VY S Pack - Severe Overheating

[Go_Slow]

Hi guys been a while since a post I am mainly a reader of this fantastic forum. But I got myself into a pickle with my VY S Pack non s/c.
Ill try keep it short and sweet.

Just changed my intake manifold gasket to a mace metal one---everything all well. Flushed the coolant system while I was at it also. (why i mention this will come later on)

Going up with caravan (850kg) towards adelaide wednesday prior to xmas break, going up hill, slight smell, didn't think anything of it. then slight burning smell. Engine light came on, pulled over right away. just shy of ballarat
No coolant, pulling up 3rpm up the hill. Luckily I was on lpg and it cut out after no water in converter(probably saved us). The bottom radiator hose (with the standard gm clip) slipped off where it joints to radiator.

As soon as i pulled over over heating bar went right up, opened the bonnet with the engine billowing smoke. Took off the engine cap (burnt my thumb in the process) luckily. Engine was very very hot.
Put in water about 15 minutes later, luckily a life saver bloke in a beaurepaires ute heading towards adelaide stopped and got me enough water to fill my car. engine turned over started ok, made a bit of noise at first start up, drove on petrol back home. lots of bubbles from water (thought immediately head gasket gone, but later thought maybe it was the water boiling from the engine block being so hot). My transmission was probably saved due to having a transmission cooler.
Father in law came with the 4x4 to take the caravan back home, and I drove nice and easy at 70k-80km back into melbourne.


Next day,
Opened radiator cap to find a very burnt smell(as expected). With metal fish flake type shavings (quite shiny) in the cooling system. I thought water pump impellers or bearings. changed the water pump. used muck out to clean the cooling system.. and also in the process now have changed all radiator/heather and heater taps and replaced with screw clips. (except on heater tap). New thermo stat, radiator cap.

I flushed the system with my garden hose up into the heater hose for a good 5 minutes to clear out any gunk left.


So now all is good, however I'm still getting this burnt smell and the metal flakes are back...
Is it possible I have done my head gasket? or maybe the new intake manifold gasket (the aluminium one) is slowly disintegrating and breaking up into the coolant?
There is no steam from exhaust, engine is idling like normal, no bubbles coming through the radiator cap when i start in the morning, no coffee colour oil present.
At this point the only thing the only thing not changed in my cooling system is my heater core and my radiator. Is it possible the radiator is comprised inside and the pieces are coming from this? Or the mace intake gasket?

Your thoughts..

 

[adele_icm]

Seems like you have covered most of the basics, but if you haven't done anything with the radiator, get it to a radiator shop to strip and inspect - could but crap inside break apart and may need a new radiator, otherwise a simple flush and clean might fix the problem. I would start with the radiator first before doing anything else. Hope this helps

 

[Go_Slow]

Seems like you have covered most of the basics, but if you haven't done anything with the radiator, get it to a radiator shop to strip and inspect - could but crap inside break apart and may need a new radiator, otherwise a simple flush and clean might fix the problem. I would start with the radiator first before doing anything else. Hope this helps

Radiator flush already done, metal pieces coming back, today under the new cap, some brown sludge along with the Metallic pieces. I checked last night with a magnet the pieces move towards it.

Could the metal pieces be parts of the crumbled head gasket? Is a headgasket steel? or aluminum(so non magnetic)
Could they be parts of the mace inlet manifold gasket?

Im going to call mace tommorow and ask them to hold a magnet to their intake manifolds, maybe its possible its disintegrated into the coolant. and thats what im seeing. the car seems to run fine though I am loosing coolant I've noticed.

Regarding the radiator. I think an easier and cheaper option would be to just change the radiator. thinking about it, they will charge a min of 50$ to check it out, you can buy new ones around $100 mark, might aswell just put the money into a new one.

 

[Go_Slow]

Ok so done a compression test highest trading 160 with the lowest being 140. Psi.
Seems all is okay there?
I am finding the following issue.

Car stumbles when I start it first go then levels out the idle. No smoke from exhaust
Air building up in radiator. Having to constantly rebleed before I go anywhere.
Engine has pressure in radiator hoses even 12 hours after the engine has cooled. I.e if I remove the cap the next day coolant will still be under pressure.

Any ideas? Don't really know where to go from here