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Vy overheating problems

Frenchmj

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I have a VY that is overheating on hot days ,30plus I have had the cooling system flushed and a new thermostat but it still runs hot . I checked the fans and the main one operates ok but the smaller fan only appears to comes on for a short time when I switch the ignition off . Is there a fault. It has done 250000 ks. Mike
 
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krusing

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Is it leaking water ?
When they flushed the cooling system and installed the new thermostat
Did they pressure test the system ?
Could the Temp Sender unit be faulty ?, have you tried another one,
get a OEM one from a wreckers, cheaper than the stealer,
don't get one from eBay, as I got a after market from eBay, and it was not reading right,
and the seller would not refund the money, [and they said it was one for a Super6]
So I got one from a Wreckers and worked perfectly.

If your losing pressure, the water is going somewhere,
Faulty hose's [Radiator or Heater Hoses],
even the heater tap under the master cylinder, they are a common item to weep and lose water,
or even the heater core, can you smell water in the car ?
those items could cause the over heating issue.
if you think its loosing water, best to put some glycol in the radiator, and you will be able to see where its leaking, because it will leave a trail where its leaking from.


It could be leaking either into the sump, inlet port, and then out the exhaust,
Is/was the colour of the radiator water milky or muddy, this could indicate the LIM gaskets need replacing,
Or it may even just needs to have the air bled out of it.
There is some starting points, before its gets a bit more involved

Further a field -
Pull the spark plugs out, and check the colour of them,
If their is any difference in them, could be head gasket/s.
 

Trevor loves holden.

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Could be just a radiator cap. More info may narrow it down, like above said? The second fan only comes on when the temp gets around 115deg mark then off at 108deg.. cant you go into your mode setting and display the temperature on the screen?
 

Trevor loves holden.

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To enter the VY and VZ Commodore Cluster Engineering Mode
1. Press and hold the MODE and SET buttons down simultaneously.
2. Switch ignition to the ON position.
3. Release the MODE and SET buttons.
4. The Drivers Information Center LCD Display will read "Engineering Mode", and will display the GM Part NUmber for the Cluster.
5. Press the Mode button to proceed through to the next menu option.

The following menu options are available in engineering mode,
1 Software Version - This option will display the software or firmware version uploaded in to the instrument cluster
2 Holden Part Number - This option will display the Holden Part number for the instrument cluster installed in the vehicle
3 Fuel Calibration Part Number - This option will display the fuel tank size and fuel sender unit resistance to the instrument cluster.
4 Fuel Remaining in Tank - This option will display the remaining fuel in the fuel tank in Litres
5 Instantaneous Fuel - This option will display the live fuel consumption in Litres
6 Engine Coolant Temperature - This option will display the live coolant temperature as read from the collant sensor, in degrees ?C
7 Vehicle Speed - This option will display the vehicle speed digitally, in Kms/hr or Mph
8 Engine RPM - This option will display the Engine RPM digitally
9 Park Lamp State - This option show the park lamps state, I.E. if the park lamps are currently ON or OFF
10 Day Time Running Lamps - This option shows the day time running lamps state.
The daytime running lamps circuit provides illumination of the low beam headlamps when the following conditions are satisfied: PRNDL not in Park (Automatic transmission only).
Park brake is released. Vehicle speed exceeds 11 km/h (7 MPH) Park lamps are off.
11 Trouble Codes - The Trouble Codes screen displays 2 rows of 16 digits each.
If no DTC is set the 32 digits are all zeros (0). However, if a DTC is set, this is represented by a one (1) in the appropriate position in the rows.
To determine the actual DTC number that has been set, count the digits from the bottom right hand side, starting at zero.
16 Cluster Self Test - This option will illuminate all cluster warnings lamps, and will position all cluster needles to the following positions.
The temperature gage and the fuel gage are set to the halfway mark (50%).
  • The tachometer is set to 3,000 RPM.
  • The speedometer is set to 70 MPH or 70 km/h.
  • The chime is activated at 1 kHz.
  • The warning indicator LEDs that are driven by either the internal microprocessor or from the serial data line are illuminated. These are Airbag, Brake Park/Fail, Seat Belt and Shift 1 - 4.
  • All segments of the MFD and the side LCDs are illuminated.
 

