Overheating problem HELP!!

skytower · Sep 19, 2012

Consider the cheap and easy before going to the hard and expensive. Considering that the engine was replaced, suspect owner neglect. Get an IR temp gun, check the radiator for cold spots. If there is a blockage in the radiator, there will be a loss of cooling/overheating.

kozinator · Jul 17, 2018

Mikey560[OP] initial post: ↑

Ok my dad bought me a 2002 tacoma x-tra cab in july. It has 195,000 miles on it with a replaced engine. The first week I used it the check engine came on. We found out that there was no thermostat which made the check engine go on. I bought a thermostat from advanced auto parts. I installed it and spent a hour or two trying to bleed the system with the engine on(it doesnt help that the thermostat is on the bottom of the engine. It should be on the top of the engine). As the coolant level went down i just kept filling it up. After the system was full I drove it up and down the road and it began to overheat. I found out the thermostat wouldnt open and I took it out and went back to advanced auto parts and exchanged it for a new thermostat. I went home and boiled water and put the thermostat in the boiling water to make sure it opens up. It opened up! I put the new thermostat in and did the same thing to bleed it. I drove it up and down the road and the truck began to overheat again. I pulled into my drive way and let the truck idle and all of the sudden the temp. gauge went down to alittle above the 3/4 mark. I kept revving the engine and the temp went back up to the red line on the temp gauge. I kept revving the engine and the temp went back down around the 3/4 mark again. It kept doing this but it wouldnt stay around a constant temp on the gauge. I even drove it for a couple miles. I took it to my friends repair shop and he checked the thermostat and it was fine he put the thermostat back in and bleed the system. It still did the same thing but my friend mentioned to change the clutch fan because it doesnt engage at higher RPM's. So i changed the clutch fan and I could hear difference as the fan move more air. But that still did not help that much. The engine still over heated. I would always have to drive with the heat blasting and the temp guage would go up and down between 3/4 and the red line. My dad thought there might be a blockage in the radiator. So I bought a new radiator and installed it with a new thermostat from Toyota(the thermostat from toyota has a bleeding valve). That didnt make a difference it still overheats but when I blast the heat it doesnt bring the temperature down. because the toyota thermostat has a higher opening temperature. The thermostat I got form advanced auto parts has a opening temp of 180F.

Now I dont know what else that would cause it to overheat. Any ideas?
Click to expand...

I had this same problem in my 2003 Tacoma at about 185,000 miles. Just changed the waterpump.

El Duderino · Jul 17, 2018

Holy thread revive Batman

alasek · May 15, 2019

Mikey560[OP] initial post: ↑

Ok my dad bought me a 2002 tacoma x-tra cab in july. It has 195,000 miles on it with a replaced engine. The first week I used it the check engine came on. We found out that there was no thermostat which made the check engine go on. I bought a thermostat from advanced auto parts. I installed it and spent a hour or two trying to bleed the system with the engine on(it doesnt help that the thermostat is on the bottom of the engine. It should be on the top of the engine). As the coolant level went down i just kept filling it up. After the system was full I drove it up and down the road and it began to overheat. I found out the thermostat wouldnt open and I took it out and went back to advanced auto parts and exchanged it for a new thermostat. I went home and boiled water and put the thermostat in the boiling water to make sure it opens up. It opened up! I put the new thermostat in and did the same thing to bleed it. I drove it up and down the road and the truck began to overheat again. I pulled into my drive way and let the truck idle and all of the sudden the temp. gauge went down to alittle above the 3/4 mark. I kept revving the engine and the temp went back up to the red line on the temp gauge. I kept revving the engine and the temp went back down around the 3/4 mark again. It kept doing this but it wouldnt stay around a constant temp on the gauge. I even drove it for a couple miles. I took it to my friends repair shop and he checked the thermostat and it was fine he put the thermostat back in and bleed the system. It still did the same thing but my friend mentioned to change the clutch fan because it doesnt engage at higher RPM's. So i changed the clutch fan and I could hear difference as the fan move more air. But that still did not help that much. The engine still over heated. I would always have to drive with the heat blasting and the temp guage would go up and down between 3/4 and the red line. My dad thought there might be a blockage in the radiator. So I bought a new radiator and installed it with a new thermostat from Toyota(the thermostat from toyota has a bleeding valve). That didnt make a difference it still overheats but when I blast the heat it doesnt bring the temperature down. because the toyota thermostat has a higher opening temperature. The thermostat I got form advanced auto parts has a opening temp of 180F.

Now I dont know what else that would cause it to overheat. Any ideas?
Click to expand...

alasek · May 15, 2019

Did you find the problem with your Tacoma about overheating?
I have a 2000 Tacoma and it has the same problem
I just did a headgasket on it and before I did it it wasn’t overheating but losing coolant
Now after the head gasket job it overheats and I tried bleeding, thermostat and still the same

bagleboy · May 15, 2019

alasek said: ↑

Did you find the problem with your Tacoma about overheating?
I have a 2000 Tacoma and it has the same problem
I just did a headgasket on it and before I did it it wasn’t overheating but losing coolant
Now after the head gasket job it overheats and I tried bleeding, thermostat and still the same
Click to expand...

Might need a flush or even new radiator if it won't unplug. No flow, no cooling.

DPTacomaGuy · May 17, 2019

I would also do a compression test on the cyclinders to make sure you don’t still have a head gasket issue.

Toyotaholic1998 · Jan 23, 2021

My Tacoma is having the exact same issue I recently did head gaskets.... what did you end up doing to fix it

bagleboy · Jan 23, 2021

alasek said: ↑

Did you find the problem with your Tacoma about overheating?
I have a 2000 Tacoma and it has the same problem
I just did a headgasket on it and before I did it it wasn’t overheating but losing coolant
Now after the head gasket job it overheats and I tried bleeding, thermostat and still the same
Click to expand...

Have you done a radiator flush?

Toyotaholic1998 · Jan 31, 2021

I just had the same issue and realized when my engine was put back together the left head gasket went on the right side and the right head gasket went on the left side. Which blocked 2 coolant passages

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