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Engine Coolant Question

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by bkrdave36, Jul 2, 2019.

  1. Jul 3, 2019 at 9:40 PM
    #21
    Lester Lugnut

    Lester Lugnut Well-Known Member

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  2. Jul 3, 2019 at 10:45 PM
    #22
    bkrdave36

    bkrdave36 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I'm just going to wait until Friday and see what my friend's shop says. They haven't screwed me yet.
     
  3. Jul 4, 2019 at 1:19 AM
    #23
    Chuy

    Chuy Well-Known Member

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    With over 300K miles, any coolant component is liable to need replacing.
    Water pump
    Thermostat
    Fan clutch
    Radiator
    Radiator cap
    Hoses

    It would be prudent to check for a bad head gasket. Generally, there are 7 ways a head gasket can fail and only one of the fails leads to oil in the coolant - so not finding oil in the coolant does not mean your head gasket is in the clear. Two other ways deal with coolant: compression leak to coolant, and coolant to outside leak.
    https://haynes.com/en-us/tips-tutorials/7-different-ways-head-gasket-can-fail

    Only a leaking heater core will affect engine cooling. A blocked core will not affect coolant temps because the engine does not rely on the heater core for cooling. That said, if coolant temps go up, setting the heater to high can sometimes aid in bringing down the temps.

    BTW, I'm a fan of universal coolants - I've replaced the OEM coolant in all my Toyota/Lexus products with SuperTech anti-freeze at 100K. No need to waste your money on red or pink stuff.
     
  4. Jul 4, 2019 at 6:15 AM
    #24
    Tacologist

    Tacologist Well-Known Member

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    Antifreeze in itself is NOT a good coolant. It has to be diluted to the proper amount with water to do a good cooling job. It is about a 50/50 mix. I once, before knowing this, put too much coolant in a car I owned and had overheating problems.

    If you overdid the coolant mix, that may be the source of your troubles.
     
  5. Jul 4, 2019 at 6:58 AM
    #25
    ARB1977

    ARB1977 It’s a beaut Clark

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    Just buy the 50/50 mix and be done. My old 3.4L needed straight coolant with water mix.
     
  6. Jul 4, 2019 at 11:37 AM
    #26
    bkrdave36

    bkrdave36 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Front OME Springs, Upper Control Arms, Icon Stage 3 Rear Leaf Springs, Durobump bump stops,Bilstein 5125 shocks, BFG All Terrain KO2 Tires, Avid Light bar and step rails, Victory 4x4 bed rack with Tepui Ayer Rooftop Tent, Anytime Fog light mod, Outside Air Temp Gauge mod, ImMrYo Rearview Mirror mod, Chinese Knockoff LED lights, Body Armor 4x4 Offroad Swingout rear tire carrier and bumper, Victory 4x4 Bed Stiffeners, Rattle can Custom Camo paint stripe, Truxedo Lo Pro tonneau cover, various Blue Ridge Overland Gear storage solutions in cab, thats it so far .... to be continued!
    I used the 50/50 premixed Zerex for Asian cars. It was about 17 dollars for a gallon jug at O'Reilly.
     
  7. Jul 4, 2019 at 6:41 PM
    #27
    Jason G.

    Jason G. Member

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    So...no one is going to address the dead toad?
     
    EatSleepTacos likes this.
  8. Jul 4, 2019 at 6:54 PM
    #28
    bkrdave36

    bkrdave36 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Front OME Springs, Upper Control Arms, Icon Stage 3 Rear Leaf Springs, Durobump bump stops,Bilstein 5125 shocks, BFG All Terrain KO2 Tires, Avid Light bar and step rails, Victory 4x4 bed rack with Tepui Ayer Rooftop Tent, Anytime Fog light mod, Outside Air Temp Gauge mod, ImMrYo Rearview Mirror mod, Chinese Knockoff LED lights, Body Armor 4x4 Offroad Swingout rear tire carrier and bumper, Victory 4x4 Bed Stiffeners, Rattle can Custom Camo paint stripe, Truxedo Lo Pro tonneau cover, various Blue Ridge Overland Gear storage solutions in cab, thats it so far .... to be continued!
    My wife found it all dessicated next to hole in the ground at a house we were looking at when we were looking to move.
     
    Jason G.[QUOTED] likes this.
  9. Jul 4, 2019 at 6:57 PM
    #29
    Jason G.

    Jason G. Member

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    So it ended up on the dash board? I swear I'm not poking fun, I can't sleep now without the back story.
     
    black coffee and EatSleepTacos like this.
  10. Jul 4, 2019 at 7:01 PM
    #30
    bkrdave36

    bkrdave36 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Front OME Springs, Upper Control Arms, Icon Stage 3 Rear Leaf Springs, Durobump bump stops,Bilstein 5125 shocks, BFG All Terrain KO2 Tires, Avid Light bar and step rails, Victory 4x4 bed rack with Tepui Ayer Rooftop Tent, Anytime Fog light mod, Outside Air Temp Gauge mod, ImMrYo Rearview Mirror mod, Chinese Knockoff LED lights, Body Armor 4x4 Offroad Swingout rear tire carrier and bumper, Victory 4x4 Bed Stiffeners, Rattle can Custom Camo paint stripe, Truxedo Lo Pro tonneau cover, various Blue Ridge Overland Gear storage solutions in cab, thats it so far .... to be continued!
    Well, I do have this as my TRD sticker on the rear side panel of my truck.20190704_185920.jpg
     
    Skyway likes this.
  11. Jul 4, 2019 at 7:02 PM
    #31
    Jason G.

