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Thread: whats the normal operating temp on a VS commo?

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    Senior Member alphredo's Avatar
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    Default whats the normal operating temp on a VS commo?

    pretty noob question i know but i was just wondering where my temp guage should be sitting when driving and idling at lights , driving around it sits under half way which i would gather is normal but as soon as im idling at the lights it will jump up too 2 thirds ( a couple of notches under the red ) and will go up and down slowly between half way and a couple of notches from the red on the temp guage.
    coolant is full when i check the radiator and half full in the overflow thingo, does this sound normal or maybe a dodgy thermo or something?.
    i had a vn commodore before this and that would constantly sit at the same temp so being as ive only had this car since saturday im keeping my eye on every little thing.



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    First check if your thermo fans are starting and running.
    One good way to identify a fan problem is the car will not overheat while driving (air is rushing into the radiator) but will when stopped and needs to rely on the fans for cooling. It may just be the thermo switch and not the fans themselves.
    When its parked and running open the bonnet and check to see if the fans are running when its overheating.

    One thing i overlooked, if i does not have electric thermo fans but has a viscous clutch fan, there is a very high possibility that its worn and the fan is not locking and running at full speed for cooling. Fords are known for that one.

    The other one is of course your thermostat but it will play up at both driving and stationary times.

    Another one is a dirty and blocked radiator, you may need to remove it and reverse flush it.

    Another is a leaking radiator cap seal not holding pressure which allows a pressure drop inside which builds more heat. The water will escape to the overflow bottle when hot and go back (contact) into the radiator when cold.

    And last is your water pump and belt. If the belt is really loose or the blades inside your water pump buggered, it will struggle to circulate the water, causing it to overheat.

    Oh and check that your radiator is clean from rubbish around the fins, ive seen some cars packed with rubbish that obstructs the air flow. I generally just get a hose and gently (dont damage the fins) blast the crap out from back (inside the engine bay) to front. The idea is to push it out the reverse of how it got in. You may also need to loosen the radiator and check between it and the aircon cooler for rubbish too.

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    Senior Member alphredo's Avatar
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    thanks mate, ill have a look tommorow.

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    Your temperature is reacting the same as mine which is normal as the thermo fans cycles in and out .If in doubt go for a drive to get it hot and then run the motor open the bonnet and observe if the fan cycles.

    You have good fluid retention which is good if your a car

    Another thing to check is your coolant and if some drip hasn't just added water or its diluted below its usefull strength. Probly pay to change it anyway if its dirty get it flushed .
    Use only the V6 GM Spec coolant not the $5 crap from the supermarket.
    Every v6 I bought had just straight water in them

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    Premium Member rob916's Avatar
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    If you do change the coolant, make sure you bleed the air from the system with the bleed screw on the drivers side of the intake manifold, can't remember if it is on the thermo housing or the manifold, it has been a while.
    When you do this you will use a coke bottle as a funnel into the radiator with the water/coolant level in the funnel ALWAYS higher than the bleed screw with the engine running until all the air is out.
    On a VS you should use holden coolant with Three tablets(crushed up).
    See your GM dealer.

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    It sounds normal, I wouldn't worry about it.
    From the VS Owners Manual:
    The temperature gauge indicates the engine coolant temperature when the ignition is switched ON.

    Stop/Start driving in heavy traffic, driving at high speed in warm weather, hill climbing or towing a caravan may cause the needle to move toward the "H". This is normal and is not cause for concern. However, if the needle should move all the way to "H" and remain there for more than 30 seconds, you should stop the car as soon as it is safe to do so.
    Refer page 6-10. OVERHEATING.

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    One thing WhiteOx, its normal under stressed conditions in most Aussie cars but it should be stable most of the time. Even in bumper to bumper it should not move more than a few mills with thermo fans.

    Some movement can be OK, however large movements towards the hot end of the scale constantly can result in the head cracking and or headgasket blowing due to the aluminum head expanding and contracting at a different rate to the cast iron block.

    Start with the easy basic cheap stuff.

    Check your thermos are working, take out your radiator, reverse flush it internally with the garden hose, clean the fin area, change your thermostat and bleed the air out of the system while filling the system with the correct fluid.

    Use a thermostat with a bleed valve on it too (a small hole with a little ball hanging in it sometimes), it helps to keep the temperature movement more stable and purge the air out.

    It should just cost you a thermostat, gasket and some water treatment. Say much less than $50.

    It should be done every now and then to keep the cooling system in control.

    If you feel like being a big spender, do your hoses while your there too.

    Changing the oil and filter and what just been written is one first things i do when buying any second hand car to ensure some reliability.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Godzilla View Post
    One thing WhiteOx, its normal under stressed conditions in most Aussie cars but it should be stable most of the time. Even in bumper to bumper it should not move more than a few mills with thermo fans.
    Guess you haven't owned a VS .. if it's not overheating there's no cause for concern.

    You can check to see if your thermos are working by switching your AC on.

    rob916 is right about the bleeding thing.
    If you hear a noise like flowing water coming from the dash you have air in the cooling system.

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    I just went for a look around some forums with vs overheating problems.

    A well maintained cooling system should not go over 1/2 to 3/4 way max in very hot extreme weather.

    Much talk of thermo fan switches (temp sensors) not working within range, stuck thermostats and clogged radiators resulting in the system running back on half way again once looked at.

    No, have not owned one after a brother-in-law of mine was constantly calling me whenever it broke down on the side of the road.

    My Ford was not much better till i put a new radiator in it (after finding most of the cooling passages blocked) and throwing the viscose clutch fan out and converting it to EL thermo fans. It now runs at 1/3 to 1/2 no matter how hot it is...including Melbournes recent 40+ heat spell.

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    Junior Member rastus86's Avatar
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    OK first of all the vs commodore has a gauge fault from new the problem is that the sender unit range is a little different from the the actual gauge i will explain the sender unit is set up to run hot (32 ohms) to cold (282ohms) and the halfway point is suppose to about 97 ohms
    where the gauge is setup for 40 ohms hot and 282 ohms cold and the halfway point set up differently as well i don't have the actual figure for that right now even if get a new gauge or sender unit it will not make any difference
    the reason the problem starts to show more now is the car is getting older hence may run a little hotter (only a little ) the middle part of the gauge is not really calibrated properly to handle the temp difference
    the only way to fix this problem is get it recalibrate by a instrument tech to suit the sender unit
    i have had this problem several times been down many paths changed thermostats ,gauges sender units ....ect it is the only way to fix the problem
    you have have a look at the proper temperature on a scan tool if you like
    anyway i hope that helps

    cheers

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    Senior Member alphredo's Avatar
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    honestly i dont care what the guage says aslong as i know my motor isnt over heating.
    was running the heater tonight too keep the windscreen demisted and it didnt seem too move up at all , even sitting at the lights for ages.
    does that mean anything at all?

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    Junior Member Dale's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by alphredo View Post
    honestly i dont care what the guage says aslong as i know my motor isnt over heating.
    was running the heater tonight too keep the windscreen demisted and it didnt seem too move up at all , even sitting at the lights for ages.
    does that mean anything at all?
    everybody has covered everything but if you are not too worried about fixing it i would get an after market temp gauge to see how hot its getting.

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    there's two temp sensors, one ball park one for the gauge and a accurate thermister for the computer if its getting hot the engine fault light will come on and the code when read would indicate this.

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