Overheating issue

[Glenny]

Hello

on the return from a holiday my Surf (3.0 TD 1995) decided to overheat! No fan action and when the AA arrived the rad was dry. However they did some test and reckoned the cooling fluid was getting into the engine. I'm not a mechanic as you can gather!

We were relayed back (with a 21ft caravan) and thankfully they also took the Surf to the nearest Toyota garage.

The initial view is it may be a cylinder head gasket.

Has anyone had similar happen and if so what was the problem? How long does a cylinder head gasket take to repair?? Is it weeks?? I ask as I'm now without transport so could do with some clue as to how long to hire a car for. (The garage have no courtesy cars at short notice).

This is the second time we've been out with the caravan only to come back on a trailer and hard as it is to say I'm losing faith in the old girl. The wifely has suggested a Land Rover Defender (but that's only so she can pinch it!)

Can anyone restore a little faith???

[darkdezigns]

get it back out of dealers!!!!,if it's there it depends on them,but remeber they will have a load of"waiting for parts from japan"excuses,get it taken to tony's

[darkdezigns]

ps remind other half u will be on first name terms with the parts man and service manager if you get a LR

[stormforce]

I doubt its the gasket.Did the truck overheat really bad.It may be a hose gone tho but it would more than likely be the head gone.You will to get it tested to find out for sure and if its the head then you got 2 choices repair or sell as a breaker or repair.

[stormforce]

get it back out of dealers!!!!,if it's there it depends on them,but remeber they will have a load of"waiting for parts from japan"excuses,get it taken to tony's

wouldn't stevo in stockport be closer

[nero279]

hate to say i but i'd be getting on the blower to stevo ... http://www.hiluxsurf.co.uk/members_p...evo/index.html

[Glenny]

thanks for the replies

the difficulty is it's at the dealers, and the AA said it was undriveable. So I'm stuck to get it moved anywhere. I couldn't even drive it the 8 mile to the dealers!

The only option is to have it repaired, I spent £1400 last year on starter, powersteering pump, stainless exhaust, discs and pads and tyres so I can't really let it go for 'spares' given what I've already spent on it.

How long does a head gasket take to fix?
Are the parts not available in the UK?? Do they have to come from Japan?

[BUSHWHACKER]

The head gasket can be changed within a day, half a day if experienced.
As far as I can tell, the rad run dry, you didn't mention the engine had siezed. Re-fill and 'burp' the cooling system and then check for exhaust gases in the coolant to determine wether the head has cracked.

[da SLUG man]

take the head off... have a look at it...

if it's ok, just put it back on with a new gasket.

either way, you'll need a new gasket... or just pour some intant gasket on and tighten it up real good and sell the truck.

[MattF]

When was the last time you checked the coolant level? I'm guessing you can't remember, personally. For your system to be that low, I'd be suggesting you find the leak you've most likely had for a good while.

[Koi]

Also in the first post it says NO fan action, are you saying the viscous fan wasn't/isn't working??????????????

[Glenny]

an awful day

and so today was the day the news came that the head had 3 cracks in it. I'm gutted as I was under the impression/illusion? that this was a factor mainly in 2.4, not 3.0 engines.

The dealer have quoted stupid money to fix it, so it looks as though my beloved will have to go for scrap/spares/repairs.

The question is, where would you advise I advertise and how much?

It's got plenty of recent parts fitted (over £2000 worth of receipts from the last 12 months alone) so I don't want to let her go for silly money but I'm in quite a tight spot here.

Help!! Any advice folks??

Cheers

Glenn

[Scorpion]

2 options mate, either get the head renewed, about £1,200 (ouch) or sell it as a none runner. Unfortunately non runners with head problems will ony fetch £500 to £800 at the very most! Either way it's bad news I'm afraid.

[stormforce]

The thing is if its going to be sold for spares or repair and that its worth what the buyer thinks its worth.
If the truck is in very good condition and has some extras on it like after market side steps,snorkle etc then you can be looking at between £750 to £1000 but if it's just standard then yo will be looking at between £500 and £750 for it.Also you need to take into account that it cost money to trailor the truck away.
If you got the room then break it yourself and you should be able to get anything from £750 to £1500 in parts and scrapping whats left of the truck

[Apache]

Would also be worth looking for a 3.0 engine from a breaker. 2.4 owners might tell you they go as often as 2.4 heads. Fact is they dont. The original 2.4 head had a design fault. The 3.0 head doesn't.

As Matt says, check your cooling system for leaks and fix your fan. They are probably the root causes of your other problems.

I check my coolant level once a week during other under bonnet fluid checks, pipe checks etc etc. Doesn't take long, but can prevent a world of pain - on any vehicle, not just Surfs.