    Jason G. Member

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    OK, it's all coming together now! lol
     
  12. Jul 4, 2019 at 7:05 PM
    #32
    bkrdave36

    bkrdave36 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    This why I have my truck....to go find these cool critters.20190427_213258.jpg
     
    Jason G. likes this.
  13. Jul 5, 2019 at 11:55 AM
    #33
    bkrdave36

    bkrdave36 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    UPDATE

    They found no leaks in the system. They pressure tested for the easy stuff and found nothing.

    They checked the trans and did not find the strawberry shake.

    They also tested for head gasket leaks and found none.

    WTF!?!
     
  14. Jul 5, 2019 at 12:06 PM
    #34
    Jason G.

    Jason G. Member

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    This is just a suggestion, but did they happen to pressure test the radiator cap? I've seen caps not hold pressure and begin to vent pretty easily. Not enough to let water just boil out, but enough to be a nice steam vent. With the size of our cooling systems it wouldn't take long to drain down. A coolant system not holding pressure will also overheat quickly and easily. That could explain the temp climbing into the red after a few minutes. Just a thought.
     
  15. Jul 5, 2019 at 12:11 PM
    #35
    Skyway

    Skyway Well-Known Member

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    ^^ True. They no longer sell a radiator with a new cap on it.
    ^^ You have to supply the cap yourself.
     
    Jason G. likes this.
  16. Jul 5, 2019 at 12:14 PM
    #36
    bkrdave36

    bkrdave36 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    They suggested get a new cap. So I will.
     
    Jason G.[QUOTED] likes this.
  17. Jul 5, 2019 at 12:16 PM
    #37
    Jason G.

    Jason G. Member

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    The cap would be a cheap place to start. In my opinion I would use only a OEM radiator cap. I was involved in the auto parts industry for 7-8 years and I never saw an aftermarket radiator cap better than the OEM's. Such a simple part, but the OEM are always high quality in my experience.
     
    Muddinfun and bkrdave36[OP] like this.
  18. Jul 5, 2019 at 12:23 PM
    #38
    Muddinfun

    Muddinfun Well-Known Member

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    I just bought a new cap for mine from the dealer. It was about $14. They ordered it and had it for me the next day. With so much crap made in China these days, I didn't want to trust the aftermarket stuff with such a crucial part.
     
    Skyway and Jason G. like this.
  19. Jul 5, 2019 at 12:25 PM
    #39
    bkrdave36

    bkrdave36 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Front OME Springs, Upper Control Arms, Icon Stage 3 Rear Leaf Springs, Durobump bump stops,Bilstein 5125 shocks, BFG All Terrain KO2 Tires, Avid Light bar and step rails, Victory 4x4 bed rack with Tepui Ayer Rooftop Tent, Anytime Fog light mod, Outside Air Temp Gauge mod, ImMrYo Rearview Mirror mod, Chinese Knockoff LED lights, Body Armor 4x4 Offroad Swingout rear tire carrier and bumper, Victory 4x4 Bed Stiffeners, Rattle can Custom Camo paint stripe, Truxedo Lo Pro tonneau cover, various Blue Ridge Overland Gear storage solutions in cab, thats it so far .... to be continued!
    Thank you all for the input guys!

    If there is any further updates I will post it.

    If you dont hear anything more from we will just assume it was a bad rad cap.
     
    Muddinfun and Jason G. like this.
  20. Jul 7, 2019 at 12:56 AM
    #40
    bkrdave36

    bkrdave36 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Front OME Springs, Upper Control Arms, Icon Stage 3 Rear Leaf Springs, Durobump bump stops,Bilstein 5125 shocks, BFG All Terrain KO2 Tires, Avid Light bar and step rails, Victory 4x4 bed rack with Tepui Ayer Rooftop Tent, Anytime Fog light mod, Outside Air Temp Gauge mod, ImMrYo Rearview Mirror mod, Chinese Knockoff LED lights, Body Armor 4x4 Offroad Swingout rear tire carrier and bumper, Victory 4x4 Bed Stiffeners, Rattle can Custom Camo paint stripe, Truxedo Lo Pro tonneau cover, various Blue Ridge Overland Gear storage solutions in cab, thats it so far .... to be continued!
    OK. This was weird.

    While driving tonight, uphill at slow speed I noticed my temp gauge starting to climb again.

    I pulled over, popped the hood, and the cap to the overflow tank was completely uncapped. And the tank was full (just below the fill spout) of coolant. I resecured the cap and looked around the engine bay. I saw a good sized wet spot on the top of the silver skid plate. And it appeared there was some "spray residue" from the possibly overflowing uncorked tank.
    The rad cap did not appear to have leaked at all. However, there looked to be air being sucked into the overflow tank from the capped off drain at the bottom of it. I say this as there was a steady stream of air bubbles coming from that capped off drain plug.

    I cut my trip short. I headed back toward home (about 60 miles away). I made one stop and checked the system again. This time the coolant tank was not bubbling and it was down to the "fill" line. I checked the inside of the rad and appeared to be missing some coolant. I sealed the rad back up, squeezed both hoses a few times and then turned the car back on.
    I drove home and the temp has not gone over 1/2. Even sitting on the side road as I type this post into the web.
    Tomorrow morning after its cool again I will recheck the rad and overflow tank.

    Questions:
    Besides the cap just not being properly secured what else could have caused it to pop off and fill so full?

    Is it possible the overheating was due to the cap not being securely on the overflow tank and likely sloshing coolant out the tank?

    Should I worry about the air being sucked into the system through that drain plug at the bottom of the overflow tank?
     

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