HELP!: VZ Calais overheating/Leaking coolent.

[ciddyau]

Hey guys
So on Wednesday my car overheated and said "check powertrain" then lost all power to her, RACV came and it got toad home. I took it to the mechanic and he said it could be the thermostat, but thankfully it was the water pump and he replaced it and the next day was great. Last night I was driving to a mates and the temp gauge went from cold to hot back and forth, I got to his and was thinking about bleeding the car. we drove it for 45 minutes and it was just cold then coming home it over heated again and then did "check powertrain" and I lost all power....again. I put the red coolent in it and got home now its leaking coolent at the front of the engine. PLEASE HELP!

 

[ciddyau]

Just had a quick look and it looks like the radiator has a leak in it.
I just bled the radiator and took it for a 20 minutes drive, ran great, no computer faults came up or overheating, nothing. got home and coolent was coming out from the back of the engine. (thermostat)????

 

[pau13z]

Most of the time when there's an issue with the temp going up and down it's because of the water pump or the radiator cap. Check the radiator cap and make sure it's not broken or cracked anywhere.

Also, has it ever had green coolant in it? If it has you need to do a full flush and get all of it out, it's bad for the engine. It can damage the thermostat & water pump.

The thermostat is supposed to last the lifetime of the car so that's less likely, however if you got air in the system due to a broken radiator cap or something then it could have done all sorts of damage. First things first, is there any coolant leaking inside the cab when you put the heater on and is there actually hot air coming out? If there's an issue there then it's probably your heater hoses leaking. If not then you might need to look at having your thermostat done.

See if you can get a little inspection mirror or something first to pinpoint the location of the leak.

 

[ciddyau]

I changed the radiator cap on wednesday and the mechanic changed the water pump as well and i have the red coolant. The mechanic said the thermostat looked in good condition but I dont know :\ I would like to think its just a hose. I will have a look now, take it for a drive and put the heater on and see what happens. thanks mate

 

[King diddy calais]

Checked your heater tap? I had the same issue with my vt, not sure about vz Calais, I haven't got around to looking that far under my bonnet, but yeah... Heater taps are made from plastic and after awhile they get very brittle and just crack, if it is heater tap, just get a new one off eBay for 30$.

 

[richardpalinkas]

See if there is coolant stains running along the side of the gearbox, that will be the thermostat housing leaking. Also above the waterpump from the top hose leaks at the o rings

 

[ciddyau]

Yeah rich theres coolent stains all undr the bottom on the transmission and bits on the cats ect. I guess it's the thermostat. F*cking annoying though because I just paid 300 to get it fixed and he said the thermostat was fine. so annoyed as all my pay has gone onto the car.

 

[richardpalinkas]

you can do the thermostat very easily, prob take no more than a couple of hours. remove the inlet manifold completely, including the lower intake manifold, them remove the wiring harness from the lh side of the engine, thermostat will be looking right at you at the back of the engine. and some people take out the gearbox to do it lol

 

[scrounga]

Just double check that it's actually coolant leaking from the back of the motor as the air con drain is in about the same spot and with all the humidity lately mine drains a fair bit when I turn the engine off. Usually drips slighty to the right hand (passenger) side if looking from the front. Put a piece of paper towel or similar under there and check the colour. If it's orange/red your in trouble, if it's clear (fingers crossed) no worries. It might be a long shot but don't want you to worry or waist your hard earned. Stains could be from the original over heating. All the best, Stu.

 

[ciddyau]

hey guys thanks heaps for all the advice. me and a mate from work put her up on ramps today to have a better look and the leak is coming out of the heater tap and the back drivers sider corner. It was staring at me the whole time I just didnt think it could of been that but coolant is pouring out of it. so its just a 20 dollar part from bursons and a 5 minute job then hopefully no more over heating issues! wooo. If this is the main issue im ecstatic and over the moon with it because the thermostat is the last issue I need on my plate. wish me luck