Replaced water pump and thermostat and still overheating out the radiator cap...help

[vet67coupe]

Hey just replaced the water pump, thermostat and she is still over heating when you poor antifreeze in, it sits there and then starts bubbling over. Possibly air pockets. The way it shoots out my mechanic thinks its warped head....what about it guys 4 cyl. 2.0 89 4 dr camry. I am kinda leaning toward the radiator cap or airpockets. The radiator cap is letting the water out into the overflow so maybe defective cap?????

[Jimnist]

You haven't changed the radiator cap? Would;ve been the first thing i;ve done since it's the easiest and cheapest. As you've said, make sure you've fully bled the system. Air pockets can do damage.

Set the cabin air temp lever to full red (fully opening the heater core), fill slowly, start the car and let it idle with the cap off. You'll see bubbles coming out and keep doing so until it stops while watching the temp gauge - huge spike indicates big air pocket somewhere.

After it settles, drive it and let it sit for a bit. Top up.

[scarney1988]

For this I would recommend obtaining a

Amazon

Amazon

as it makes filling with coolant super easy with no mess and it is cheap and reusable for many makes and models. When you are filling yes bubbles coming up are normal. however at some point the bubbles should stop. General rule of thumb is to attach the funnel with the car off. Fill it till the bubbles stop coming up then fill the funnel half way. Start the car and let it idle until the rad fans come on. Meanwhile keeping the funnel full.

Now if non stop bubbles keep coming up then you might have a problem. Start with a good fill though to eliminate problems. If the pump and thermostat are new, that really only leaves rad cap, plugged rad, or a few other small things.

Are your fans coming on while it over heats?

[vet67coupe]

Thanks guys as I said new water pump, timing belt replaced few months ago. New thermostat, and now the new radiator came in today. Got one on Ebay for $50 shipped and really can't tell the difference between it and the factory one. Going to do the funnel thing have one of the flexible funnels and some of the real good mesa mining tape to secure it with. Will do as you said on the filling it up then starting the car and letting the fans come on. And yes fans are working will let you guys know from here what is going on and appreciate immensely the help...........BiLL

[vet67coupe]

Well replaced the all of the above plus radiator ....STILL OVER HEATING....have it down to this see what some of the real toyota heads think. Narrowed to maybe NEW thermostat not good, engine possibly stopped up or the worst the head gasket is gone or going is there any good thing to put in it to stop the head gasket from leaking without going into that big job???? Any help appreciated.......BiLL

[Mike Gerber]

Did you ever replace the radiator cap as mentioned above? You have replaced just about every other component in the cooling system; you might as well replace the cheapest part before looking at the head gasket.

If that doesn't solve the issue then there is a cheap test for a blown head gasket. There is a bottle of liquid that you poor in to the cooling system. It will change color if there are any combustion gases present in the coolant; indicating a bad head gasket. The stuff runs about $25. Most auto parts stores should carry it.

MIke

[carsrus]

Remove the thermostat and run without it and see if it works.

Fans kicking in? New rad hoses when you replaced radiator? (Hose could theoretically collapse internally)

[vet67coupe]

Well after reading here a bit I am pretty sure it is the head gasket from the white smoke and sweet smell. Also drained the recent antifreeze in it and when poured in a jar it has a black oil base. Pretty sure its the head just hope its not warped anyway does anybody have any quick links to removal and installation of the head gasket......ready to tear into it......and yes the fans do cut on and after replacing all of the above I just hope the head isn't warped....thanks any help appreciated......BiLL

[Mike Gerber]

Bill,

"does anybody have any quick links to removal and installation of the head gasket"

You can download a full Toyota factory service manual for free at the top of the Camry forum over at AutomotiveForums.com. Here's the link:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=497839

Mike