Frenchmj

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Is it leaking water ?
When they flushed the cooling system and installed the new thermostat
Did they pressure test the system ?
Could the Temp Sender unit be faulty ?, have you tried another one,
get a OEM one from a wreckers, cheaper than the stealer,
don't get one from eBay, as I got a after market from eBay, and it was not reading right,
and the seller would not refund the money, [and they said it was one for a Super6]
So I got one from a Wreckers and worked perfectly.

If your losing pressure, the water is going somewhere,
Faulty hose's [Radiator or Heater Hoses],
even the heater tap under the master cylinder, they are a common item to weep and lose water,
or even the heater core, can you smell water in the car ?
those items could cause the over heating issue.
if you think its loosing water, best to put some glycol in the radiator, and you will be able to see where its leaking, because it will leave a trail where its leaking from.


It could be leaking either into the sump, inlet port, and then out the exhaust,
Is/was the colour of the radiator water milky or muddy, this could indicate the LIM gaskets need replacing,
Or it may even just needs to have the air bled out of it.
There is some starting points, before its gets a bit more involved

Further a field -
Pull the spark plugs out, and check the colour of them,
If their is any difference in them, could be head gasket/s.
Thanks Fellas .This is not simple the problem started when I had the car serviced late last year My wife and I the did a trip from Home (Longford to Dover in the south Air temp 35.Going out of Kingston you travel up a long and steep incline. By the time we got to the top she boiled. . Pulled over to a shady area and waited . Found a house and pinched some water The overflow tank was empty. The radiator took about 2 Ltres After that all good. Had words with the service people . Took it back in for the cooling system to be flushed and new thermostat and fluid.Went on another trip a few days ago and temp 38. Stopped for a drink and when we came out the temp warnings were goin off. Started the car and it settled down Got home and let it cool down and checked every thing The overflow tank was bone dry and the radiator was down about 1/2 litre. There are no leaks The oil is clean the water is clean. Filled everything and did another 600 k trip today but only 26 outside temp and the temp gauge sat where it should all day. I am going to get a new radiator cap and have another discussion with the service people. Long story but I did wonder about the Fans and I will check the engineering mode .
 

greenacc

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Doesn't sound normal that the fan only comes on when the motor is switched off. Most commodores have a 2 speed fan. Low speed switches on when temperature hits half way and high speed should switch on when it gets hot, around 3/4 or AC is switched on. Do you ever notice the second speed? Both fans normally switch on for high speed.
 

Trevor loves holden.

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started when I had the car serviced late last year
I wounder if they messed around with your settings when they serviced your car, other thing could make it come on after the car is turned off is the car brain if its overheated it will switch the fan back on till the right temp is reached, also maybe a sticky relay, seems strange it only does it over 30, Temp sensors are cheap I be changing it and making sure the connection is good and grab a couple of fan relays in case that's the issue.
 

vc commodore

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It's been mentioned you have had to refill the overflow bottle and radiator....With the kays on the engine, has the inlet manifold gaskets been replaced? If not, there is a chance, the water loss is occurring due to those gaskets needing replacement....So something to get checked and possibly do
 

Frenchmj

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It's been mentioned you have had to refill the overflow bottle and radiator....With the kays on the engine, has the inlet manifold gaskets been replaced? If not, there is a chance, the water loss is occurring due to those gaskets needing replacement....So something to get checked and possibly do

Thanks again fellas Point 1 I think the service agent has not done their job properly over the empty overflow and low water content of the radiator as after I have topped these up no loss. The second fan is a concern as you say it should not start up and run when the ignition is turned off ,hot or cold so my next job is to get the temp sensors replaced and the relays checked. But that will have to wait for a few days as I am about to go on a south pacific cruise for 14 days. I will think about it when I get home. :):).
 

Trevor loves holden.

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Thanks again fellas Point 1 I think the service agent has not done their job properly over the empty overflow and low water content of the radiator as after I have topped these up no loss. The second fan is a concern as you say it should not start up and run when the ignition is turned off ,hot or cold so my next job is to get the temp sensors replaced and the relays checked. But that will have to wait for a few days as I am about to go on a south pacific cruise for 14 days. I will think about it when I get home. :):).
See how it goes on a hot day, if it happens again and u haven't replaced the radiator cap water could be boiling out and draining that way and when u stop it sucks what's left in the overflow.
 
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