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Another VS Head Gasket thread...

Zackk

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Wow, this thread exploded, thanks for all the help guys.

So I just went to my local radiator shop and asked for a pressure test, then they spotted something that I didn't. There's actually a pinhole in the bottom hose of the radiator, when you squeeze it, it shoots the coolant out and up. This explains the steam from the block, because there's water marks over the bonnet and piping. I might still hit you up for the radiator, it just depends how the pressure test goes when I fix the bottom pipe.

Thanks for the love guys!
 

jgtoranalc

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At least they found the problem.... I was going to say put water in it, give it some revs and look at the heater hoses.
My brothers VP V6 and had to pull over one time because of steam coming out of engine bay and so I had a look at it. Every time he was accelerating at driving at certain revs, water from heater hoses was spraying onto the Exhaust as it had a split heater hose.
 

Zackk

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Yeah so I got that issue resolved, but while you guys are watching this thread, I thought I'd shoot another question at ya. My car's had issues starting ever since I got it. The guy I bought it off told me it was just a dodgey battery terminal. So I replaced both terminals thinking it would be all sweet. He was of course wrong. The car starts most of the time, on the 2nd or third try. But sometimes it takes me a good 10-15mins to get it just to run. So while I was ####ing around with it today, I ran a switch to the starter motor directly from the battery, thinking that it was just the ignition barrel playing up and not sending anything through to the starter motor. Now when I try and start the car with the key and it fails, I flick my switch and the starter motor does it's work, but still to no avail. I have a couple of different ideas of what else could be the problem so I thought I'd run it by you guys to see if anyone else has had a similar issue.
1. Fuel pump relay. - I swapped out the fuel pump relay with the one beside it, whatever it is something check. Can't remember off the top of my head now. Still no luck.
2. Immobiliser.
3. The contacts around the barrel of the key not making a proper connection each time I try to start it.

In relation to 2. How would I go about finding the immobiliser (I read somewhere that they come stock with one, not 100% sure if this is true?) and if/when I do, would I be able to simply bypass it and replace it with a bridge over the top?

If 3. how would I go about fixing that... Replace the ignition barrel and hope for the best?
 

jgtoranalc

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Yeah so I got that issue resolved, but while you guys are watching this thread, I thought I'd shoot another question at ya. My car's had issues starting ever since I got it. The guy I bought it off told me it was just a dodgey battery terminal. So I replaced both terminals thinking it would be all sweet. He was of course wrong. The car starts most of the time, on the 2nd or third try. But sometimes it takes me a good 10-15mins to get it just to run. So while I was ####ing around with it today, I ran a switch to the starter motor directly from the battery, thinking that it was just the ignition barrel playing up and not sending anything through to the starter motor. Now when I try and start the car with the key and it fails, I flick my switch and the starter motor does it's work, but still to no avail. I have a couple of different ideas of what else could be the problem so I thought I'd run it by you guys to see if anyone else has had a similar issue.
1. Fuel pump relay. - I swapped out the fuel pump relay with the one beside it, whatever it is something check. Can't remember off the top of my head now. Still no luck.
2. Immobiliser.
3. The contacts around the barrel of the key not making a proper connection each time I try to start it.

In relation to 2. How would I go about finding the immobiliser (I read somewhere that they come stock with one, not 100% sure if this is true?) and if/when I do, would I be able to simply bypass it and replace it with a bridge over the top?

If 3. how would I go about fixing that... Replace the ignition barrel and hope for the best?

Could be Fuel Pump.... I had to replace my brother's VR V6 last week as his was having similar problems like 'intermittent no start' just cranking and no start. It went on for roughly a month, then one morning did not start at all and I diagnosed it being the Fuel Pump. It's been running perfect ever since.

I would also do an Error Code check aswell.
 

sleepyjean

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You may think there is no miss but it may miss slightly when started and then run normally. Stop leak is one of the worst things to add to the cooling system as it can clog up a perfectly good radiator and your heater core.
A simple test for head gasket would be start the car and bleed the air out of the cooling system, make sure to turn the heater up full while you do this, before it heats up. Let it get up to and over normal temp and shut it off. leave it over night to cool and then remove the spark plugs and turn over looking for water coming out of the bores.
Or get a pressure test done at Radiator or mechanics.
If the gasket is blown the pressure test will find it.
 

