Getting a bit warm! Bit of overheating!

[robjames]

Ok I'm either seriously unlucky! Or I must have been horrific is a previous life!!

Poodling about all day and temp gauge didn't move, however I touched the bonnet and thought it was warm!!! Opened it up and the expansion was bubbling away! ARSE!!

So I set off home disheartened!!! Cruising at under 40 no issues, if I go over 40 or go up a hill the temp gauge seems to rise above half way! Obviously I then slow down and the temp drops down!!

Now Ive read up and I cleaned the crap off the rad, checked the levels it needed a spot of water...........

Tried it again and it went over half way as I planted it going up the hill on the duel carriageway. But dropped down again when I was poodling!!!

So suggestions??

Rad appears to have a load of rad weld or similar in it to add to the story.........

Oh and I've added the winch to it today......

[woodwarm]

Post a pic of winch. is it blocking air flow to radiator?

Expansion bottle bubbling,radweld in system.

Hope it's not bad news

[robjames]

Here's the winch.....




The temp gauge was sitting fine, but the expansion was boiling away!

There is rad weld or similar in the expansion for sure, so I'm assuming that's swimming round the system!!

Only seems to have happened since installing the winch.......

But what can I do........

[Growler]

Drain and flush water system. Remove rad and thoroughly clean the fins to ensure proper air flow.
Refill with coolant and see what happens.

[Growler]

Forgot to say to check viscous coupling on fan is working correctly

[robjames]

I tried turning the fan by hand when warm and I could feel resistance but it was still fairly easy to turn........

I'll go out now and try it as its cool!!

Report back

[robjames]

It's not cooled all the way down yet the, rad isn't cool enough to hold for a prolonged period.......... There's still resistance and it won't spin free!

I'll go get some flush tomorrow! Run it up and flush it all the best I can! Would you recommend a hose pipe in the top rad hose then leave the engine running to flush it out????

[BUSHWHACKER]

Ok I'm either seriously unlucky! Or I must have been horrific is a previous life!!

Poodling about all day and temp gauge didn't move, however I touched the bonnet and thought it was warm!!! Opened it up and the expansion was bubbling away! ARSE!!

So I set off home disheartened!!! Cruising at under 40 no issues, if I go over 40 or go up a hill the temp gauge seems to rise above half way! Obviously I then slow down and the temp drops down!!

Now Ive read up and I cleaned the crap off the rad, checked the levels it needed a spot of water...........

Tried it again and it went over half way as I planted it going up the hill on the duel carriageway. But dropped down again when I was poodling!!!

So suggestions??

Rad appears to have a load of rad weld or similar in it to add to the story.........

Oh and I've added the winch to it today......

You need a new rad!

If the temp gauge rises when you "plant it", then either the viscous fan needs new oil or the radiator can't cool efficiently due to a blockage or damaged core. (Hence the need for radweld)

Start the engine from cold with the rad cap off and see if the coolant bubbles and/or froths in the radiator. If it does then the head has cracked.
If it doesn't, then you may just need a new rad cap as the rubber seal isn't doing it's job and coolant is escaping into the expansion tank too soon.


Your truck is twenty years old, on 35" tyres and is regularly being driven like it's been stolen, so be prepared to empty your wallet at least once a month on it.

Surfs are not off-roaders, they are estate cars with 4x4 capabilities.

[robjames]

You need a new rad!

If the temp gauge rises when you "plant it", then either the viscous fan needs new oil or the radiator can't cool efficiently due to a blockage or damaged core. (Hence the need for radweld)

Start the engine from cold with the rad cap off and see if the coolant bubbles and/or froths in the radiator. If it does then the head has cracked.
If it doesn't, then you may just need a new rad cap as the rubber seal isn't doing it's job and coolant is escaping into the expansion tank too soon.


Your truck is twenty years old, on 35" tyres and is regularly being driven like it's been stolen, so be prepared to empty your wallet at least once a month on it.

Surfs are not off-roaders, they are estate cars with 4x4 capabilities.

