Coolant Reservoir Leak

I just discovered that my van has a leak in the bottom of the coolant overflow reservoir , there are wires coming out here so I'm assuming this is for a sensor . I've attached a picture of where the leak is coming from.

Just got the van and can't recall that I've checked the reservoir until now, my vans been running at half way on the temp scale and a little over when idling once warmed up. Feel pretty dumb for not noticing this until now :doh:... there's no coolant in the overflow tank but there is coolant uner the radiator cap.

Just got a new OEM thermostat in the mail but I need to figure this out too it would seem!

Thanks, this novice could sure use some help.

update: I took off the overflow tank filled it with water and if i hold the gasket against the tank the leak stops, so im assuming I can glue this seal as a temporary fix... would this be a terrible idea? Im pretty sure there is an overflow tank in a local junkyard I can pull later this week... how big of an issue is it to not have coolant in the overflow tank?

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Originally Posted by Deesh

how big of an issue is it to not have coolant in the overflow tank?

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Big enough that I wouldn't do it except very short-term and short-distance, and only after having topped off the coolant at the filler neck. In other words, if your van is your only transportation to the LOCAL junkyard to find that replacement overflow tank, you can probably do that. If you are planning to just ignore things based on you or someone else getting away with it once or twice, it'll eventually bite you in the butt.

As designed, the hot (expanded) coolant goes out into the overflow tank; as the engine cools and the coolant contracts, the previously-overflowed coolant gets sucked back in. Whether the overflow tank is empty, missing, or the hose to the overflow tank has a breech in it, the end result is that air gets sucked back in instead of coolant as the engine cools down. Too much air in the system and not only does the engine not cool well at all, but with the coolant below a certain level, the coolant won't circulate at all, the engine overheats, and ... :dizzy: ... well, let's just say that any stable repair to or replacement of the coolant overflow tank is VASTLY less expensive, and takes a lot less time.

Gwen

A leak in this area is typically due to degradation of the rubber grommet that seals between the recovery bottle and the sensor. Over time it gets soft & starts falling apart. At some point in this process the leaks begin. Any repairs to this grommet are temporary at best. IMHO there is no long term solution except replacing the grommet with a new one or finding a used recovery bottle that hasn't gotten to this point yet. I wouldn't recommend trying to swap out a used grommet because it would likely fall apart during removal. Unfortunately this grommet by itself is NLA and has been for some time. So unless a substitute grommet can be found I'm thinking the best solution would be to find good used tank. Jperl at TVT was saying the early model cargo vans didn't have the sensors in the recovery tank. So finding one of those would be desirable.........except you wound't get a warning light if you ran low on coolant. Tim

Edit: Although the grommet by itself is not available, the entire sensor with grommet still is (although over $100). Read on for more information

thanks for the advice, as a temporary fix im supergluing the grommet to the tank to stop the leak, I'm going to go grab a tank off a pick n pull van thats in my town (hopefully the tank hasnt been removed yet, pretty sure it was there last time I was picking from it) and then I can have my glued old tank as a back up if the leak begins with the new tank. hopefully trying to glue the grommet seal isn't a bad move, i figure since the sensor wasn't alerting me to an empty overflow tank I don't have much to lose, especially if I can stop the leak. Is that right, if I can keep an eye on the tanks levels by eye every so often?

pulled one from a picknpull van, felt that there were no wires coming from the bottom of it and upon removal saw the hole for the sensor was plugged with a wooden cork and superglue... looks like I'll be keeping an eye on my coolant levels! my super glued in broken sensor isn't leaking yet but for now I have two sensor less superglued tanks.... on to my replacing my tstat.

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Originally Posted by Deesh

...........the hole for the sensor was plugged with a wooden cork and superglue............

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Lol, that's creative :LOL2: I guess necessity truly is the mother of invention :wnk:. Tim

being realy new to all this, i'm having trouble locating the drain plugs for my coolant. has anyone made a little walkthrough on this? I know it should be simple enough but I'm not seeing the plugs as shown on the diagram I have, I'll keep rooting around but I dont want to cause problems while trying to fix the already exsiting ones. Thanks!

