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VY COMMODORE WAGON HEATER TAP BYPASS UPON INSPECTION LOOKED LIKE IT HAD EXPLODED?????

Discussion in 'VY Holden Commodore (2002 - 2004)' started by Jo-Anne, Sep 25, 2019.

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Did I do good? "fixing" car and reducing regular car temp by nearly a 1/8th?

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  1. Sep 25, 2019 #1
    Jo-Anne

    Jo-Anne New Member

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    Heyyyyy, sorry to be bothering people.But I need to pick brains..... I recently purchased my old bomb of a vy commodore that I instantly fell in love with... knowing there were going to eventually be problems, but i'd assess that as the time came... after just under 6 months here it is, past two weeks my cars been out of action.. I know nothing about cars and am hoping <fingers crossed> that I have fixed the issue.
    Friend looking at it noticed that the heater tap had been bypassed. Upon removal of the "original" heater tap I found it had exploded. The fluid tank upon closer inspection had also filled with a brown sludge... I KNOW THIS ALL SOUNDS HORRID! :) anyway, system flushed, refilled and bled (to the best of my female ability) and parts replaced (including a thermostat upgrade to a highflow one.) . Sore today, but worth it with the running temp being drastically reduced from just under half to just over quarter and the beast purrs now like a kitten, so quiet so smooth.. What I'm wondering is could the sludge have been the underlying problem... or should I be thinking in terms of what caused the explosion from another perspective???? HELP!? :p
     
    Jo-Anne, Sep 25, 2019
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  2. Sep 25, 2019 #2
    krusing

    krusing Well-Known Member

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    I would say that its either over heated because of a faulty thermostat,
    or the there was a water leak, so its may of damaged the engine in some way,
    So hence why the Heater Tap was bypassed.
    There is a Kit for Heater Taps on eBay that are a reasonable price to replace it with.
    The brown sludge could be just rusty water,
    or on the other hand, it could be the LIM [Lower Intake Manifold] Gaskets may need replacing,
    Not a big job, just time consuming
    And the secret of getting it right, is to make sure everything is clean properly before re-assemble,
    And then should last for years to come,
    How many K's has it done ?.
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2019
    krusing, Sep 25, 2019
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  3. Sep 25, 2019 #3
    rambunctious

    rambunctious Well-Known Member

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    Heater tap most likely died due to old age, but may have been disconnected due to leak in heater core.
    Brown sludge likewise, old age, not to mention lack of fluid drain/replacement over the years.
    Just over 1/4 running temp is normal for every commodore I have had.
     
    rambunctious, Sep 25, 2019
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  4. Sep 25, 2019 #4
    Jo-Anne

    Jo-Anne New Member

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    K's? Oh heaps... up n over 250000. Its an old car. I was always expecting problems. I don't think the engine is damaged... so sounds like it was just the thermostat and bypass. I may do another flush, refill and bleed... make sure I got as much of it out that I can.
    Thanks heaps :)
    Jo
     
    Jo-Anne, Sep 25, 2019
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  5. Sep 25, 2019 #5
    Jo-Anne

    Jo-Anne New Member

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    Thanks heaps!! All I needed to know, I brought her back down to normal. :) Ill do another flush, refill and bleed.. make sure I get as much out of it as I can :)
     
    Jo-Anne, Sep 25, 2019
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  6. Sep 25, 2019 #6
    Trevor loves holden.

    Trevor loves holden. Well-Known Member

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    If the heater core is leaking you will know by the smell in the cab, also if the inlet manifold gasket leaking you will end up with oil under your radiator cap. I would leave it for a month and see before replacing the fluid again.
     
    Trevor loves holden., Sep 25, 2019
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  7. Sep 25, 2019 #7
    Jo-Anne

    Jo-Anne New Member

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    AWESOME!! Thanks. There's no smells... she seems to be purring like a kitten and going better than I've ever driven her.. I'm hoping it is something simple... I'll take your advice and wait a month before flushing etc again.
     
    Jo-Anne, Sep 25, 2019
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  8. Sep 25, 2019 #8
    greenacc

    greenacc Searching for the billion

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    Heater taps always blow up when they get too old. It's their way of letting you know it needs replacing. And coolant reservoir always get a brown gunk build up so no big issue there either. Just keep doing what your doing and deal with issues as you find them.
     
    greenacc, Sep 25, 2019
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  9. Sep 25, 2019 #9
    Trevor loves holden.

    Trevor loves holden. Well-Known Member

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    If you just purchased it not long ago if you haven't yet done so change engine oil + filter, also do a transmission service you never know how old the fluid is and how old the filter is. Keep a eye out for milky sludge under both the radiator cap and oil cap, if fine after a month then if you want give it another flush.
     
    Trevor loves holden., Sep 25, 2019
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