2007 VE V6 getting hot

[VTS5]

It is a self bleeding system.Give it a week,make sure expansion bottle water level maintained.

 

[Bigpoppadolph]

It is a self bleeding system.Give it a week,make sure expansion bottle water level maintained.

Ok thanks, I'll keep an eye on it and report back. At first it's happy to rise to 105 then down to 98, it does that a few times then starts climbing fast and I turn it off around the 120 mark. I've only had the engine temperature too hot warning once and that's when it first started, I'm not sure what temp that comes on at.

 

[DavesSV6Tonner]

My VZ V6 was doing basically the same thing. The thermostat was shutting off and sticking intermittently. I was also avoiding the huge replacement bill for as long as possible. Then a leak from the thermostat housing gasket started and escalated over about 6 months to the point the leak was so bad I had no choice but get the job done immediately.

 

[Skylarking]

As a disclaimer, I don’t have a VE 3.6

But have you checked the obvious thing like front radiators are not full of bugs and that the fan shroud and seals (if any) is correctly attached to the radiator? Loss of a just a little airflow may be enough to put a stressed cooling system over the tipping point when stopped in traffic and things get hot

Also, consider the cap seating area / sealing surface on the radiator itself. If it is damaged it can never seal correctly. It’s just like a tap itself, replacing a washer wont fix a leak if the tap seat is stuffed

And as a brain fart, does anyone sell a remote thermostat housing? Such should allow one to move the thermostat that is in such a stupid location in these engines to a more serviceable place? Couldn’t be hard to have one spun up on a lathe and put near the front of the engine.

Lastly, have you taken it to a mechanic to have a simple pressure/leak and combustion gas test done?

 

[Bigpoppadolph]

My VZ V6 was doing basically the same thing. The thermostat was shutting off and sticking intermittently. I was also avoiding the huge replacement bill for as long as possible. Then a leak from the thermostat housing gasket started and escalated over about 6 months to the point the leak was so bad I had no choice but get the job done immediately.

My housing already has a leak but I was saving that as a last resort, I'm just going to have to bite the bullet

 

[Bigpoppadolph]

As a disclaimer, I don’t have a VE 3.6

But have you checked the obvious thing like front radiators are not full of bugs and that the fan shroud and seals (if any) is correctly attached to the radiator? Loss of a just a little airflow may be enough to put a stressed cooling system over the tipping point when stopped in traffic and things get hot

Also, consider the cap seating area / sealing surface on the radiator itself. If it is damaged it can never seal correctly. It’s just like a tap itself, replacing a washer wont fix a leak if the tap seat is stuffed

And as a brain fart, does anyone sell a remote thermostat housing? Such should allow one to move the thermostat that is in such a stupid location in these engines to a more serviceable place? Couldn’t be hard to have one spun up on a lathe and put near the front of the engine.

Lastly, have you taken it to a mechanic to have a simple pressure/leak and combustion gas test done?

Rad, fans etc all look good and I gave it a flush when I did the water pump. No gunk or anything it's pretty much brand new coolant. I had a leak from the front and the back so now that the fronts repaired and it's still trying to overheat it's time to sort the leak at the back, I've been holding off on it. I can't afford for someone to do it so I'm going in, I'll use genuine GM and hopefully never have to do it again! I'll change the stat, housing and all seals and if there's still a problem it will go to a mechanic for a pressure test. I can't ignore the pink stains down the back of the engine for much longer

 

[Bigpoppadolph]

As a disclaimer, I don’t have a VE 3.6

But have you checked the obvious thing like front radiators are not full of bugs and that the fan shroud and seals (if any) is correctly attached to the radiator? Loss of a just a little airflow may be enough to put a stressed cooling system over the tipping point when stopped in traffic and things get hot

Also, consider the cap seating area / sealing surface on the radiator itself. If it is damaged it can never seal correctly. It’s just like a tap itself, replacing a washer wont fix a leak if the tap seat is stuffed

And as a brain fart, does anyone sell a remote thermostat housing? Such should allow one to move the thermostat that is in such a stupid location in these engines to a more serviceable place? Couldn’t be hard to have one spun up on a lathe and put near the front of the engine.

Lastly, have you taken it to a mechanic to have a simple pressure/leak and combustion gas test done?

Plus.. as for the fans, I'm not sure if there's an issue or not. Both fans on at 108, at 111 the drivers side turns off and the passenger side ramps up, at 120 the drivers side kicks in then they're both on full power. Doesn't seem right?

 

[Bonus]

My housing already has a leak but I was saving that as a last resort, I'm just going to have to bite the bullet

Its possible to do this job yourself and without having to drop that gearbox like most mechanics will tell you. It can be accessed from the top of the engine once the intake manifold and the lower manifold off. - Ive done this job myself.

Tip - You dont have to take the windshield cowling off like the first vid. Remove the lower manifold to give more room, its a fiddly job but you'll save a tonne of money.

 

[Bigpoppadolph]

Its possible to do this job yourself and without having to drop that gearbox like most mechanics will tell you. It can be accessed from the top of the engine once the intake manifold and the lower manifold off. - Ive done this job myself.

Tip - You dont have to take the windshield cowling off like the first vid. Remove the lower manifold to give more room, its a fiddly job but you'll save a tonne of money.

Thanks mate, at first I was just going to pay the money to get it done but after watching the few Holden videos I could find, and the Pontiac RWD, and even googling which cars have the same engine but transverse just to get a better picture where all the bolts are.. I'm going to give it a go. I agree it won't be easy but I've got more time than money so we'll see how we go