There's a petcock on the passenger side bottom of the radiator & a block drain on the driver's side front of the engine (see pics below). The radiator drain is easy enough, but the block drain is a PITA (even worse on a 4wd). It can be done though. I semi-regularly take this drain out on both 2wds & 4wd vans (yes, with the engine installed). Having a specific length socket & extension is critical. I usually grab a good selection of extensions & have a deep socket & a regular one when I do it........then the 1st couple of minutes is determining what combination will work. It's a 14mm head. One of these days I'll document the specific socket/extension combo so I don't always have to re-invent the wheel. I should also mention to use a 6 point socket as the plug is brass & easy to mess up. Try to keep your drive angle straight while removing & installing. Tim

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read about how the early cargo models were lacking a sensor, and since my sensor didn't work anyway I found a permanent leak free (i hope) solution that I am comfortable with.

The corked one I discovered was leeching coolant through the wood, and leaking very slowly (held coolant about the low line but was noticeably getting lower).

Attachment 984

My solution, which I will report back on later, was to remove the sensor from my old tank with my letherman and get all remnants of the gasket out of there, leaving a clean open plastic hole. I roughed it up with a file and sand paper, and then cut out the bottom of a plastic 35mm film canister and applied it over the hole with JB weld Waterweld epoxy putty. Once that set I covered the entire repair with the epoxy putty and let it all set and harden, then sanded it a bit and swapped tanks. I just did the switch but the JB WaterWeld seems to be the perfect tool for this job, again I'll give yall a progress report in a few days/weeks to let you know how it holds.

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Deesh - Hope your solution works. JB can be a thing of wonder, the only downside I have found is it can be very brittle so it doesn't like vibration.

I have found the best way to fix these sorts of thing is to get a donor material of the same type and thickness for use as filler.
Cut a slightly bigger and trim it to size making it as close as possible.
Now, utilizing your soldering gun, "stitch" the plug into place. I usually work in a zigzag manner all the way around the injury.
The second pass is for filling gaps/cracks and thin areas with more plastic from the donor jug.
Essentially you are plastic welding.

BB

Ah good idea! Ill give that a try if this seems like it's going to fail or springs a leak!

When flushing my coolant I thought I'd be efficient and remove the sensor to thoroughly clean the resevoir and of course the grommet crumbled. My solution was to use an expandable rubber freeze plug since it is designed for use with coolant and haven't had a problem in the six months since it was installed. I check my fluids at least every other fill up of the fuel tank so keeping an eye on the coolant level isn't really a big deal for me.

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Originally Posted by originalkwyjibo

When flushing my coolant I thought I'd be efficient and remove the sensor to thoroughly clean the resevoir and of course the grommet crumbled. My solution was to use an expandable rubber freeze plug since it is designed for use with coolant and haven't had a problem in the six months since it was installed. I check my fluids at least every other fill up of the fuel tank so keeping an eye on the coolant level isn't really a big deal for me.

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:wave2: I think you hit on a pretty secure solution with the expanding plug. Thanks for the tip!

I am a new 85 TV owner. I bought it knowing there was a leak in the coolant reservoir. It is currently in the shop and they are looking to put a generic tank in it that they know won't leak, but unfortunately has no sensor in it. I am getting the original tank back along with the sensor. I am hoping to MacGyver something up that will work well so that hopefully the original tank and sensor can be used again as intended. I have not actually seen the pieces yet because it's still at the shop, but I was told that when removing and checking out the sensor, the gromit was literally disintegrating. I am guessing that when I get it, it will either have nothing left of a gromit to see, or will be so broken down, it will be hard to tell where to even start looking to replace it. I know that these parts are NLA, but I was wondering if someone had some kind of picture of the gromit that comes between the sensor and coolant reservoir? I know it is hard for me to explain this without seeing anything and being so new to this, but it sounds like something that can be fixed if rigged up properly with something close enough to the original part. I'm guessing the gromit is some sort of black rubber material? Maybe some kind of other part can be manipulated in some way to make a workable gromit for this part? I will definitely follow up this post with some more info and maybe pictures once I get the part back in my hand and can really look closely at it. I will also eventually make a post with an overview of the van since I am a new owner and it is in remarkable condition. Thanks for all who run and contribute to this forum. I have already read many pages on the ins and outs of this van, and I'm sure I have plenty left to read as well. Any advice on my coolant reservoir leak would be much appreciated. I know this post hasn't been talked about for a while, but it seems like a growing common problem with TV owners, and I'd like to find a way that works really well to fix this problem once and for all.

