Coolant dripping - any quick fixes?

[Grennan]

You can buy some concentrate for like 20 bucks, enough for a VL.

Water pump, shop around, we used to sell them for like 70 bucks.

Sealant, just buy a small tube, 12 bucks for some permatex.

 

[PlenumBiscuit]

You can buy some concentrate for like 20 bucks, enough for a VL.

Water pump, shop around, we used to sell them for like 70 bucks.

Sealant, just buy a small tube, 12 bucks for some permatex.

thanks champ great advice from "A slayer of stupid threads"

oh ive had a VL for 14 years, but just got a VS last 5 days ago, havent updated my avatar pic yet soz bro, plus its why im mr dumb dumb in regards to VS model

I seen the concentrate at supecheap $19

meanwhile when the car starts it sounds like theres a river flowing through my dashboard, or like someone upstairs flushed the dunny and its gushing through the dashboard, is that the aircon?

another big issue i got is on acceleration, theres a noise coming from the front of the engine block on the driver side, and the car kinda sounds like a windmill (imagine those windmill farms and that consistent woop woop vibration hooping). it only appears when accelerator is pressed & after 40kms per hour i dont tend to heat it

anyone had something similar?

 

[uniacidz]

Any leaks inside under the floor mat?
check both sides at the front

 

[PlenumBiscuit]

Any leaks inside under the floor mat?
check both sides at the front

looks like i might have to bleed my cooling system...? (have gushing water sound in my dashboard)
http://forums.justcommodores.com.au/vr-vs-holden-commodore-1993-1997/107446-water-noise-behind-dash.html

 

[Jaymz]

The water pump in my VS did the same thing, the impeller seal died and there was coolant running from the weep holes under the pump.

Picked up a new pump from OZ and sent to NZ for $85.

I suggest you replace the pump before bleeding your system, chances are it has lost a bit of coolant and that is where part of your problems are coming from with water sounds behind the dash.

 

[Wozza]

Hi
Try sprint autos they had water pumps for 48$ not that long ago try and get the gates brand they are a few more $$ but have the better impeller ...You will prob have air leaking into the system and that causes the gurgling sound behind the dash, switch off the heater. if the heater taps working it should stop the noise behind the dash till you change the pump and bleed the system

Ps I have water pump,gasket and spacer here which only was on the car for a couple of weeks and about 6000 k on it (long distance holiday trip) I replaced it thinking it had dropped a bearing but the noise was my HB
anyway its of a VR pretty sure they are the same as the VS....... free if you wanna pick it up no guarantees its 100% but if your strapped for cash may bail you out for a while

 

[Demonica]

Water pump on the VS is a cake walk. Do a search there is plenty of threads on how to do it. If I can manage to do it I'm sure you can. Cost you half what a mechanic will charge to do it yourself.

 

[Cheap6]

Bahahar yeah its all over youtube and google how to do it, and yeah I could do it,

BUT, I gotta buy $50 sealant plus $30 coolant, all of which the mechanic already has, the pump is at least 100

Mechanic price 175, my price at least 180

Regards.

You will have to pay for the coolant regardless and you don't need any sealant (unless some of the water pump holes go into the cooling jacket - I haven't done a V6 pump recently enough to recall if they do or not) as the gaskets have sealant microencapsulated on them (that's the red line near the edges of the gasket).

Replacing the pump is easy, about as easy as anything gets on a car repair. On an old car it's possible that you would have, say, a bolt break when it is being removed but that is unusual. It's also possible for someone without mechanical experience - feel if you like - to incorrectly tension the bolts. I get that you may not want to DIY but it's good to stretch sometimes and that makes a successful result even more rewarding.

There's no easy fix to a coolant leak that doesn't create further problems when the proper fix is made. The "temporary" cooling system "fixes" ie. stop leak products, don't work anyway.

If you do DIY, don't buy the cheapest coolant you can. V6 Commodores require a particular spec. for the coolant. There should be some description of it being suitable for use in V6 Commodore engines at the point of sale. You can always ask for assistance (and hope the correct answer is forthcoming). Most cheaper coolant is diluted; look at the concentration of ethylene glycol on the label so that you aren't just buying water.

You should use all the coolant required for the cooling system capacity (10L, at 50% concentration, = 5l of straight coolant) with demineralised water - available from hardware stores - to top up the additional volume with. Using demin. water isn't absolutely essential if your local water isn't hard.

The engine noise may be a pulley bearing or indeed the water pump bearing. With the exception of the A/C pulley and alternator bearings, which require some special tools, the pulley bearings (pulleys) are easy to replace DIY.

 

[PlenumBiscuit]

You blokes are all legends, look at all the help im getting

After buying the Vs for an incredible 900 bucks last week plus 220 rego and another 100 on general items, cominf up with more cash to fix the pump neared impossible

If I had the cash id easily hav a go at changing the pump, tutorials galore available, plus what a great feeling to do it on my own, but am broke

Fortunately my mechanic ive known for 20 years and today he changed the pump & I gotta pay him bak, gave him all I could 50 bucks, so im very lucky

He did it exactly the same way as the youtube video of course

SO in driving home the car seemed to rapidly get hot when stopped in traffic, but then when driving it cooled back down , this would be normal on fresh coolant aye?

For the lads helping me on the other engine noise, I was dreading what my mechanic was gonna say it was cos a vs for 900 bucks I was expecting something to be very very big, to my biggest relief the wind mill buzzing sound is only the alternator nothing to worry about!!! You beauty!

 

[VR38]

Not normal, sounds like the cooling system has not been bled.