hi peoples
comig home today the car sitting at a set of lights i saw the temp needle rising a little above normal temp, as soon as i stepped on the gas the neddle raised further. up to 40-50km/h the needle dropped a little, when i stopped again it raised again. the highest temp was about 3 graduations below redline.

this had happened twice this week, and i had already put 5L of green coolant into the radiator system after first time it had occured. the coolant level was full, today i checked there was nothing. could it be coolant boiling away?

the water pump was replaced in july, a 3rd party pump from 4WD parts in Perth, so i'd think the chances of a water pump failure is slim.

any help/comments/suggestions are welcomed!

might be low on coolant or has an air-lock in the system.

could be a faulty fan as well.....

We had a similar with our old commodore, it turned out that the ECU wasn't turining on the fan. Your problem might be as simple(?) as a dead fan.

Wow 5l out of a 9.5l cooling system in a couple of days I would get the system flushed ot ( how long since you have this if ever) . Sounds like the system is blocked old collant ( yes I know u put new collant on but radiator etc can be blocked). Also check to see if your fan is working but put car in idel and see if the auto fan comes on and off

I'm having a similar issue with my missus's Laser at the moment - begins to 'over' heat when stopped in traffic / at lights for prolonged period of time. My first thought was the cooling fan wasn't working, but I've been able to rule this out, it's also worth checking that the radiator core isn't blocked up externally (a previous car of mine was doing this really bad at one stage - upon inspection of the radiator, the section where the fan sucks air thru was completely blocked up with dirt/bugs/grass etc). I'm thinking of having a go at 'flushing' the radiator as the best explaination I can come up with at this stage is that the radiator is blocked internally to some extent.

Anyone recommend a cooling system flush product which actually works?? I know there are a couple of options - chemical and abrasive products, but the few I've tried over the years were questionable at best.

Is it worth spending the $50+ on "radiator cleaning fluid" and brand new coolant - or am I best to just take it to a radiator place and expect to pay at least $250 for a full cooling system service??

Is it worth spending the $50+ on "radiator cleaning fluid" and brand new coolant - or am I best to just take it to a radiator place and expect to pay at least $250 for a full cooling system service??
spend 100 bucks mate

flush at a radiator shop
thermostat and gasket
profit

just came back from a bit of a drive.

the fan: 100% working, opened up bonnet at saw both spinning (and also really, really loud).

i'm going to take it to a mechanic tomorow, hopfully suss it out.

There can be about 10 things.. be smart and check the obvious first.. Check water levels and condition of radiator hoses and check for leaks or holes.. Then check to see if fans are working.. then check the temp of ur radiator hoses just off the engine when the temp is a bit hotter then usual to see if one of the pipes i hotter or colder then the other.. they should be nearly the same but if one is way differant to the other then you have thermostate problems. time for a new one.... About $15 and half an hour to change..


Goodluck. :D

hi peoples
comig home today the car sitting at a set of lights i saw the temp needle rising a little above normal temp, as soon as i stepped on the gas the neddle raised further. up to 40-50km/h the needle dropped a little, when i stopped again it raised again. the highest temp was about 3 graduations below redline.

this had happened twice this week, and i had already put 5L of green coolant into the radiator system after first time it had occured. the coolant level was full, today i checked there was nothing. could it be coolant boiling away?

the water pump was replaced in july, a 3rd party pump from 4WD parts in Perth, so i'd think the chances of a water pump failure is slim.

any help/comments/suggestions are welcomed!

Pull your temp sensor out and clean it (sandpaper will do).While its out reconnect its plug have cup of boiling water ready,dip it into it fan/s should kick in and correct temp should be displayed if not replace'em, if they work look for a blockage or water pump (even if its b/new 1...means nothing,anything IS possible).

Pull your temp sensor out and clean it (sandpaper will do).While its out reconnect its plug have cup of boiling water ready,dip it into it fan/s should kick in and correct temp should be displayed if not replace'em, if they work look for a blockage or water pump (even if its b/new 1...means nothing,anything IS possible).

thanks for your help. i pulled the temp sensor and the fan does run at HI when the engine is first started this morning. The upper and lower radiator hoses are also hot after a bit of a drive, so a faulty thermostat is ruled out. oh well.....guess i wont have a car for the weekend. :cry: