Radiator or Water Pump Issue??

I noticed that within 3min of running the vehicle the temp gauge is at half and stays there. I could park it and come back like 4hts later start it up and less than a min reaches half instantly. This is all under a covered garage.

Is this normal for the 2023 Tacoma? I heard but not confirmed thats why I'm on this forum to gain knowledge that the water pump and/or radiators have been the issue?

My other daily is a 23 BMW M4 Competition and even there with that beast of an engine it takes a good 10min to reach the halfway mark but would drop while driving on hwy.

The Tacoma doesn't budge from mid mark. At all- Any input?

Are there any upgrades we can do or anyone recommend better upgrades in the cooling area?

 

So the problem is that there is no problem ?

 

mine has always run at a little over 1/2 on the temp gauge- normal as far as I can tell

 

also since we’re comparing “beasts” the m4 doesn’t have a temp gauge for coolant it is for oil temp.

 

That is a not a problem. The gauge reaches the halfway mark at around 165-170°F. You’re not fully warmed up at that point right when you reach it.

Being that it’s summer, it’s pretty common for coolant temp to not be close to cool even after sitting a while, and once cranked back up it warms up quick again.

If what maxmk8 said about the M4 is true, oil temps take a while to rise and so that is not a comparison to your truck’s coolant temp. Most vehicles I’ve owned warm up about as fast as my Tacoma does.

 

Beast life

 

My temp gauge has always been in that exact spot when warmed up.

 

The 2GR-FKS has integrated exhaust manifolds. This allows the cooling system in the heads to cool the exhaust gasses… it also helps the engine come up to temperature faster.

 

I can watch it climb as I drive out of the driveway after a 30 sec "warm up."

Mine is always in the same spot as yours. I have a scangauge tool hooked up to monitor water temp. It ranges from 180-ish to 195-ish. The truck's needle does not budge the width of a RCH through that range.

Normal.

 

That’s normal.

 

It’s normal.

 

Seems normal compared to my 2021 V6

 

You know when you hit 40 and refuse to get prescription glasses. I just looked closer and your right never really thought about the symbol thought it meant "Tea" time lmao

Thought it was in my BMW App but I'm wrong there too lol.

What year is yours?

 

Had to Google what you just said lol . Good info good to know. Guess I'm worrying for nothing. 1st Toyota so......

Thanks everyone

 

The mid mark is normal. But 3 minutes seems fast. Not sure if they made any changes, but my Tacoma is one of the slowest vehicles I've ever had in terms of getting up to operating temp.

 

I think the OP is concerned that the truck is warming up to rapidly and that the gauge seems to stay in the middle all the time regardless of engine temp.

3 minutes seems off from a dead cold start. I went out to grab coffee this morning and let my truck idle while I grabbed some stuff from my garage. Easily 10-15 mins to go from cold to the middle of the gauge. It's about 70 degrees out here. Every vehicle I have owned is this way. Even on hot days.

I got home yesterday around 2 and ran back out at 4 to grab some take out. Temp gauge was around 1/4(half way to half). Guage slowly crept up as I drove.

It's not normal to shut it off for 4 hours and come back to the truck still fully warmed up as the OP is saying the truck is doing per what the temp gauge says.

 

I'm in South FLA where its super hot but that shouldn't matter but now what 6 days in and 464 miles on the clock runs strong no issues. I did test drive a couple different models 5 to be exact (combo of 4x4 and 4x2 TRD, SPORT, etc) and 1 4Runner TRD Pro and noticed the one I bought had more pep to it and was way more responsive and not sluggish on the throttle as the rest. The 4 Runner was the worst I literally was scared on the hwy I had the pedal buried to the floor and had no power even the sales guy was shocked and leaned over to witness it multiple times it just did its own thing and was not responsive at all.

 

I was 92 and humid here the other day. Still takes time to warm up.

I really find it hard to believe that 5 other Toyotas had an issue when you drove them. I've never heard of a 4-runner having a no power issue to the point where it was scarry to drive.

 

We need more information. Where is the gauge starting at when you crank it up after sitting 4 hours? What does "less than a min reaches half instantly" mean? That's contradictory. Is the needle shooting straight to half instantly, or is it taking a good portion of the minute? Instant would mean the needle is going straight to half immediately.

You're in Florida, it's hot. Driving in that climate will warm up an engine very quickly. Engine off for 4 hours likely will not cool down to anywhere close to cool (less than 100 degrees). The gauge reaches "half" (warmed up) by around 165-170 degrees, which is not fully warmed up despite the gauge being at it's normal zone. So reaching half quickly is not as quick as it seems, because you're still not at 190-200 like a fully warmed up truck is.

Give us more info about the situation to alleviate concerns. Also, some guys are in here talking about idling to warm up, yeah that takes a while. That is not the same situation as driving, which in a warm climate can warm the engine up in no time.

At this point my vote is that you have no problems.

 

It does not seem normal.
I'm in S Florida as well and from cold it takes me about 10 minutes or about a mile plus (easy driving) to get to full operating temp.
After 4 hours shut down time in 95° ambient temp it will get down to approx 120° and take about 5 minutes or 1/2 mile to get to full temp.

If the truck is brand new with few miles it will generate more heat a lot faster until the engine wears in a bit.