2nd gen over heating

Hey folks, 2013 tacoma. 265k miles.
Recently did a radiator flush. Replaced thermostat. The truck over heats only if I've been in the freeway. I can drive around town all day and it's fine. When I get off the freeway it will go straight to over heating. Is it just an old water pump that needs replacing? Suggestions or ideas?

 

was it overheating before the flush

 

It did once, yes. Ran the engine pretty hard. That's what lead to the flush and thermostat replacement

 

and how did the old coolant look
have you tried cleaning the outside of the radiator
in the end it is probably the water pump

 

How is your fan clutch?

 

first and easiest thing to do is check your radiator cap. they can corrode but it's a seldom checked part.

 

fan clutch would be opposite, plenty of air at freeway speed but not enough in stop and go

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Yeah outside of the radiator is fairly clean. Cap was clean, too. Old coolant came out surprisingly clean.
One additional symptom is that the truck has a high pitched whistle while under load. For example, pedal to the floor while getting on the freeway.
I'm thinking water pump too. Perhaps the impeller is worn..

 

He says it overheats when getting off the highway

 

I’d really look at or replace your fan clutch

It’s sounds like it’s staying “unlocked” after sustained higher rpm

What engine?

 

It's a 4 cylinder 2TR-FE engine. I'm the original owner. This truck has been great till recent

 

Basically all that is left is checking fan clutch and radiator.

Wash the ever living crap out of the radiator, lots of mud can get trapped between it and the condenser.

If you have a light bar or winch anything blocking the rad it can cause issues.

The water pump is super unlikely, they are metal and dont fail like the plastic ones do.

Once the fan and rad are confirmed it leaves headgasket failure which is hard to pinpoint.

 

Yeah I'll check out that fan and clutch and make sure those parts are good. I did do a compression test last week. Each cylinder was a consistent 120psi. Did it wet too and each cylinder went up about 20psi. So hoping the head gasket is good

 

Headgaskets usually dont show in compression tests unless its super fooked. I rarely use my compression gauge set anymore.

The gasket lets combustion into the coolant and the engine rapidly overheats. Usually happens when there's rapid temp changes, or under load. So its hard to check.

 

So I check the fan clutch. After driving for about 20 min, once parked, the truck over heated. I turned off the engine and checked the fan . It moves pretty freely in either direction with little to no resistance. From what I can find online, the clutch may be worn. Sound about right?