Protocol for overheated engine and cooling system maintenance
Bought an ’88 2wd (225k) on tuesday...got it home after 20 mile trip...great power, cylinders felt great. shut it off and tried to restart and it was dead. jumped it and everything seemed fine through thursday.
I took it on the highway thursday.
Temperature was on the high end for the 2nd half of 40 mile trip...may have been pushing it over 70 too much. fluid was good, top two belts looked fairly new…didn’t get to look at the serp unfortunately. exited and heard the belt shred.
It was still mostly intact when i pulled over and examined and had a mile and a half to get to destination so tried it. immediately broke and overheated as i pulled into the grass. looked like spray from upper radiator hose on radiator. Radiator light is stuck on according to seller because of sticky gauge.
I was wondering if the battery was going could the drained alternator have possibly overheated the belt.
what procedures should i follow at this point aside from belt replacement? should i just change belts and fluid and see how it does? then test the fan clutch. maybe replace rad cap and thermostat? is it easier to change belts with passenger seat out? i will probably want to give it a thorough looking over once i get it back home so may be best to go ahead and do that. is it pretty straightforward or are there instructions for getting the passenger side open?
i have to order the belts so i thought i might go ahead and order the cap, maybe thermostat. anything else i should go ahead and order for replacement?
are these the right belts:
Gates K050323 Alt belt
Gates #9360 A/C belt
Gates #9415 PS belt
thanks for any help and advice.
Jasper
Re: Protocol for overheated engine and cooling system maintenance
Jasper, I push my vans hard (extremely hard actually) and they won't overheat from that alone. The fact that a belt broke tells me the van has been neglected. I replace belts every 30k miles, but it's not unusual for them to go well beyond 60k miles. The thing with these vans is high engine compartment temps tend to destroy rubber parts. Since it's new to you, I would recommend opening up the engine compartment and checking all plastic & rubber parts. Here's a link to a thread that shows how to open things up http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/s...for-new-owners.
Things like belts and hoses, unless they look new, I wouldn't give them a 2nd thought (just replace). Without question I would flush the cooling system, replace the thermostat, and the radiator fill cap (consider it preventive maintenance). Always check the seal surface inside your filler neck to ensure it's smooth and free of pits. In oder for your filler cap to seal it needs this ring to be in good condition. For a list of rubber hoses & part numbers here's a link: http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/s...op-End-Rebuild. I've had pretty good luck with aftermarket fill caps, hoses, and belts, but I would only use a genuine Toyota thermostat. This isn't a product loyalty issue, many aftermarket t-stats fit, but don't behave correctly in the van. I've experienced this 1st hand with quality aftermarket thermostats. Only buy OEM thermostats! Here is a link that lists part numbers and shows how to replace: http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/s...n-s-thermostat. The clutch fan is a common failed part on high mileage vans. Unlike most passenger cars, the van relies heavily on this component for crucial air circulation. More information & testing it is outlined in this thread: http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/s...g-(fan-clutch). If the clutch fan needs to be replaced, based on personal experience I would avoid aftermarket ones. Over the past year I have tried 2 different brands and had both fail after only a few months (leaked out all the silicone goo). Toyota wants a lot for these (around $150), but I may have found a good alternate. www.Rockauto.com sells Aisin brand fan clutches for around $75. Aisin is the manufacturer for the OEM clutch units, so these should be as good as ones sold by Toyota (I actually just ordered one after discovering the silicone leaking out of my 3 month old AM clutch this weekend).
Radiators and AC condensers can get debris stuck on the front (and this restricts air flow) so check these areas to verify they are clear. Hopefully your engine coolant was clean. Contamination here can cause many problems. To view an extreme case, check out the engine in this thread: http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/s...ngine-Overhaul. You can imagine what this does to circulation. Radiators and heater cores can also get plugged up with rust & debris, so if you take care of the common/easy stuff & still have a problem, take your radiator down to a radiator shop and have it tanked, baked and pressure tested. Sometimes this will work good, sometimes they will tell you it's too far gone. If you plan on keeping the van long term, then it might be worth while to have your radiator recored. Here's a link to a thread where this is discussed: http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/s...for-my-4wd-van. That's about all I can think of regarding cooling system, but I'm sure there's something I'm forgetting.