Your honour,

It's never driven like its stolen! It's 2 tn+ truck with 4" of lift and 35" tyres! I'd much rather thrash the track car about

I'm ditching the 35's in favour of 33's.

I had the rad cap off today, no frothing or bubbles so hopefully it's just a rad. I'll do it again tomorrow when it's stone cold. I'll order a rad tomorroe to a birthday present for myself

And I'd like to add thus far it has proven to be a very capable off roader

[robjames]

You need a new rad!

If the temp gauge rises when you "plant it", then either the viscous fan needs new oil or the radiator can't cool efficiently due to a blockage or damaged core. (Hence the need for radweld)

Start the engine from cold with the rad cap off and see if the coolant bubbles and/or froths in the radiator. If it does then the head has cracked.
If it doesn't, then you may just need a new rad cap as the rubber seal isn't doing it's job and coolant is escaping into the expansion tank too soon.


Your truck is twenty years old, on 35" tyres and is regularly being driven like it's been stolen, so be prepared to empty your wallet at least once a month on it.

Surfs are not off-roaders, they are estate cars with 4x4 capabilities.

Mr Bushwhacker,

I started it from cold with rad cap off and the water was "Jumping" out the rad cap with a bit of froth





Ignore the water on the rad I topped it up before taking the pics.

[ToyotaRon]

Hello,

I hope not, but it looks like you've got head troubles there to me. I had exactly the same bubbling from cold in an old Liteace when the head cracked. To be fair, it ran (out of necessity), for a good while like that before I could change the head. Eventually, it pumped huge clouds of steam from the exhaust and that was that.

In your shoes I would be removing the rad, in order to thoroughly flush it with clean water (both directions, shaking it around etc, it can't be too clean!), as your coolant looks a bit rusty in the pics. Then I would backflush the engine ('stat out), and the heater pipes. Stick it all back together, slowly top up (to avoid air locks) with plain water, and see how it looks then...

Best of luck with it, the head change isn't too bad a job anyway, you obviously love your truck so it'd be well worth doing.

Cheers then, Ron.


PS. Just read the thread again, and could replace what I just wrote with basically "what Growler said!"

PPS and yeah, Bushwacker too!

[tashtego]

Cylinder head jobby.

[robjames]

I'm attempting a flush now...

What's the best way to get the thermostat housing off on a 3l????

[robjames]

Ok a few more details.......

I don't think the tank was bubbling over on cold start as the expansion was doing the same when I pulled the hose out of that.......

I flushed it all out today as best I could without taking off the thermostat. I filled the rad, ran it drained the rad, filled it, ran it and repeated..... New coolant went in after.

Idling the temp is fine, "up idle" the temp is fine! Holding the throttle at 2500 the temp is fine........

But on the road it goes up at 2500 it doesn't shoot to the red, it hovers at just over half and bounces between that and normal, let off and it soon returns to normal.

I took it for a steady Greenlane round the local area and the temps never went to the red just went s smidge over half not even 2/3's and bounced about....

There is a odd hot smell from underneath.....

Could it be the winch being in is now sufficiently reducing air flow to the auto cooler and this warming everything else??

I have a spare mocal cooler in the garage so I'll rig that up and muddle up a remote auto cooler and see.

If the thermostat was fubar would it not over heat on idle??

I'm not loosing coolant and the expansion has not started bubbling! The water in there is touchable.

[BUSHWHACKER]

Either the thermostat is missing or stuck open, thats what is causing the temp gauge to fluctuate.

The winch won't be affecting airflow/cooling as most of the rad is still free of obstruction.

Coolant will only 'expand' into the overflow bottle when the engine/coolant is hot. It gets sucked back into the rad under vacuum as the engine coolant cools. If the coolant flows into the overflow bottle before the engine gets up to temp, then the rad cap isn't holding pressure because it isn't sealing properly and the coolant is pushing past the seal into the overflow pipe.

In any case, bubbling/frothing coolant in the rad means cracked head I'm afraid.