The sensor & seal (grommet) together are still available from Toyota. Toyota won't separate and they are a bit spendy (will cost around $100). Considering these last for approx 30 years, that's like $3 bucks a year.......right? Anyhow, it's Toyota part number 85335-73010. Tim

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PS: For future reference, don't ever mess with the grommet on a tank that isn't leaking. After a few years in service these get fragile. If left alone they will usually seal for a long time. Once they get messed with they fall apart.

Thanks Tim! By the way, I was looking around this website and found the collision catalog, looked through and found the part number for the coolant reservoir tank. I googled the part number and found this website that seems to sell the tank with the level sensor. Does this look right to you? If so, it looks cheaper to buy the whole tank with the sensor, but I thought I read on this thread that you couldn't find this tank anywhere, so maybe this is too good to be true.
http://quickparter.com/oem-parts/1647071020.html

I think you'll just get the tank without the sensor or grommet. I don't know for sure, but confident enough not to try (unless I wanted a new tank). If you get one please let us know what you end up with. Tim

Ahh, nevermind about the tank. It was too good to be true. All the links showing availability in the US are all powered by the same parts finder, and I called them up and even though it says you can buy them on the website, they are no longer available. Well I think getting just the sensor and grommit is the way to go for now. Thanks for your help!

A little update, I pulled the sensor out of my tank and cut out the bottom of a plastic film canister to patch the hole. After sanding everything down really well I JB welded the plastic film canister patch to the tank and then did a combination of regular jb weld and jb water weld on both sides of the patch. This hasn't leaked since August so it seems to be a pretty decent fix for the time being.

Hey Deesh, Just curious, why are you choosing to jimmy-rig the hole back together instead of just buying a new sensor and grommit? I definitely like the idea and creativity of making something work when you don't have access to the right part, but now that we know it's available, why not go that way?

I was under the impression that the sensors and grommets were no longer available? I'd replace it down the line but honestly I haven't worried about it too much since the patched tank hasn't leaked and since the coolant is pretty quick and easy to check often. Also, I didn't have any problems with my van running hot this winter so I haven't been paranoid about it, Florida summer will probably change that though...

By reading the topics on this forum posted concerning the reservoir, I was also under the impression that the parts weren't available. But tim posting that coolant sensor with grommit was good news. I thought my van was destined to not have one of these. Another interesting thing I thought of is that while my van has been in the shop, my mechanic put a tank from another vehicle into this one, and he said it fits perfectly. The only thing, however, is that it does not have a spot for a sensor to go into. But if this is close enough to the size and shape of the original tank, maybe a spot can be made or drilled out for a sensor to go into the new tank, thus giving a good solution to replacing both the reservoir tank and the sensor and grommit. I am not sure what part number he used or what vehicle the tank was made for, but I can find out and see if there's a way to put the sensor and grommit into the new tank. Although, I am not planning on doing this as a particular solution for my van. Since my old tank is in good shape, we will go with using that one, but I can take a look at the original tank, and then the new one and see what the differences are and if the new one can be manipulated to take a sensor.

Yeah, sorry about the bad info. I don't remember who, but I remember somebody reporting these as NLA before. It wasn't until I checked myself that I found they were still available (of course some might consider these unavailable simply due to price). FWIW, these tanks never fail. It's always the grommets that become a problem. I just wish you could get those alone. Sucks paying $100+ for a stupid $3 grommet. I may look into this later to see if something else can be used here. If I can find something with the correct ID, the tank can always be drilled bigger to match the OD. Tim

PS: When the tank gets dirty inside, it's easy to clean by inserting marble sized pebbles, adding some water/soap solution, then shaking the hell out of it. A few minutes of shaking will make the tank as clean as new (at least on the inside). Tim

Hi Tim and TVT'ers,

I remember a post either here on TVT or TVP where a van owner had a write-up on using
clumping cat litter to clean-out the coolant reservoir. IIRC, it seemed to be a very good solution...

