VZ SSZ Temperature

[simonhmorgan]

I have a VZ SSZ Gen 3 Crewman, and noticed that the temperature gauge fluctuates between about 1/3 and between 2/3 and the red Hot marker.

usually its about 1/3 or a little over, but if i drive in traffic it will get up to above the 2/3 line, then the fan kicks in and it drops back down again. after a few minutes it will be back up again... and so on.
is it normal for it to get so high before the fan kicks in, and for the temp to fluctuate so much?

every other car i have owned has pretty much stayed at the same place regardless of driving conditions?

Thanks in advance...

[iloveholden]

To me it seems to fluctuate too much. Both my car (Alloytech 6) and mums (L76 SS) in normal driving conditions wont really go much higher than just over a 1/4.

On a really hot day in traffic i once saw mine hit nearly half way otherwise its always below...

Maybe you have some cooling issues, radiator slightly blocked or something simular?

[Buckd1ch]

Sounds like your water pump might be on it's way out to me. Could be several different things though.

[simonhmorgan]

Ok,
so i just activated the temp reading by holding Mode and Set when starting the car.
it got up to 105 fairly quickly, then settled for about 3-4 minutes, then slowly crept up to 116 before i shut it off.

i am wondering if it could be the thermostat (the bottom hose was hot, and the top one not very hot), or perhaps the radiator cap? i have read that the VZ caps are notorious for failing, but wasnt sure if this was the V6 only, or if ti included the V8?

if the cap is not sealing, could this cause the overheating?

[aratic]

If your radiator hoses feel notably different then its likely the coolant isnt being circulated through the radiator which could be caused by either a blockage or the thermostat is getting stuck closed.

No matter what anyone says on the other forum or here your car shouldnt be getting up to 116 degs. What temp do the fans come on? Water temperature shouldnt rise much more than when they are triggered.

Not sure about the radiator cap, but could be worth replacing it see if it makes any diff. Atleast if it isn't that, you've eliminated the cheapest and easiest part to replace first.

[harrisor2]

May be worthwhile to check that the radiator is in fact full of coolant rather than just via the coolant bottle. Your radiator may have a crack in one of the plastic tanks as happened to me after the water pump was replaced. Expect you will be able to smell the coolant when the engine is hot if there is a leak no matter how small it is.

[OMR346]

My SSZ sits around 1/4 all the times. Even with the occasional "spirited driving", it still sits at 1/4, or sometime it might go just a tad bit over, btu nothing to worry about. That is with cam, high stall and diff gears.

[simonhmorgan]

Thanks Harrisor
i checked the actual radiator, and it was low. took about two litres of coolant. now the needle sits dead on 1/4 and doesnt move. the digital temp was 89.
now i just need to work out why the level was low, and if i ave a leak.

it does look like there is a little water dripping from under the passenger side near the firewall.
is there anything obvious that might be leaking back there?

[harrisor2]

That is where the water usually drips out when the air conditioning is on so unless it is pink that will be normal. Just guessing but if my experience is anything to go by, it will be the water pump. In my previous car it was replaced at 80k and I didn't know it had been leaking. At 90k in the current car coolant poured out everywhere and it wasn't evident where it was coming from. RACV said it was a cracked radiator but that happened after the water pump was replaced and was on the opposite side of the radiator. Quickest way to find out is get the cooling system pressure tested. Holden dealers charge around $500 for a water pump and the same for a radiator so you can probably get it fixed a for a lot cheaper elsewhere if either of these are the problem. You should be able to see the dried coolant around the engine bay if there is a leak particularly now that your radiator is full again.

[loudvtss]

My coolant temperature goes as high as 107. Is this normal as it drops as low as 90 while driving?

[Evman]

On a very hot day with the aircon on and sitting in traffic my car will go over 100deg. Hot day, no aircon, in traffic will see low to mid 90's, very cold day constant driving it gets as low as mid 70's I think if memory serves me correctly.

[SSDVL!]

My car was doing exactly what yours was doing.......it turned out be fan 1 relay. Normally fan one should kick in about 98c and if that fails then 108c should be the next time it kicks in. So check your relays.

In regards to fluid on the ground you have overfill pipe that runs down the passenger side that will discharge excess fluid expectually now that you have refilled the car, but if it continues to loose fluid and its noticable then you might want to check your front tanks on the radiator arent cracked.

cheers ed