Van Still OVERHEATING..... WTF!!!!

[joegri]

hi van ratz
i,ve been wrestling with a very warm van. seems it would sound like a volcano when i shut er down on a warm day and she,d hurl water out of the expantion tank. this problem is,nt new been going on for awhile now. i have replaced many many parts and had the exhaust sniffed for coolant and bla bla bla. covered all the bases cept for a new hand made custom radiator... till this week. i sent an old core to a very nice lady in IOWA to have some fat veins soldered in. while i was in i replaced some heater hoses and a low pressure power steering hose swapped for new. i,ll post some pics when i get it back this week. this is something i,ve been wanting to do for years. like i said pics will tell it all. will let you guyz know what the outcome is when i get it installed and cooling. if this does,nt fix my problem i have 2 yes 2 motors that i could swap out...big job but if all else fails this would be the ultimate fix. damn did i just commit to an engine swap? more to follow.

[joegri]

i recieved my new recored radiator yesterday and really took my time installing it. everything worked out fine. till today. i took the van for a 30 minute ride and when i came home and shut,er down it still gurgles really loud and i believe its sukin the coolant from the block and back to the tank.i have replaced all the parts in the cooling system including a head gasket. but she still wants to blow back. could use some help with figuring out this situation. thanx in advance joe g also i tried to post some pics but i did something wrong so after i figure that out too i,ll post pics...everybody loves pics

[joegri]

after a search for this topic i see that i could have a blown head gasket even though i replaced it 2 years ago. think i,ll wait till tonite take it for a drive then get it up on some ramps. i find that looking for a leak is better at nite with a good flashlight.

[timsrv]

That's discouraging. Since you still have the same issue, clearly it wasn't the radiator. Still, aside from knowing one more thing it isn't, I'd consider this a worth while upgrade. Depending on the age of your old radiator I'm guessing it was probably about time anyway. If your head gasket is good, then most of the other possible issues shouldn't be hard to narrow down. I take it you've already checked or replaced the other common issues (t-stat & clutch fan)? I finally found and rectified a tough to diagnose problem on a hot running 4y. If you haven't already, check out what I found in THIS THREAD. Hopefully yours isn't this, because it's a big job to clean it out. Tim

PS: don't mess around with aftermarket t-stats. That's a lesson many of us had to learn the hard way.

[joegri]

tim,s rv thanx for your reply and the link off the engine removal. i did spy out the freeze plug area of the block this morning and guess what? i found 2 lil tiny leaks on the pipe that hugs the block and ties into t-stat housing. could this be my problem? i do have a pipe or 2 hangin round here and i,m gonna check toyota for this part. the pics of the freeze plugs were very alarming and started to send me in a different direction till a saw the weepy pipe. for the time being i have to run the van as is cuz now i,m backed up with work and need the van so i,m gonna live with it till i round up the replcement parts in hand. again many thanx for reply and link.

[joegri]

i was bumpin around the net and i cant seem to find the pipe i,m lookin for. do you guyz have a prefered parts provider? i,m hoping that itsnot a dealer only part cuz i still need pay the mortgage.

[timsrv]

Not only was it a dealer only part, but it is now NLA. Not much you can do but find a good one at a salvage yard or have one fabricated. The only other option is to cut it off and use rubber heater hose.......but then you'll need to tie in the bypass return hose somehow. Tim

[gushaman]

You may try an african or austrailian toyota forum. They got alot more of these engines than we did and have spares for sale in classifieds

[BONETTI]

I have a 2wd 88 Van that I have been trying to chace down an overheating problem. First off I think I replaced "the hose of Death".... Maybe it wasn't that one but it was a coolant line behind motor almost cut a hole in the van to get to it but lucky me I busted up all my fingers and finally got it off. after that it was still overheating and so I gutted out thermostat. tried to bypass front heater core and it still over heats... I even did a coolant flush with that stuff you dump in there with water let it clean and then dump it and it still overheating!!! I was going to get a new radiator but napa wanted 360$ I said thats to expensive guess. Crazy question but could the radiator cap be the problem... Any help or suggestions here would help a lot. I tried searching on here and didn't find anything that is the problem.

Please help I'm losing my mind...

Thanks

[IronViking]

That sounds like the HOD if it was that tough to switch out. No way I could do it with out cutting an access panel. IF your cap isnt sealing correct it could def be the issue. I believe Ive read that other have had bad luck with after market caps. See if toyota has them in stock and how much, could be a cheap fix.

