A couple of cooling system questions D2 V8

[CraigE]

Hi all I have a couple of questions about thee D2 V8 cooling system.
First when should the thermo fan kick in on these. I brought it up to temp and turned the air con on today and it did not kick in? Any usual issues to check?
Second one is i had what appeared to be a coolant leak but cannot find it now. Started with a few drops of coolant about centre of engine on ground. All I can find around the engine is a small pool of coolant just forward of the valley cover. The throttle body cooling block was recently changed. Is it possible that it is residual from this or likely a water pump? I would have thought if a water pump it would be fairly visible.
Cheers
Craig

[ballbag]

Puddle on top of engine likely from the throttle body. Delete it if it's still leaking.
Stick head under front of engine and look up. Water pump has small weep hole to warn of failing bearing. It will drip from pump down front of motor and likely along oil filter.
Another spot to check is RHS (driver's) side of fire wall. Coolant overflow pipe dangles in the breeze there and can splash on firewall. If coolant was topped up/bled when throttle body block was replaced it may just be settling back to a happy level and venting the excess.
Best course of action is to clean up any spills/leaks so you can identify new leaks/overflow after each drive.

[CraigE]

Puddle on top of engine likely from the throttle body. Delete it if it's still leaking.
Stick head under front of engine and look up. Water pump has small weep hole to warn of failing bearing. It will drip from pump down front of motor and likely along oil filter.
Another spot to check is RHS (driver's) side of fire wall. Coolant overflow pipe dangles in the breeze there and can splash on firewall. If coolant was topped up/bled when throttle body block was replaced it may just be settling back to a happy level and venting the excess.
Best course of action is to clean up any spills/leaks so you can identify new leaks/overflow after each drive.

Not throttle body, just been replaced and no weeping from there.
Thinking more likely water pump, but no tell tale signs at all. Will keep an eye on it.

[Chops]

Craig, when I had a leak in mine, I was given some "very bright green" coolant to put in and check where the leak was coming from.
Mine ended up being at the pump, which I replaced and then all good.
If your at that point, be sure of which length bolts go in which holes. If I remember correctly there can be issues putting long bolts in short holes.

[Pedro_The_Swift]

The thermo kicks in at first start up,
you will hear it,
at start up is the only time I hear mine,,

with the windows up/aircon on/ music playing/86 thermostat its not an issue,,

[ozscott]

I hear mine for about 2_3 seconds when accelerating away from stationary if the coolant temp has reached say high 80's. Cheers

[Pedro_The_Swift]

front and centre, hose from coolant res attaches to engine, just another reason to go green

[CraigE]

OK then this one has a fault or is cactus, will run 12v power direct to it to test.
Cheers
Craig

The thermo kicks in at first start up,
you will hear it,
at start up is the only time I hear mine,,

with the windows up/aircon on/ music playing/86 thermostat its not an issue,,

[Defender Mike]

My son in laws D2 V8 is also losing coolant. We picked this one up in Sydney a year ago with only 50 thousand ks genuine kilometers on it. It started overheating recently i can see coolant near the water pump and on the left side engine mount. It looks like it may be a head gasket front left side bank.
Does anyone have recent costings on getting the head gaskets replaced. Not sure if its worth the effort. Pitty because otherwise its a pretty good car now only 70 k on thr clock.

[CraigE]

My son in laws D2 V8 is also losing coolant. We picked this one up in Sydney a year ago with only 50 thousand ks genuine kilometers on it. It started overheating recently i can see coolant near the water pump and on the left side engine mount. It looks like it may be a head gasket front left side bank.
Does anyone have recent costings on getting the head gaskets replaced. Not sure if its worth the effort. Pitty because otherwise its a pretty good car now only 70 k on thr clock.

Left side looking at the car or from inside (driver or passenger) There is a drain plug in that area of the block on both sides that could be weeping, check that first. Could also be the water pump. Could also be a Core/Welsh Plug. Unusual to leak coolant if a head gasket, usually will burn it off or end up in the oil but can leak from the ends if a particular gasket is used (cant remember brand). Head gaskets on these are not that difficult to do, no harder than any v8 Holden Ford or V6 Holden. Hardest bit I found was getting the valley cover rear gaskets right. It is worth the effort, you could do it in a day, however if you need to take to a mechanic not sure, depends on what you think its worth. You can get the gasket sets for under $100 for these from OS plus $25 freight, so that cost plus coolant and maybe new thermostat a little over $220 and a days labor. Cost from Australian retailer may be around $200-$220 for the kit.
Cheers
Craig