Yeah, I remember that thread. The name "SlugLoaf" comes to mind. Just use that name in your search and I'm sure the post will pop right up :wnk:. Tim

Checked my coolant level when repairing my air hose, still holding tight since august 2013 with a little jb weld cocktail sealing off the sensor hole. I have a spare tank I pulled from pick n'pull a while back incase I ever get a new sensor and grommet. The one from pick n' pull was plugged with a home spun wooden cork that was epoxied to the hole haha, coolant soaked through the wood and slowly leaked though so I guess this is an age old dilemma. Checking the coolant tank regularly works for me though, other $100+ parts are higher on my list!

If you ran wine through your coolant system, the cork would definitely have worked!

Here you go:

http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/s...reservoir+tank

I thought I would share this interesting story. So those who have read my posts previously know I had a generic tank put in place of the original coolant reservoir tank. I took a very quick glance at it this morning before making a drive from San Diego up to LA to pick my friends up from the airport. About 1/3 the way up there, i look down and *crap!!!!* my engine is overheating. Its working its way towards the red. :pissed: I pull over and open everything up. I called my mechanic because work was just done on this and I wanted to find out if they had any suggestions as to why. My mechanic actually wasn't in, so I talked to the guy just taking calls. He wasn't able to give me too much advice, except to confirm that the fluid in the reservoir doesn't need to just be full, but needs to be able to be pulled back into the cooling system. Well the new tank was installed with the fill-cap kitty-cornered on the top front of the tank and the hole for the tube going to the radiator cap was on the TOP rear side of the tank, and the tank was completely full. I noticed also that the tank had holding tabs on it that allowed it to be installed in different orientations. And then it hit me... The tube going to the tank is only going to the top of the tank where the air bubble is and not sucking any more fluid because the tube doesn't go down into the tank, but was only clamped onto the top. So the tank was actually installed wrong, and no coolant was able to be sucked back into the cooling system. I realized it should be an easy fix, so i unattached the plastic tank from the metal bracket holding it and went to turn it around so that the cap side was still kitty-cornered on top front, but rotated so that the other hole going to the radiator cap was on the bottom of the tank. But now the tube was too short and was kinking when i tried to make it fit back in place, plus the tube was making some direct contact on some pretty hot parts of the engine. So I took my GPS and found the nearest Autozone and tried to hold the coolant tank up for a few minutes to get as much coolant back into the coolant system by gravity, put the reservoir tank back the way it was, then blasted my heat and prayed a lot and drove to the Autozone less than 2 miles away. I got the tubing twice as long as the original. Lucky I had a tool kit with me and I did the repair right there in the Autozone parking lot. Worked like a charm and didn't overheat anymore, now that it could push and pull fluid to and from the reservoir. I drove up to LA and was sure I was so late, but my friends ran into long lines at the US customs, so we ended up getting there before they came out of the gates. It worked perfectly. :) Sorry for the rant, but I just thought it was an interesting experience, and I am so lucky that the problem was such a stupid, but simple thing to fix. Maybe some day this story could help you out.

I just fixed a silly problem with my tank today too! I recently started having to add fluid directly to my radiator even though the reservoir was at the full mark. Not a lot, just a couple of ounces now and then. I got a new radiator cap (which I needed regardless, the old one was trashed) and kept looking for leaks to no avail. Eventually I realized the reservoir level was always exactly the same! Sure enough, the hose between it and the engine was badly clogged. Nothing was getting through there. Most of the clog was in the tank's cap so it was easy enough to clear out and I'm hopeful that this will solve the problem.