Zackk

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Could be Fuel Pump.... I had to replace my brother's VR V6 last week as his was having similar problems like 'intermittent no start' just cranking and no start. It went on for roughly a month, then one morning did not start at all and I diagnosed it being the Fuel Pump. It's been running perfect ever since.

I would also do an Error Code check aswell.

My mate still seems to think that it's the starter motor, but it still turns every time I hit my hotwired switch, so I don't really think it's that.
The fuel pump to me seems to make more sense. But then wouldn't I have issues when I put my foot down or a rough idle? It idle's quite smoothly other then the tapping you can hear from the exhaust gasket.
Is there a way to do an error check without paying through my ring?

You may think there is no miss but it may miss slightly when started and then run normally. Stop leak is one of the worst things to add to the cooling system as it can clog up a perfectly good radiator and your heater core.
A simple test for head gasket would be start the car and bleed the air out of the cooling system, make sure to turn the heater up full while you do this, before it heats up. Let it get up to and over normal temp and shut it off. leave it over night to cool and then remove the spark plugs and turn over looking for water coming out of the bores.
Or get a pressure test done at Radiator or mechanics.
If the gasket is blown the pressure test will find it.

Yeah I didn't really want to add stop leak, but I really had no other options when it went. Gotta work to fix it, and gotta get to work somehow. Would a radiator flush get remnants of the stop leak out?

I'm 99% sure there's no miss, but I'm speaking from sweet F/A experience on my behalf, however my mate who used to be a mechanic doesn't think there's an issue.
 

Wozza

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Yeah so I got that issue resolved, but while you guys are watching this thread, I thought I'd shoot another question at ya. My car's had issues starting ever since I got it. The guy I bought it off told me it was just a dodgey battery terminal. So I replaced both terminals thinking it would be all sweet. He was of course wrong. The car starts most of the time, on the 2nd or third try. But sometimes it takes me a good 10-15mins to get it just to run. So while I was ####ing around with it today, I ran a switch to the starter motor directly from the battery, thinking that it was just the ignition barrel playing up and not sending anything through to the starter motor. Now when I try and start the car with the key and it fails, I flick my switch and the starter motor does it's work, but still to no avail. I have a couple of different ideas of what else could be the problem so I thought I'd run it by you guys to see if anyone else has had a similar issue.
1. Fuel pump relay. - I swapped out the fuel pump relay with the one beside it, whatever it is something check. Can't remember off the top of my head now. Still no luck.
2. Immobiliser.
3. The contacts around the barrel of the key not making a proper connection each time I try to start it.

In relation to 2. How would I go about finding the immobiliser (I read somewhere that they come stock with one, not 100% sure if this is true?) and if/when I do, would I be able to simply bypass it and replace it with a bridge over the top?

If 3. how would I go about fixing that... Replace the ignition barrel and hope for the best?
If its the immobilizer the car wont crank....so do an error code check to rule out CAS.dfi/coils ect or a sensor fault and go from there....
 

Zackk

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Ahh okay, I just assumed that the immobilizer would be linked to the fuel pump and not the starter motor.

If it was coils then I'd have a rough running engine wouldn't I?
How would I go about doing an error code check at home?/is it even possible.
 

Wozza

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Ahh okay, I just assumed that the immobilizer would be linked to the fuel pump and not the starter motor.

If it was coils then I'd have a rough running engine wouldn't I?
How would I go about doing an error code check at home?/is it even possible.
Fred's can do funny things,the error check may help point to the area to check..
how to check at home with a hi tech paper clip
https://forums.justcommodores.com.au/threads/checking-error-codes-vr-vs-revised.22307
and error code listings
Just Commodores - For All Your Holden Commodore Needs
 

Zackk

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Love your work, thanks heaps mate. Will be running through everything with a fine comb this time to try and find out wtf is going on. Hopefully its nothing toooo expensive. Will keep you guys posted.
 
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