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hose came lose - now big problem filling up coolant - always boiling over

Discussion in 'VT - VX Holden Commodore (1997 - 2002)' started by Schwuppes, Jul 23, 2012.

  1. Jul 23, 2012 #1
    Schwuppes

    Schwuppes New Member

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    Hi people

    After finishing my L67 conversion we had it all up and running sweet, but then a hose from the heater tap came lose and sprayed coolant everywhere. I immediately switched the engine off (within like 5 seconds).

    Now when I try topping up the coolant it just boils and sputters out of the radiator cap all the time, and after a while the engine makes a strange noise, maybe because its overheating? (pinging?) it doesnt even accept any coolant, it all just boils over, and gets worse the longer the engine runs

    Im hoping nothing has been damaged :( after the hose came lose I waited an hour until the engine was reasonably cool again... do I have to wait longer until its stone cold?

    appreciate any advice
     
    Schwuppes, Jul 23, 2012
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  2. Jul 23, 2012 #2
    accentstencil

    accentstencil Well-Known Member

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    Did you bleed the system, there might be air in it?
     
    accentstencil, Jul 23, 2012
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  3. Jul 23, 2012 #3
    Beav

    Beav New Member

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    New radiator cap? Pressure test
     
    Beav, Jul 23, 2012
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  4. Jul 23, 2012 #4
    micky vn man

    micky vn man New Member

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    theres air in there by the sounds of it ...new radiator cap and coolant and bleed the system should do the trick.o and new thermostat..
     
    micky vn man, Jul 23, 2012
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  5. Jul 23, 2012 #5
    Schwuppes

    Schwuppes New Member

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    ok cheers guys....

    il try to use the thermostat off my old engine thats still laying around here.

    Another thing I noticed was when I turn the key in the ignition, just to bring up the electrics/dashlights etc (not starting the engine) i can here a continuous clicking sound coming from the drivers side under the car somewhere. the clicking starts about 10 seconds after the key is turned. sounds like some sort of relay clicking?

    btw the coolant is sputtering out when we have the rad cap off, the cap isnt broken


    we bled the system before when we filled it up and it was running fine, before the hose cam loose
     
    Schwuppes, Jul 23, 2012
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  6. Jul 23, 2012 #6
    KTM mad

    KTM mad Donating Member

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    intermittant wiper turned on? hahahaha
     
    KTM mad, Jul 23, 2012
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  7. Jul 23, 2012 #7
    micky vn man

    micky vn man New Member

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    sure thats not ur electric antenna lol ..id do it all again..n fill it up once ur thermostat opens so theres no air bubbles in system..and i also know if the heater tap is broken the car does overheat.had it happen to me before on old vs
     
    micky vn man, Jul 23, 2012
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  8. Jul 23, 2012 #8
    Schwuppes

    Schwuppes New Member

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    ok you mean totally drain the block and start over?

    im hoping it isnt a blown head gasket... but theres no water coming from the exhaust and the coolant isnt oily...

    but just in case, what does it cost to get the head gaskets replaced.
     
    Schwuppes, Jul 23, 2012
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  9. Jul 23, 2012 #9
    TI3VOM

    TI3VOM Active Member

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    Close to a grand if not over, cheaper to do it yourself.
     
    TI3VOM, Jul 23, 2012
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  10. Jul 23, 2012 #10
    accentstencil

    accentstencil Well-Known Member

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    The air would have entered after the hose came loose.
     
    accentstencil, Jul 23, 2012
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  11. Jul 23, 2012 #11
    SID888

    SID888 New Member

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    Put the radiator cap back on and check. The radiator cap is a pressure sealing type, it increases the boiling point of the coolant and in conjunction with the coolant recovery bottle maintains coolant in the radiator.
     
    SID888, Jul 23, 2012
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  12. Jul 23, 2012 #12
    umair

    umair New Member

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    Usually the hose does not come loose by itelf, it is most likeley pressure getting generated and that caused the hose to come off. So your problem was from the start.
     
    umair, Jul 23, 2012
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  13. Jul 24, 2012 #13
    Brett_jjj

    Brett_jjj Well-Known Member

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    ^^ I agree with the umairs post. If the cylinder pressure was leaking into the water jackets through a blown/leaking head gasket, then this would have most likely been the cause of the hose blowing off, as well as causing the the bubbling from the cooling system.. Sounds like it might be blown head gasket(s), do a compression test on the engine..
     
    Brett_jjj, Jul 24, 2012
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  14. Jul 24, 2012 #14
    Schwuppes

    Schwuppes New Member

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    thanks guys

    we got it sorted... had to wait until the engine was cooled down more, then we poured some coolant into the heater tap hose lol.... then bled the **** out of it and the problem went away
    She's actually running very cool now, after having it idle for almost an hours checking stuff, and then another 30 minutes drive home the needle was hovering between the first notch and half way mark on the temp gauge.


    I think I actually might have forgotten to tighten the hose clamp properly.... just shows how easy it is to make silly mistakes when its late and youre tired :(
     
    Schwuppes, Jul 24, 2012
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