Engine running hot

I have a 2001 Tacoma xtracab 3.4l. Just replaced thermostat water pump timing belt idlers tensioner clutch fan and all accessory belts. On my scan gauge e it's showing the temp holding steady at 229 F is this a issue just seams a little hot to me.

 

That's too hot, IMHO. What was it running prior to the work?

Mine runs very close to 200°F almost all the time. The hottest I've seen it go recently is 208.4°F (I only recently started watching it closely).

If you are sure there is no air in your system, I bet it is the thermostat.

BTW there is a similar thread here, but the OP is concerned about running at 210°F.

 

Thanks. I read the other thread which is what got me to worrying since no one was reporting anything over 210F. No clue what it was running before since i just recently got the scan gauge. The needle is in the same spot as always though. I'm gonna look into it further beginning to think it may be a blockage in the radiator tho.

 

Is your needle just below 9 o'clock?

 

just above 9

 

It sounds like your analog gauge aligns well with your digital gauge.

Is it running at this temperature even when you are driving at like 40 MPH when it's cool out?

A partially blocked radiator should be more of an issue with increasingly demanding conditions whereas a thermostat that opens too late will essentially give you the same operating temperature regardless of air temperature, unless it gets really cold and the engine cools with essentially little or no water flowing (engine surface, cold intake air, running the heat in the truck).

What happens when you let it idle, heat off, after it's already warmed up? Do you have the old thermostat?

 

run the truck with the radiator cap off. it could have bubbles in it and you need to burp it. you can get a specialty funnle but to me it sounds as if your radiator has been clogged, it everything you are saying was replaced then there are two options,

is it leaking?
how quick does it heat up?
if that thing heats up real quick, one its hard on the metals that its made out of. also it means there could be a head gasket problem. i would assume you are loosing coolant from the way you started this thread but you might want to do a compression, block test. if you did the timing belt. this will be a walk in the park. i get a bout 95 psi out of mine which isnt great but it also has 220 and the last 100k have been a nightmare on it with me driving her.

check compression, check for cold/ hot spots on radioator, yea something aint right.

 

Well I've ordered a new radiator because the bottom is like ice while the top is hot so it is't circulating. I don't think its a head gasket problem i have no leaks and i'm not loosing any coolant although after i replace the radiator i will be doing a compression check just to make sure. Oh and mine has 194k so not that far behind you Hambone.

 

$34 leakdown tester, from Sears, is a better diagnostic tool than a compression test. It will tell you where the compression leak is, if there is one. That's if the new radiator doesn't fix it.

Note: you need a compressor to use the leakdown tester.

 

I wouldn't necessarily say this is a bad thing. Lots of variables here.

If your thermostat is closed, then it won't circulate and that's not the radiator's fault.

If your thermostat is partially open and it is really cold out and you only have a little circulation, then the bottom hose should be cold. After all, it is your radiator's job to get rid of the heat in the water. Hot water in the top, cold water out the bottom.

When it's super cold out, you can get almost no flow at all, even to the point where you don't have enough hot water to get decent heat in the truck.

If you're able to run the engine with the thermostat removed, you should be able to tell if all the other components are good. Unless it's really hot out, your engine shouldn't warm up and you should see plenty of coolant flowing with the radiator cap off. While you're at it, take the thermostat and put it in boling water (212°F at sea level). It should be at least most of the way open.

The thing we need to all consider here is that this truck has been running at this temperature (according to the analog gauge) for a long time. If there were a major issue here, I think it would have overheated during the summer, assuming you've had it that long.

Consistently cold or hot engine temperatures under various conditions are typically indicative of a thermostat issue. If you said that your engine went to 229°F only on hot days, or with the A/C going, or only when towing, then maybe I'd suspect other issues. But if your system is full of coolant and always runs at 229°F regardless of air temperature, speed, load, etc., I'm willing to bet it's the thermostat.

 

Also, did you do the work or did a shop do it?

 

The bottom of the radiator should be warm, at operating temp. If it is cold(ambient temp), it is plugged. $15 non-contact thermometer will confirm: http://www.google.com/products/cata...a=X&ei=zHs_UY_9OZTW9QSAs4H4Aw&ved=0CEgQ8wIwBw

 

I would agree under normal conditions but the OP still hasn't talked about the air temperature. However, I just noticed he's in Alabama so it's not like we're talking about sub-zero temps.

I had a friend in Minneapolis who would drive his Blazer 30 minutes to work on really cold days in the winter and never get heat. I bet his lower hose wasn't very warm.

I still think a partially clogged radiator would show higher temps under certain operating conditions, not simply run at 229°F all the time.

 

I have seen this happen quite a few times. It depends on how much of the radiator is clogged, and how hard the truck is run(towing) as to how hot it gets.
He replaced the thermostat and waterpump. A $15 tool will tell you if it's the radiator for sure, and a $34 tool will tell you if it's the engine for sure. We are only guessing, from past experience. Please tell us what you find, OP!

 

my truck runs between 190-193 with my scangauge. needle is *slightly* above 9 o'clock.

i'm not sure how to figure out what's gone wrong, but there are some very knowledgeable people on this forum...

good luck to you, sir!

 

Educated guess, but guesses nonetheless.

I just wouldn't replace the radiator before I knew for sure it was bad. It's not like it's a $15 part.

 

Yes i did all of the work. I also tested the thermostat before i installed it so i know that the thermostat is working. My new radiator came in the mail today and I will be putting it on saturday or sunday. I bought it from rockauto so it really was a good price. I'm also fairly positive that it's the radiator at this point. After installing all the new parts last week it was sunny and 65 no wind and the bottom of the radiator was cold I've never had one be cold yes slightly cooler than the top but not cold. Thanks for all the reply's and i'll keep you all posted.

 

That's why I was advocating for $15 tools, before buying $200 parts. I like having more tools anyway

 

Wow...at 65°F ambient, for sure the bottom hose should not be cold after the engine is at normal operating temperature.

Still weird that it has always run this hot though. How long have you had the truck?

 

I think he was stating that the bottom of the radiator was cold, not the hose. If the bottom hose was cold constantly, I think he'd have an overheating problem all the time.
OP please confirm.