1988 toyota cargo van overheating issue

Hi! I'm new to this site, i just picked up a 1988 Toyota cargo van wagon 2WD automatic. I bought it from a guy on the west coast of Florida who was the original owner since '88. I've noticed a slight overheating problem though, any advice is greatly appreciated:
When i drive it for about 15 mins or more, my temp gauge goes up to 50% and hovers between there and 75% for the remainder of my driving, never goes into the red zone though. I've pulled over a number of times, and checked my radiator and overflow reservoir, and both are full! The overflow reservoir usually boils though. However if i wait for about 5 minutes, I've noticed that water comes pouring out of my reservoir-bleeder hose, it gushes out quite rapidly (out of the end, not a leak in the hose). I'm 17 years old and I really dont have a lot of money to be throwing around into this van, so I'd like to source the problem and be done with it. I've replaced the Radiator Cap already, and I was thinking of replacing the Thermostat. Any ideas? Anybody else have this problem with their van?

Thank you in advance!
-Elliot

Hi & welcome to TVT! There are already lots of threads like this here so I'd recommend searching the site. Replacing the thermostat is definitely the next thing to do. Be sure to use a genuine Toyota T-stat though as some of the aftermarket brands can create problems similar to the one you're having. Good luck. Tim

I'll try that today and let you know how it goes. I've been reading other threads and I feel a little better now that I know others have similar problems, i just hope its not a blown head gasket/cracked head...

One question..I'm trying to find an original replacement thermostat, should I order a "Beck Arnley" or a Kuzeh? Any experience or feedback on either? The Beck is half the price of the Kuzeh.
By the way thank you very much for your help, this is a great website!
-Elliot

Neither. Go to the parts dept. of your local Toyota dealership and ask for part #90916-03046 (thermostat) & #16325-63011 (rubber gasket). I'm not saying there isn't an aftermarket thermostat out there that's just as good, I'm just saying it's a roll of the dice. A month or so ago I was in a jam & went to Napa for a thermostat. I asked for their premium quality. They gave me a Tama Enterprises part #154-2403 (made in Japan) claiming it was OEM quality. After a week of problems such as you describe I went to Toyota and got a real Toyota thermostat. Totally solved my problem. Some of the dealerships are a rip-off, but I can't imagine them charging more than $30 for the thermostat & gasket. If you purchase from one of the discount Toyota parts sites (like www.1stToyotaParts.com) you can get for around $20 but then you have to pay $10 or so for shipping and wait a few days to get. Tim

Hi i recently posted a thread here about my 88 cargo van overheating. I put in a new t-stat today and flushed my radiator twice. A LOT of brown scale came out of my radiator, etc. I just took it for a test drive and after about 15 mins of driving my tempertature guage went to about 1/2 way...is this normal? or is it too hot for a toyota van?
-Also, I was wondering how much my van is worth. Its a 1988 Cargo van 2WD Automatic with only a back window...i am 2nd owner with only 117k on it. No rust underneath at all, a bit rusty (which i am in the process of restoring) in the gutters. I bought it for $1200. Any idea how much its worth?

Thank you!
Elliot

Just below 1/2 is normal on my van.

I just took it for another test drive...now its fluctuating bewteen 1/2 and 3/4s....this definately is too hot. The excess reservoir for the radiator is bubbling too...im starting to get frustrated.
A new fan clutch was installed by the previous owner; i tried to hand turn it and it didn't spin freely which is a good sign.
I dont think i have a blown Headgasket...i checked for foamy/bubbles in the radiator...no creamy oil or grungy oil on the oil cap...no white smoke from the exhaust..

Anyone know the next step? i'm broke right now and i can't afford a HG to blow. Is it possible that the Toyota thermostat i just replaced wasnt installed correctly by me?

Any help is appreciated, thanks!

one thing i did notice is that after i installed the Thermostat is that my Heater wasnt blowing hot...it was blowing outside air temp through. I dont know if that means anything or not...

Elliot - Did your heater blow hot before this work?

If so, it would sound like you need to bleed the cooling system again.
Given all the crud that came out, it is possible that the heater core is plugged but hopefully it is just an air lock.
Take off the filler cap, start the engine and let it idle.
I found on mine, I had to rhythmically squeeze the heater hose to pump the coolant through the core, after that, all was good.
BB

Good advice by Burntboot. Elliot, for the sake of organization I merged this new thread with the other as they were on the same subject. Please don't post multiple threads on the same issue. I'm sure I don't need to explain all the reasons why :). Thanks. Tim

Thanks for the advice! i flushed and re-filled my radiator and my heater is working again. My temp gauge still hovers at 1/2 to just over 1/2...is this serious? or can i keep driving it? I just have distilled water in there..will coolant make my gauge drop to that magic spot just under 1/2?
Sorry Tim!

Water actually dissipates heat better than coolant. But unfortunately it also freezes and over time creates rust issues (thus the need for antifreeze with rust suppressors). Due to variables with gauges & sending units different van's temperature gauges will hang out in different spots. What's important is the stability of that spot. It's normal to see variables of about 1/8" but if it's all over the place then you may have a more serious problem. Of course I don't know where you're at or what the ambient temperatures are there. If it's 80 deg outside & it can maintain within 1/8" of the middle when on the freeway then I'd say you're good. If however you're having issues & it's only ~50 deg outside then you might have something to worry about when the weather gets hotter. Tim

You might want to make sure the radiator is clean on the outside, too. Bugs and dirt get trapped in there (particularly if you aren't in the city) and can cause less efficient cooling. Blow it out backwards (toward front) and see how much dust flies out of there.

My guage reads a bit under 1/2 and just over 1/2 if I'm working hard up a mountain grade, but like Tims said, guages can vary. As far as "stable", mine is normal at about 11:10 and warm at 12:10, for a comparison.

You probably did OK at $1200. I've seen a couple as low as $900, but some as high as $4K (asking), which is a bit out of hand.