It struck me as a little funny, how we van owners probably look at our temperature gauge, how other drivers look at their speedometers and gas gauges :)

I've rigged up alarm systems on 2 of my vans to alert me if/when engine temp reaches 220 deg F. Tim

I'm trying to repair my own deteriorated coolant level sensor grommet ($100 for a new sensor and grommet feels too expensive to me for now, especially when there's nothing wrong with the sensor). My first attempt was to clean and dry everything, and then use what was left of the bottom piece of the grommet and a bunch of high temp black RTV to goop it liberally to try to seal it up:
Attachment 1633Attachment 1634

I let it set, taped in place with masking tape, for a couple of days (RTV tube said 24 hours). I filled it with water and let it sit over a jar for a day: no leaks. I put it in service, and it leaked all of the coolant out before five miles had passed. Doh!

The RTV had not adhered to the remains of the old rubber grommet. I suppose heating up worked the rubber a bit and the RTV's tenuous hold on the old rubber came undone.

I'm searching for a standard grommet that will fit (3/4" Bore, 1/8" groove width, 1" groove diameter, thickness and OD don't matter), and if I find one and it works I'll post it. It would be missing the sleeve that surrounds the float (which I've read is supposed to keep the sensor from indicating low fluid under hard braking), but if it seals it'll be fine.

If that doesn't work I'm going with the expandable rubber freeze plug suggested above.

The plastic welding idea is a good one; the sensor bottom flange is actually a little bit wider than the hole so there may be enough material to weld without adding donor plastic.

Thanks to all for the discussion and ideas.

John

I've been running my expandable freeze plug for over a year now with no problems:)

I got impatient with my search for a grommet...it's not the kind of item that's very common and I wasn't able to find one to try locally, so I shifted to trying just high-temp RTV to glue the sensor into the hole, leaving out the remnant of the original rubber this time. The base flange of the sensor assembly is slightly larger than the hole in the reservoir.

I cleaned the RTV left from the first try, scrubbed the surfaces that would touch the RTV with ScotchBrite, and cleaned them with alcohol. Inserted the float partway in, then using Silco RTV 4500 high strength silicone sealant, a nice bead was run on the bottom of the reservoir around the hole, and a bead around the bottom of the sensor assembly (the part just above the bottom flange):
Attachment 1639
Gently pushed the sensor flange into the silicone, so there was still about 1/16th of an inch before the flange reached the tank surface, then used a small strip of cardboard to smear the silicone into a fillet around the flange:
Attachment 1640 Attachment 1641 Attachment 1642

I left it turned upside down like that for 24 hours, then turned it right side up and filled it with near-boiling water from the teapot, waited a half hour or so with no leakage, then capped the filler hole and shook it up and down pretty hard for a minute or so with no leakage. It feels pretty secure. I'll try it in the van and see how it does.

If you've read this far, thanks for your patience...

I don't want to jinx it or anything, but the silicone RTV fix has been holding for five months, including getting pretty warm in a late September trip over Sonora Pass in the Sierras (a couple of those grades are posted at 26%...first gear only).

John

Nice work! I may try this as all three of mine leak and I'm too cheap(at the moment) to pay 100$ for a new one.

I agree $100 is kind of steep; so I thought about it and went to auto store and looked for something that I might be able to use as a replacement and I found a PVC Valve Grommet from Dorman #42313 that looked like a good fit (Pic1&2). I turned the grommet inside out and marked it with a pen (Pic3), than I cut out a groove with an exacto knife than filed it smooth (Pic4) and returned it to its original position (Pic5), I had to work it onto the top of the sensor by stretching it out and flipping it inside out than pushing to down the shaft and flipping it into position so the groove I filed out fit over the disk on the bottom of the sensor (Pic6) I had to use a small screwdriver to work it back into the tank (Pic7) filled the tank and placed it in a small bucket over night no leaks. Hope this helps Ralph

> filled the tank and placed it in a small bucket over night no leaks. Hope this helps Ralph

Nice work, Ralph. I'm betting it'll seal well when hot, too.

My RTV fix is still holding, haven't had to add coolant since.

John

Ok, so I bought the new coolant level sensor from Toyota. The wires that lead to it have been hacked-up a few times so there is no connector to plug into the new sensor. I'm no electrician, so any guidance appreciated. Thanks!

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