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[arronsweeney]

hi
i am new to this site , i have a prob with my cooling system i had a water hose burst on me last week the one from the engine to the radiator at the top of the engine, i have now replaced it and the temp still keeps rising to max, any one out there got any ideas before she is garaged,also i have ben told omega 3lite elite has 2 thermostats can anyone tell me where they are located
thanks

[Auto Addict]

Welcome to the forum

Someone should be along shortly to answer your questions.

[Auto Addict]

What year is it?

[Auto Addict]

It has only one thermostat.

[arronsweeney]

it is a m reg automatic please can you tell me where the thermosat is

[Auto Addict]

I can't sorry, I'm no V6 expert.

MJ - have you got a picture?

[Admin]

Ok, the 1 thermostat the omega has (it has 2 temp sensors) is in the valley between the the 2 banks of cylinders. You need to remove the plenum (silver slab thing on tope of engine) to see it, let alone access it.

However, this is not going to be your problem.

The hoses don't usually fail unless something else is wrong...

When the coolant was replaced, was the cap left off with the heater controls turned to max for a good 30 mins? This will bleed the system out.

Tell me it is using the correct 50/50 antifreeze mix and not just water?

Are the pipes goiing rock hard, as if the system is overpressurising?

Any signs of "mayo" (does it look a nasty brown colur) in the header tank?

Is the radiator getting hot and are the cooling fans kicking in?

Any noticeable water loss?

Tak a look at the back of the engine, any signs of water back there?

Lots of questions I know, but it helps give us a better idea.

[Markjay]

I can't sorry, I'm no V6 expert.

MJ - have you got a picture?

Yes - see links below:

http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1176231166/2#2
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1176463939/18#18
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1178095004/14#14

As LB said, only one thermostat....

[arronsweeney]

is 50/50 antifreeze mix imperetive or is clear water not sufficient in summertime,
initially coolant was not replaced after replacement of hose just water was added and heater controls had not been turned to max untill possibly 10 mins after running engine, i know it should have been done initially . signs of mayo are present in the header tank radiater is getting hot and cooling fans kicking in , no noticible water loss , when the engine is switched off the replacement hose seem to suck in flat and out again several times
 

the temp in the car rises untill i reduce pressure on header tank
thanks

[STMO123]

You say you have signs of cross contamination in the header tank. How is the oil looking (ignore a slight amount of mayo round the oil filler cap)

[Admin]

Clear water as coolant is nver sufficient...  
The "antifreeze" also acts as a corrosion inhibitor, which is where I think the problem is...

Signs of mayo? How much?

Hose sounds like it is no good at all and collapsing in on itself.
Are the other hoses quite "soft" feeling when cold?

Ok, it sounds like there are a couple of potential problems.

1. Run the car with the heaters on and the header tank cap off for 30 mins.
The car should blow really hot air into the cabin.
While it is doing this, have a look closely round the back of the engine on the drivers side for signs of leakage. Maybe put your hand in there to check..

2. This mayo... is it becoming quite thick and brown in the header tank?
If yes, then oil cooler has failed, which is my initial suspicion.

[JasonH]

The 50/50 mix is important to stop internal corrosion. You'll probably get away with it in the short term. Long term it may cause head gasket failure, which is otherwise very rare on the Omega V6's.

I think LB66 suspects an oil cooler failure which rapidly sludges up the coolant system and causes blockages.

Thermostats are hard to change on the V6's but fortunately don't fail very often.

Brown sludge in the expansion tank is the sign of oil cooler failure which very soon turns into vast amounts of brown sludge. Once this is fixed it is essential to flush the whole coolant system thoroughly or the blockages will remain. Flushing can either be done by numberous (like 10+) coolant changes with a small amount of usage between flushes, or by a more brutal method of adding a healthy dose of degreaser to the coolant system running for a while then flushing out.

[STMO123]

Clear water as coolant is nver sufficient...  
The "antifreeze" also acts as a corrosion inhibitor, which is where I think the problem is...

Signs of mayo? How much?

Hose sounds like it is no good at all and collapsing in on itself.
Are the other hoses quite "soft" feeling when cold?

Ok, it sounds like there are a couple of potential problems.

1. Run the car with the heaters on and the header tank cap off for 30 mins.
The car should blow really hot air into the cabin.
While it is doing this, have a look closely round the back of the engine on the drivers side for signs of leakage. Maybe put your hand in there to check..

2. This mayo... is it becoming quite thick and brown in the header tank?
If yes, then oil cooler has failed, which is my initial suspicion.
 

That will be very hot, be careful

[arronsweeney]

car has slight oil leak  oiles on min but looks ok nice dark colour not grey

[arronsweeney]

the mayo is not sludgy it just seems to be dirty water