[BONETTI]

I'm pretty sure the cap is seating properly. No leaks and it looks fine. How would I know if the water pump is bad... and how hard is it to change? I'm just hoping it's not a headgasket. How would I figure that out? Anyone....?

[Burntboot]

There are more threads on cooling system issues, than one can shake a stick at.

At this point I would go get one of those coolant system HC test kits and verify IF you have a HG issue.
Its better to know whats going on (or eliminate the possibility) than to go around guessing and wasting money on things that aren't part of the issue.

The rad should be even in temperature across the core, either the laying of hands or an infra-red thermometer can help you to assess the condition of your rad.
(Please don't try to lay hands on the back side of the rad, losing a hand to the fan would not be good)
It is important to make sure that you don't have any air trapped in the system and that it is properly filled.
The clutch fan can also cause overheating, Tim has a good test for this and its only a short search away.
The rad cap can also be tested with the appropriate tool but most just stuff a new one on as it is super cheap insurance.
Gutting the T-stat is NEVER a good idea, even from a testing perspective.

Your problem is almost 100% NOT your water pump, unless the pump is seized, the belt is missing or its leaking profusely.

[BONETTI]

Crazy I was running straight water with a cut open thermostat and it was running what I would call hot, half way and going up to 3/4 of the way before the fan came on and went back down to half way. now I put the correct thermostat and used coolant and the thing runs way cooler now. don't know how that works, only thing I can think of is maybe the thermostat lets less water through than one that has been modified... any thought anyone...? Anyhow now I'm going through the brake system. Got new tires and solwly just getting it the cool little camper van I bought it for.

[originalkwyjibo]

The design of the correct thermostat helps direct coolant flow which is the reason why using an oem only stat is so heavily stressed.

[Jlhollowx13]

I know from recent experience. Check that the thermostat is oem and new, make sure head gasket is good, then make sure the radiator is good, get it rodded out or buy a new, it needs to be working perfectly. The water pump will leak if it's bad. I just did a head gasket job on mine and was still having trouble. Went through entire cooling system and wasn't until I got a new radiator was the problem fixed.

[Burntboot]

Bonetti - the other part of the mystery is that coolant cools better than straight water, it also provides lubrication and corrosion inhibitors.
Straight water is never really a good idea.

Glad you got it sorted out.

[liquidlights]

Ok, I know there have been many threads about overheating issues with the van wagon. I have read through every one, and have repaired and replaced just about everything. I got the van and it would slowly heat up while driving or idling until it would reach the red and I would have to shut it down. I replaced the radiator, the cap, the OEM thermostat ( with nipple at 11 oclock). The fan clutch. All OEM parts from toyota. It still overheated. Finally I did the head gasket and water pump. And it still runs at half, climbing to 85%. It does seem to not want to climb to the red, but I also have not driven it in hot weather. At 85%, im pretty sure it will overheat. So, im at a loss? Ive done it all... only thing left is to double check and make sure the shop put the thermostat in at 11oclock or to rebuild the OEM radiator, but those seem to be grasping at straws. ANY SUGGESTIONS? ANYTHING I MISSED? ANY HELP PLEASE. Thanks

[bushcat]

It passed smog a a few months back and doesn't blow any white smoke but ever since I installed a thermostat (PO didn't have one installed), it's ran somewhat hot during hot days. I replaced the thermostat, fan clutch, water pump, (all OEM) and flushed the system and the van still registers a little too hot for my liking. It never goes into the red, it's never overheated but you can see the gauge pic below. Is that normal?

[bikeregg]

It seems you have replaced your cooling system, piece by piece. When the engine is warm, do you get good heat running the heater? If so, when it overheats, does running the heater cool the engine at all?

Is it possible the temperature sending unit is bad and is giving a false reading?

[liquidlights]

It seems you have replaced your cooling system, piece by piece. When the engine is warm, do you get good heat running the heater? If so, when it overheats, does running the heater cool the engine at all?

Is it possible the temperature sending unit is bad and is giving a false reading?

The heater works normally, even when hot. The car is not losing coolant. The temperature gauge sending unit is working. I can feel the engine heating up.

however, you did remind me of one quirk with the heater. It blows hot just fine when on the upper vent setting, but when I turn it to both upper and lower vent setting, it blows cool air. ( the ac isnt charged so it just air) I figured it an issue with the heater control unit and not an actual heating issue. But if anyone thinks this might be some thing, any input is appreciated.