As for other things to do immediately, I would replace ALL the fluids, filters, replace the valve cover gasket, and all the normal tune-up parts. When it comes to ignition parts (dist cap, rotor, & plug wires) I recommend OEM. For the plugs be sure to get the 60k mile platinum plugs. I like Denso plugs, but I'm sure there's other good ones out there. Good luck. Tim
Re: Protocol for overheated engine and cooling system maintenance
thanks for the comprehensive reply.
the van is out at another house 40 miles from me.
i thought i read that the passenger seat can be removed for easier access. is there another shroud under there or does it just make it easier to get into?
if my fan clutch is out could i still drive it back if i take care of the other cooling issues?
any particular place online where i can get most of the belts and hoses and thermostat etc?
thanks a lot
Re: Protocol for overheated engine and cooling system maintenance
That 1st link provided in my above post shows how to remove the seat & open up the engine bay. Just click on it and this should answer all your questions.
I understand the need to drive as form of transport. Of course you'll be replacing the belt & adding coolant 1st.........right? Just keep an eye on the temperature and you should be fine. If you see it creep up close to the red zone I would shut it down and wait for it to cool off. There are several OEM Toyota parts sites on line. I would shop around and choose based on prices & proximity to your location. I used to use www.1stToyotaParts.com, but got fed up with their ridiculous shipping fees (they are close to me, but too far to drive).
For aftermarket parts I use www.rockauto.com, but they also play shipping games. The difference with them is the prices are so good it makes their shipping practices tolerable.
Re: Protocol for overheated engine and cooling system maintenance
do these look right? anything obvious i should add now? I'll probably order more later once i've looked things over. do they carry spring clamps for the hose?
Re: Protocol for overheated engine and cooling system maintenance
Re: Protocol for overheated engine and cooling system maintenance
couple issues. i've loosened the adjustment and set screw on the alternator and it won't budge to loosen serp belt. i guess the pivot bolt needs to be loosened?
the PS pulley nut is completely stripped and rounded by PO. i may cut off but afraid of damaging bolt. advice on that?
Re: Protocol for overheated engine and cooling system maintenance
There are ways to get stuck nuts off without damage to surrounding components, but in a spot like this it will likely be difficult. I would recommend taking the entire pulley bracket off (just 3 bolts) so you can work on it off the vehicle. Once off I'd put it in a vice and take a grinder or cut-off wheel to it (yes it can be done without damaging surrounding parts if you're careful). You don't need to cut all the way through the nut, just make it thin on one side, then take a chisel to it and it should crack & come right off. In case you end up breaking something, I checked that break-down & the part number for the whole assembly is 44350-28011. Forget about getting new though as Toyota doesn't break it down to individual components & they want almost $300 for it :doh:. Even the discount sites want over $200. This is definitely the type of part you want to get from a salvage yard. Worse case scenario you'd probably only damage the bolt, so if that happens I'm guessing it's a common part used on other Toyotas. But because Toyota doesn't list this part individually I can't cross reference to see where else it's used. Good luck. Tim
PS: It's pretty easy to get to the lower alternator bolt/nut from under the van. You could also grab the belt and yank on it. This should give you he mechanical advantage to move the alternator.
Re: Protocol for overheated engine and cooling system maintenance
i finally worked the alternator loose and got a new belt on. it started to fray within a few minutes.
i realized the pulley on the alternator is dinged pretty good and tearing up the belts. i'd really like to get this thing home to my tools...i can only get up there a couple hours a week to work on it.
does that pulley come off? would you recommend trying to bang it out a little if i can without bending the shaft?
also the overflow water sensor was just hanging out the bottom of the tank. do i need the otherflow tank sealed to drive 40 miles?
Re: Protocol for overheated engine and cooling system maintenance
If the pulley is damaged, I would probably replace it or the entire alternator. Pulley is Toyota part #27411-16180. The same pulley was used on 1985-1997 Corollas (which are common in salvage yards), so if you're close to a pick-n-pull, get one there. For information on how to replace the pulley CLICK HERE.
For a 40 mile drive the overflow tank doesn't matter. Just top it off at the radiator fill port before taking off, then deal with the tank after you get it home. Tim
Re: Protocol for overheated engine and cooling system maintenance
i bent the pulley back out and it seems ok.
do you know the thread size and length of the alternator adjusting bolt?
mine has been replaced and was too short for the belt i got which is just slightly shorter than the other.
Re: Protocol for overheated engine and cooling system maintenance
anyone know the thread size and length of the alternator adjusting bolt?
i think the part is 90122-08012
