KV6 O-rings AGAIN!

[kaiser]

Originally Posted by SD1too

That says it all.

Simon

I know your enthusiasm for these plastic gadgets Simon, but maybe a bit less haste in this case would be in order?.

I have not come across any V6 with a plastic thermostat housing that has lasted that long! Far from it!

So I think we should await the response to how long the car has been owned!
That would be the first step to verifying the statement, before waving the flag.

If it is an ultra low mileage car, maybe there is a slight chance, but even that I doubt.

I certainly had a failure when I got my car 10 years ago, and the car was at that stage 4 or five years old. The replacement that was fitted started leaking almost immediately (within a few weeks or months for sure!) and the rest is, as they say, history!

It is maybe time for a poll? Mine certainly lasted less than five years, it could potentially already have been changed before that. My mileage at that stage was about 65000km.

Any takers?

[Randyjim]

My car is a 2005 ZT 190, which I bought as a daily driver in June 2015, so it's been in my ownership just short of three years.

I first replaced the failed open, non-leaking, thermostat in late summer 2015, replacing both pipes, and all of the O-rings. The mileage was around 73k-74k. This morning it tipped past 93k, so I've covered about 20k since I bought it.

When the O-rings on this installation failed after about 6-9 months (early Spring 2016) I replaced them all. I bought a spare banana pipe just in case, but as the 'old' part came out in one piece I think I re-used it.

By the winter, the O-rings were leaking again, I managed it with frequent top up's until about June 2017, when I changed the thermostat for the supported type, fitted Viton O-rings with molykote111, and I think this time I replaced the banana pipe too. All with the manifold off, not the keyhole method.

When the belts were done for me I don't believe the thermostat pipework was touched. I can still see the excess molykote around the edge of the pipe to suggest they weren't disturbed at all. No reason they should be AFAIK.

So, in short, my plastic parts and O-rings are only around 12 months 6k miles old.

Obviously it's quite difficult to see the joint under the thermostat, but with the engine cover off, the coolant puddle in the v is all to the right and has not breached the first web A pink ring was clearly visible around the banana pipe where it enters the block, so I'm confident that this is the source of my leak.

[aReallyNiceCar]

Since I'm a diesel owner, this specific problem is well outside my field of expertise,
however, it did make me wonder whether having a batch of alloy castings made could replace these plastic parts.?
To the best of my knowledge, the casting process itself is relatively cheap, but that is tempered by the cost of making-up an accurate set of negative moulds & after the casting is made, it then needs to be finished to the required tolerances & any threads & so on cut for attachments or blanking points.?
All that 'afterwork' isn't necessary on a plastic moulding, which is presumably why they used it as OEM.?

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by kaiser

I have not come across any V6 with a plastic thermostat housing that has lasted that long!

You have now kaiser. Mine lasted thirteen years (67,000 miles) and only had to be replaced because I fractured the base during refitting.

Simon

[kaiser]

Ha ha, OK, so you have one car that never brakes down and never has any trouble.
I think that you have been extra-extraordinary lucky.
My faults in 10 years have been numerous, and included items that have no servicable parts in them.

That includes oil cooler, expansion box, water pump, radiator and metal cooling pipes from memory.
There have been a number of other problems like thermostat housings, radiator fans, plenty (a dozen I guess) of light globes, ABS problems, INFO screen going awol, leaking rear lights (on non-tourers), VIS printed circuit boards, door actuator, inlet manifold rattle, and most likely quite a few problems I have forgotten.

So there we go, some people are just unbelievably too lucky for words!

[kaiser]

Originally Posted by aReallyNiceCar

Since I'm a diesel owner, this specific problem is well outside my field of expertise,
however, it did make me wonder whether having a batch of alloy castings made could replace these plastic parts.?
To the best of my knowledge, the casting process itself is relatively cheap, but that is tempered by the cost of making-up an accurate set of negative moulds & after the casting is made, it then needs to be finished to the required tolerances & any threads & so on cut for attachments or blanking points.?
All that 'afterwork' isn't necessary on a plastic moulding, which is presumably why they used it as OEM.?

https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/for...ad.php?t=24992

[Arctic]

My car when I bought it had original thermostat 2011 it is an 02 so nine years and 101,000 it was only changed because I had the belts done, I purchased original rover thermostat along with all the belts water pump etc in Jan 2012.

By March 2014 & about 3,000miles oat was found in the V it turns out it was the O-ring had distorted flattened on one side, I replaced the whole lot with the three lug housing set up.

Four years down the line and another 12,000 all is well fingers crossed, personally I think the O-rings was pinched in 2012 had that to the original housing moves thus helping the O-ring to rub and flatten then that was the reason this is my opinion with mine.

[kaiser]

Originally Posted by Arctic

My car when I bought it had original thermostat 2011 it is an 02 so nine years and 101,000 it was only changed because I had the belts done, I purchased original rover thermostat along with all the belts water pump etc in Jan 2012.

By March 2014 & about 3,000miles oat was found in the V it turns out it was the O-ring had distorted flattened on one side, I replaced the whole lot with the three lug housing set up.

Four years down the line and another 12,000 all is well fingers crossed, personally I think the O-rings was pinched in 2012 had that to the original housing moves thus helping the O-ring to rub and flatten then that was the reason this is my opinion with mine.

Again I must ask what makes you certain that the thermostat was the original when you bought it?

[Arctic]

I asked the person I purchased it from, he also stated he had never had the belts changed, that is why I had them done, I also had the clutch done when I bought it, as that was on original also and was slipping main reason I got the car cheap.


Since then I have spent 4 times the amount I paid for it but it was is a labour of love only mainly used for the nano meets and other meets through out the year, not a daily drive.

Belts are due again this year after only covering about 16,575 miles so it is the year time not the mileage on the belts.

Also I was given this below a month after I fitted the three lug thermostat housing in 2014 therefore I am prepared as they say. Arctic.

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[KWIL]

Kaiser,

Yes had it from brand new in April 2002, now 97K+ miles

K