heads up

[puddlesurfer]

I'm going to flush mine tomorrow, let the hose run through for an hour or two

[MWS]

Juicy thread, guys! Think this ones got legs!..... Seriously, though, I dont think theres only one definitive answer to the overheating problem. Obviously, good cooling system maintainence is essential. One question that Id like to ask is, do UK 4Runners have head problems? One thing they have in common is that theyre all manuals, and dont have burning hot ATF transferring heat into the bottom of their rads. Has enyone else considered remotely cooling the trans, and instead of ATF, running their fuel (veggie mix?) through the bottom of the rad instead of the hot trans fluid? As a bonus, that would warm up, and lower the viscousity of the fuel, and have a cooling effect on the rad, rather than super heating the cooling system with trans fluid.....Win / Win.... Your thoughts....Cheers....Mick.

[JUDWAK]

I'm going to flush mine tomorrow, let the hose run through for an hour or two

wjile ya doing it have a look under side near the middle of ya truck
ya will see 2 small pipes going to ya rear hearter
pop one side off to see if its still got flow

[puddlesurfer]

wjile ya doing it have a look under side near the middle of ya truck
ya will see 2 small pipes going to ya rear hearter
pop one side off to see if its still got flow

It flow's fine, I did unblock it not long after i got the truck, cos heater didn't work.
Then at Avalanch the other week a stick got caught and pulled it off, coolant leaking everywhere (big panic because my coolant is pink and the pipe was rubbing on my propshaft making a horrible grinding sound, I thought I'd killed my auto box)

What is a really, really, really good coolant flush?

[JUDWAK]

get some rad flush/cleaner runn it to running temp and let it cool
then pop off one of the hoses on the bulk head
ya can just see em bolted on to the bulk head in this picture


fix a hose pipe onto one of them pipes
turn on the tap and rince away
the rad may need a bit more than a flush if its not new or never been done
crud can stick like concrete
so you may need to repeat the posess a few times every few weeks untill your satisfied its clear
hard reving can clear some but be carfull if you do that while flushing
there will not be enough water it sort all the parts of the engine at once while flushing keep it in blips and turn off
dont forget to burp the sysem after wards
top with coolent once its cooled down after your first run when a flush has been done

[BUSHWHACKER]

What is a really, really, really good coolant flush?

Take the rad out and do it.

[JUDWAK]

best coolent is toyota coolent its got a price i cant remember now how much it was but its blue i think or green
i dunt know iam on mi meds

[JUDWAK]

Take the rad out and do it.

tiz best and easy to do

[puddlesurfer]

ok will try and take rad out tomorrow, while I'm at it i want to change the fan belts.
I can see what looks like a tensioning bolt on the alternator - looks to be 10/11 mm obviously i need to loosen of all alternator bolts first, if it's not a tensioning bolt I'll use a lever bar
How do I tension up the A/C belt and power steering belt? is there a tensioner bolt some where?

[Koi]

What is a really, really, really good coolant flush?[/QUOTE]

When i flushed mine from a mains tap to ensure good pressure i used various size copper fittings to reduce from the hoses to my hose pipe or vice versa so the water was pushed through the cooling system via mains pressure.
Clamped off the other hoses to divert the water around the engine heater matrix etc

[TonyN]

IMHO, at least 80% of the heads are already fawked when you buy the truck, so no way of telling what happened to them before, rad seal will last months in some cracked heads with only minor cracks. Especially if truck only does shortish journeys.

If any truck was going to have issues with a weak head, ours should, its got hot loads of times towing heavy trailers, been offroad lots with plugged rad, the head has been off twice (1 head gasket, and once when I stripped it to replace a spun big end bearing).

But we've had it 8 years now, and it still great.

(I've changed more heads on Pajaros this year... )

[dieselboy]

I'll find the time to read the whole thread hopefully tomorrow!

My current Surf is a 3.0 2nd gen bought off a member off here who has now vanished. I have receipts from it being imported back in 2002 or 2004 (in a folder). There is no receipts for head work. I think I just replaced the original rad due to a cracked bottom .

I have Longlife coolant in, as I done a COMPLETE flush for the old stuff and put in the 50% mix or so I read it requires.
And now, on a hot day with the truck loaded with people and luggage, if I try to accellerate up a hill on the motorway or try to maintain a speed above 80mph, then my temperature guage increases. I'm just using the Toyota guage on the cluster.

I've been up to a place called Lowestoft and back today (near Ipswitch) and I was cruising at 80 and above. It never rained where I was today, and was warmish and at no point did the needle move whatsoever. Even when accellerating hard like before. IT seems it only happens when the truck is loaded with weight.

I've tried working out what is causing it but not came to anything solid.
How do we know if the head has been replaced?


Apart from that, I ALWAYS let the engine tick over for some minutes before switching off after a long run. So today, I let the Surf tick over for almost 5 minutes before switching off after getting off the motorway. If I pull in from the motorway into a service station, I'll let the engine run for 10 minutes.
I've only done this to save wear on the turbo. But logically, heat soak from the exhaust / turbo could go into the head. IF the coolant is not being pumped around the engine then the heat will spread out and dissipate just like a metal pan on the hob.

I've mentioned the turbo run down time on here before, and the majority said they never bothered. I've always done it, to both my 2.4 and the 3.0.
I'm touching wood.

[dieselboy]

(1 head gasket, and once when I stripped it to replace a spun big end bearing).

Just out of interest, how did you know the bearing had spun?

[TonyN]

Just out of interest, how did you know the bearing had spun?

cos it was going 'knock knock knock' and had no oil pressure.

[Diezel Weazel]

F.Y.I.

Got my first 1990 2nd gen Surf a 2.4 manual fresh Import early in 2001, 6 n 1/2 years later n no Head or cooling/heating probs.
March 2008 aquired a 3.0l Auto n no Head or cooling/heating probs to report ...

Madcambell now the 2nd owner since 2008 of my ol 2.4, he's had it nearly 2 n 1/2 years so far n no reported probs upto now !!
He'll correct me if I'm wrong ......

Jess
"Cos short cuts can cost more in the long run"