Temp moving up after turning off engine, won't restart

I've had this happen twice now - never had a cooling issue even under extreme conditions except when I had a bad fan clutch. That's been replaced by OEM as was the thermostat a couple of years ago. These two instances are literally the only times I've seen the gauge past dead center in 50k miles.

I was going slowly up a rather steep hill then had to stop for a few minutes due to construction. When cars started moving again my van would not turn over and I noticed the temp gauge was close to being in the red. It had been dead center while the engine was running. No steam coming out of radiator or anything like that, but the engine was locked up and would not restart until after I let it cool down for an hour.

It runs fine now but an occasionally seized engine and not knowing when my van is running hot has me troubled. What should I look at?

The question is whether the engine was actually locked up or if the starter wasn't doing it's job. My guess it's just a starter issue. It's normal for engine temp to rise after shut-down (especially after doing something extreme like climbing a hill). When you shut off the engine, coolant flow and air ventilation stop. In such a situation it's not abnormal to see temps spike up to 230 F or higher. Of course these temps quickly drop when coolant circulation and fan operation resume.

Due to heat expansion, sometimes marginal starters will function when cold but not when hot. You may simply need new starter contacts. Check this thread for more information: http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/s...&p=966#post966

Thanks! I knew there was a good chance this was just me freaking out before going on a long trip. I'll pick up some starter contacts, I'm sure it's way overdue regardless.

You were right - the starting problem happened a few more times before I was able to change the contact, now it appears to be fixed. It wasn't quite as bad as the one you posted a picture of but had a clear grove cut in it. I've gotten the thing hot enough to get minor hot soak issues but the starter still spins right up immediately.

I also checked the temp a few times after shutting off the engine and it does creep up. I guess I just never paid attention to it before since I don't put it in run and give it time to show a reading before starting.

Awesome! Thanks for the feedback. :dance1: Tim