper towel somethings it can only leak a fine spray at full temp, which will instantly boil off leaving no signs..

that explains the sudden jump in temp as soon as it got to full temp....thanks mate!

[BPX-31H]

Yer I reckon heater tap, I got large amouta of coolant smell, at first I was like fml is my ca gonna handle summer!

[Dayvo]

+1 for heater tap . they get brittle with age . They leak and the coolant runs back towards the firewall and is hard to see . Clean the area aroung the tap so you can see if it leaks . A new one costs about $50

[BPX-31H]

yeeep! all over the framework, and even lifted paint up with its heat im guessingg..

[db_notso]

pressure test it and confirm is a heater tap
but is made off the same material as your radiator side tanks could be that too,
is not uncommon to have multiple leaks because all plastic in the cooling system is the same and under the same pressure!~

i wont guess on cooling systems in these because overheating or low oil is the 2 killers of these motors
+1 pressure test first

[schrinky]

well i got the mechanic this arvo, pulled over twice on the way...took me an hour to get from bayswater to lilydale...if anyone knows its really only about 20mins all because temp gauge kept climbing and because its an iron block it takes forever to cool down...so far in 2 days i have put around 10L of water in the thing....praying its not something chronic or something expensive...what really annoys me is i have looked after this car rather well...i only checked the radiator and levels about 2 weeks ago....GRRRR

[drift-it]

when my heater tap went it didnt start off with a fine spray....it went from not leaking to steam coming from the bonnet and dumping 10L of coolant on the road no mucking around here! lol

[schrinky]

when my heater tap went it didnt start off with a fine spray....it went from not leaking to steam coming from the bonnet and dumping 10L of coolant on the road no mucking around here! lol

so far thankfully it hasnt done that yet...i think i may have just caught it in time...if it wasnt for the damn train at bayswater station getting stuck over the road i wouldnt have noticed it! it may have made me late for work...but 10mins late is better than a new engine cause i cooked one...

[dylanstone]

its the heater tap, mine literally did the exact same thing where you cant trace any leak

get ur mechanic to bypass the heater tap or core not sure which one it was and feed the hose that exits the left of your engine in a "U" straight back into the same side below where it exits. it costs like 1000 plus or somes**t to repair so thats why i get them to to that, been running for 6 months fine

up to you though lol

[schrinky]

its the heater tap, mine literally did the exact same thing where you cant trace any leak

get ur mechanic to bypass the heater tap or core not sure which one it was and feed the hose that exits the left of your engine in a "U" straight back into the same side below where it exits. it costs like 1000 plus or somes**t to repair so thats why i get them to to that, been running for 6 months fine

up to you though lol

ive been meaning to do the heater core myself, they are a bitch of a job and i havnt got any money atm....maybe i will just take it off the cost of what i owe dad for his car...cause the heater core has been on the way out for about 3 years....he was to tight to fix it...now he will have to deal with it!! :P

[shdai]

how long do heater taps usually last cos of course mines doing the same thing atm (rises in temp rapidly and no coolant left but no leaks). i replaced my heater tap about 10 months ago

[db_notso]

pressure test sytem or your wasting your money worth the cost of having it diagnosed then replace the failed parts yourselves...

[schrinky]

well this is the first time its ever been done in the 12 years the car has been in my family...so first one since new...its done just on 215xxx kms

[dylanstone]

all i know is their made outta shitty plasic and cost a bit over a grand to repair as the dash and every thing needs to be ripped out ( i think )

[schrinky]

pressure test sytem or your wasting your money worth the cost of having it diagnosed then replace the failed parts yourselves...

i would but i am in the middle of exam time, i need the car for a work trip next week and i just dont have the time to do it....im always out and dont get much time to sit around apart from at night like this when im normally studying

[db_notso]

in that case...

cold motor take your cap off radiator
fill to top
take engine cover off
slightly undo bleed nipple at engine side of top radiator hose (is a flat blade screwdriver for this)
fill radiator (may need to wedge coke bottle with tape around lid thread and bottom of bottle cut off, in it to be higher than bleeder nipple)
keep filling it until only liquid comes out ( if none comes out then you need coke bottle method)
close bleedr nipple
put cap on radiator
start engine
get a torch and as engine heats up (gets under pressure) look at the heater tap right hand side of engine bay with four hoses coming out of it
also look at BOTH radiator side tanks
also look at cap under edge
also look at water pump on front of motor or just below it
if the fans come on (5 ten minutes) and none of the above are leaking (e.g. see water or stain)
rev the motor at the cable on the engine
as revs go up watch each of the above again for any cracks drips etc

normally this backyard methjod is enough to find the leak if not
might be heater core (rare) or valleys (rare) or auto cooler if its the auto cooler your transmission fluid will be milky (check on dipstick)

hope that helps

[schrinky]

in that case...

might be heater core (rare) or valleys (rare) or auto cooler if its the auto cooler your transmission fluid will be milky (check on dipstick)

hope that helps

auto trans completely forgot to check that...it does have a cooler on it (ex ambo car)...its too late now its at my mechanics....im just going to pass the fee on to dad anyways...just take the cost off what i owe him!!
thanks for your help mate, i will keep this in mind for future reference

[db_notso]

too easy havent been able to get on here for a while so maybe next time bud