VX Gen III Leaks, Leaks & More Leaks

[Stargater]

Calais VXI 5.7 Auto

First post so please be gentle!

On holidays at the moment, time to fix the leaks.

Leak 1: Oil from the from main seal.
Leak 2: Coolant (very slowly - could see moisture around the heater tap)
Leak 3: Power Steering fluid (very slowly - topping up once every 4-5 weeks)

Fixes:
Leak 1: Removed the radiator to allow better access. Pulled off the crankshaft pulley. Replaced the front main oil seal. Replaced pulley. Looking good.
Leak 2: Replaced the heater tap and all 4 heater hoses connected to it. Replaced top & both bottom radiator hoses. Refilled coolant. Leaks like a sieve!! Once the engine has heated up enough a steady stream of coolant (not just drops) from behind the water pump, going to the right side of the engine...yes I checked all hoses clamps...all good.

Removed the water pump...maybe something happened while removing/replacing the crank pulley? Water pump looks good. Next step is to replace the small bypass hoses just below the throttle body...they looked dodgy.

Anyone else has this problem?

Can anyone help me with leak #3? Oil is appearing in the engine bay at the bottom metal engine tray.

Cheers
Grant

[MikeCuzzy]

Power steering fluid, VERY common fault.

* Power Steering Pump/hoses/tank.
* Power Steering rack.

To see where it's coming from, degrease the front area nicely and then just wait a bit to narrow it down. Check the power steering hose clamps too, could be as simple as that.

[Killr6]

when you took the water pump off did you put in new gaskets and some sealant goo?

[madsav]

Have the same bloody leaks here too mate. seems holden got lazy with fixing stuff.
If you do find the coolant leak problem keep us posted as i still carnt find my leak been searching for weeks to no end

[Stargater]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'll have to wait until tomorrow (Monday) to get new water pump gaskets as my local Repco store doesn't stock them!!??

I'll post some photos too.

Cheers
Grant

[goose202]

It seems to me that all Commodores come factory fitted with a power steering leak...

[Stargater]

The car is 10 years old now. I'll replace the power steering hoses as well. One of them is pretty hard and needs renewing with a proper hose clamps as well.

[Stargater]

when you took the water pump off did you put in new gaskets and some sealant goo?

I haven't replaced the water pump yet because I couldn't get the proper gaskets.

[Stargater]

Update:

STILL LEAKING COOLANT!!

The leak is dripping down from behind the water pump.

What's been done:

Removed water pump, inspected for any faults. Replaced the large O-ring under the inspection plate and reinstalled the pump onto the engine.
Hoses replaced: All top & bottom hoses, all heater hoses...even the thin hose from the radiator to the small pipe under the throttle body.

I'M TEARING MY HAIR OUT!! There was no leak prior to removing & replacing the crank pulley to replace the front main oil seal.

My next course of action will most likely be to take my ride to a radiator specialist for a pressure test. Any other suggestions?

Thanks all!!

[Black VX SS]

That's was the same as mine mate I would change ur water pump straight away other wise ur alternator will go my water pump leaked and shorted out my alternator. I pay 160 for my water pump trade discount. I had to do my water pump twice cause the first one was faulty. My water pump looked fine to but it wasnt buy a new one I thought I'd let my go for a bit and then the bat light came on, I was now up for tow fee alternator and if I didn't no how to do it I would hate to no how much I would of been up for then how many ks urs done I've heard that alt and water pump normally goes around 150000

[BlackVXGTS]

Re your steering fluid leak, in my case I found that the leak was fixed by tightening the hose clamps at the reservoir. Since you've replace the hoses and (presumably) tightened the clamps, that should fix your leak problem.

Not sure about your coolant leak. Most water pumps have a vent hole on the bottom which leaks fluid once the internal seals of the pump are worn, allowing coolant to enter the pump bearing area. In this case the pump needs to be replaced. Otherwise, did you use a new water pump gasket?

[MrSirWantalot]

Have the same bloody leaks here too mate. seems holden got lazy with fixing stuff.
If you do find the coolant leak problem keep us posted as i still carnt find my leak been searching for weeks to no end

Mate, I couldnt find my leak either till I had it pressure tested....turned out to be where the top radiator hose goes on....well it was cracked just underneath of the plastic snout that inserts into the hose (mental block) & would only leak under high pressure. Was annoying the shit out of me for a week. I had right tank replaced & was all good. This may help!!

[Stargater]

Just an update on my leaks.

My coolant leak tuned out to be the water pump. The coolant must have been leaking from the shaft seal and running under the pump. Couldn't see it because the pulley is so big. Picked up a new pump off eBay from Smithfield for $129.00. No problems with the installation, however I did replace the pump bolts with new high tensile M8 x 80mm versions. A long time ago I snapped off a bolt in the engine block on my VK. Was a pain in the arse to remove and fix.

Replacing the power steering hoses seems to have fixed the fluid leak in that area.

Replacing the front main oil seal seems to have stopped the oil leak at the front of the engine.

WOO-HOO!!!