What have you done to your Tacoma today? 1st Gen Edition

Between the "Full" mark and Top of the physical container.
Lower radiator hose getting hot? Touch and feel, if that's cold or luke warm, you have a thermostat issue.

 

Holy shit that’s it. Bottom hose is barely even warm. Top hose is hot. What does that mean? I never even touched the thermostat during this job? And it’s a pretty new one too maybe 4 months old.

 

The springs in the thermostat that are connected to the charge cylinder get weak overtime. If coolant is old, can also cause corrosion and a spring can break or get seized. Recommend get a new oem thermostat that has the jiggle valve, and a gasket that goes around it.

Note* pay attention to the jiggle valve orientation when installing, this has been proven and posted here numerous times that it needs to be pointed down at 6*clock vs 12*clock position on the 3.4 motor.

 

What’s the next acceptable brand for thermostats after oem

 

Check the grounds that are supposed to go on your intake manifold

 

Aisin is oem, on RockAuto for $15. Worth it to get quality, I guess next suggestion would be Gates. But never ran their thermostat.

 

Could always grab a “whatever the local parts store has in stock that fits” until you’re home and can order an OEM. I’d stick with OEM though. Do what you have to do to get home dude

 

Went with Tama. Guess they’re an oe brand and made in Japan. Good enough for me. Ya time is not on my side lol. Thanks gents

 

Few months ago I put in head gasket sealer (big mistake). Ended up clogging majority of the coolant system. Ended up getting it fixed for the most part at valvoline with their pressure coolant flush thing. I was able to drive it again but I still had a lot of this pink paste left over and it’s especially noticeable with a cold system. After getting hot it kinda seems to liquify. I wondering since my truck sat in the cold weather for almost a week this process had time to get even worse. My motor is still pretty warm and this is what my thermostat looks like.

 

While you have it out, go put it in a pot of water on the stove and boil it to see if you can get it to open up. If it moves, thermostat is working.

 

Which tires/size are these?

 

i really think i might go with a softtopper on my 95. i just... really like having a cap like thing...

 

Is this what we’re talking about? For the life of me I can’t find where it might go.

 

Neither the bottom hose, thermostat housing neck, or even the bottom of the damn radiator are warm at all. I just put in a brand new thermostat an hour ago…..

 

There's a copper blade sensor coming from the lower intake manifold (between the injectors). You'll have to look below all that cover to see it. That harness plugs to it, I think its call a coolant temperature sensor. Look similar to the attached picture.

 

Just found it right before I read this. Does this affect the thermostats function at all??

 

IIRC, this temp sensor is for the ecu. Have nothing to do with thermostat function.

 

Thats the one, theres a temp sender on the bad of the lower intake mani

 

that the gauge connector, the one in the front is the ECU one

 

i't bugs me theres 2 sensors on these engines.. the mr2 was the same way.. but the GM coolant sensor with 3 pins makes the ECU happy and makes the cluster happy.. might be my fix since i HATE that the gauge cluster one loves to get ripped off doing valve covers.