Holden SUV Range

Milky oil is a big hint that the engine’s oil and coolant are mixing, suggesting a cracked block, cylinder head or blown head gasket. But just because the oil has not turned milky does not rule out a head gasket leak, as the coolant can sometimes find its way into the combustion chamber(s) rather than the sump (oil-pan).

What would be interesting to know is if the coolant disappears in a week of normal driving, or even if the car is left to stand for the week. If it’s the latter, then you more likely have an external leak somewhere in the cooling system’s maze of hoses, pipes, radiators and catch-tanks.

The first thing to do is conduct a pressure test on the cooling system. This involves topping up the coolant and then using air to pressurise the system to see where the coolant appears from. You may find it’s something as simple as a loose hose clamp or a cracked plastic catch-tank.

If that doesn’t provide any hints there’s a kit called a TK Test which samples the coolant to see if there are any gasses (from the combustion process) that shouldn’t be there. If they are present, you probably have a head gasket leak. But don’t rush to that conclusion yet.

A quick test will tell you whether the alternator is sending charge to the battery. If it isn’t, then you need to start checking the wiring and things like the whether the car is earthed properly. Perhaps there’s a blown fuse of circuit breaker that is preventing the flow of charge from the alternator to the battery.

If the alternator is, in fact, charging the battery when the engine is running, then you’re looking for a problem such as an aftermarket alarm or a boot light or some other electrical gremlin that is draining the battery overnight. It would also be worth checking that the new battery and alternator for correct operation and capacity. It wouldn’t be the first time a brand-new component has been faulty, fitted to a car and then confounded the mechanic responsible.

You have a few choices here, but all of them involve replacing the broken handles rather than trying to fix them. Your first option is to find one of the remaining Holden dealers out there and order genuine replacements. The second is to find a parts recycler (a wrecking yard as they were once known) and harvest a set of door handles from a wrecked Captiva.

The other option is to find an online seller with brand-new or second-hand replacements (lots of parts recyclers also have online stores). You can order them and have them delivered, usually within a few days if it’s an Australian-based seller. Just remember to specify the handles that incorporate the keyless-entry button.