overheating-HELP! - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

cbh93camry · 09-17-2007, 06:31 PM

My son's 93 camry, v6 is overheating. It's boiling in the overflow tank. I replaced the therostat, coolant, & rad cap. I did the chemical test to check for hydro carbons & it checked ok however, it didn't take long for the coolant to splsh up & contaminate the test fluid. The fan (hydralic) seems to turn slow but when the temp gets really hot, it will go really fast. It seems to be working but i've never really paid attention to it before. I don't no how to check it. I thought it may be a head gasket but I don't see white smoke, contamination in oil or coolant, car drives good except for overheating. Any ideas?

-=]KaiN[=- · 09-17-2007, 07:48 PM

does it get hot while driving down the highway or just at idle?

cbh93camry · 09-17-2007, 09:22 PM

Both but worse at idle.

-=]KaiN[=- · 09-17-2007, 09:32 PM

I would pull the spark plugs and look down into the cylinders with a boroscope. Look for a cylinder with all the carbon cleaned off, if your head gaskets are blown bad enough you should see a clean cylinder if not you should see at least some coolant seepage into the cylinders. You can pressure up the coolant system with a pressure tester and look in the cylinders as well, you should see some seepage. I've also seen some if you let them sit overnight after driving they should misfire in the morning from all the coolant sitting in the cylinders. Just some things to check if you think the gaskets are blown. Also your test fluid idea is a good one, try the test again, but do it with the engine cold and drain a little coolant out of the radiator first. That should give you some time for your test fluid to work before it gets contaminated. I'll be honest it sounds like head gaskets, but I would definitely be sure before I tore it down.

dc_98_cam · 09-17-2007, 09:32 PM

When you change antifreeze, do you mix with distilled water ... or tap water?

-=]KaiN[=- · 09-17-2007, 09:33 PM

if it was just your fans it should only get hot at idle and be fine on the highway with a/c off.

RodMillenFan · 09-17-2007, 10:36 PM

My wife's 93 V6 was getting hot recently... not quite overheating as badly as you said, but still on longer drives the fan was screaming like a jet engine. In bad cases, it would start climbing on the temp needle unless I kept the car rolling. At idle the temp would really start to climb.

The problem, as far as I can tell: the radiator was cracked, along the top plastic part. It was a hairline crack and it would spit fluid out, all over the inside of the hood. Unfortunately it wasn't immediately obvious until I looked closer. Once I changed the radiator, she runs beautifully, the fan doesn't scream, the temp stays fine. Heck, it would even have a tendency to want to stall after driving on the highway and coming off the exit ramp... even that has gone away dramatically since I changed the radiator out. Who knew?

I was wondering about the water pump, since I've had problems with both of my Gen 3's and water pumps. But I'd think that would be an all-or-none proposition.

Kep · 09-18-2007, 12:54 PM

Sorry, my chemistry isn't what it should be. I believe hydrocarbons are what you would find if oil were leaking into the water. If this is correct, there is another test that will check to see if exhaust gasses have leaked into your coolant. However, I don't know what the test is called or if you can get it easily. I understand that mechanics can run the test easily enough. Anyway, exhaust escaping into the water super heats it and hence the boiling water in the overflow reservoir.

Kep

cbh93camry · 09-18-2007, 06:38 PM

dc_98_cam--I used distilled-always. Today I filled radiator all the way & ran with cap off to get air out if there was any. At start up (cold) it had some bubbles (tiny bubbles) for a minute or two then it they were gone. Coolant didn't move for a couple of minutes then it would rise & fall about an inch as it got hotter. Then when the thermostat opened it started to splash out a little & got progressivly worse.
My son is taking it tomorrow to a mechanic to check.
Question-does the radiator take some time to get hot all over? In the area near the hoses it gets hot right away but the other half near the fan was still cold. I know it should be cooler in front of the fan but I would think it would at least get warm. Maybe I just didn't let it run long enough. By the way, I don't see any leaks around the radiator. I didn't pull the plugs but it isn't missing either.

Dave's · 09-18-2007, 07:02 PM

Wow, can't say I'm an expert but it sounds like a bad head gasket letting exhaust into your coolant. As the 'stat opens the coolant should flow and ripple a bit but not 'jump' or splash out. It might right after a fill if there's air pockets moving through but that should stop fairly soon.

dc_98_cam · 09-18-2007, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbh93camry

dc_98_cam--I used distilled-always. Today I filled radiator all the way & ran with cap off to get air out if there was any. At start up (cold) it had some bubbles (tiny bubbles) for a minute or two then it they were gone. Coolant didn't move for a couple of minutes then it would rise & fall about an inch as it got hotter. Then when the thermostat opened it started to splash out a little & got progressivly worse.
My son is taking it tomorrow to a mechanic to check.
Question-does the radiator take some time to get hot all over? In the area near the hoses it gets hot right away but the other half near the fan was still cold. I know it should be cooler in front of the fan but I would think it would at least get warm. Maybe I just didn't let it run long enough. By the way, I don't see any leaks around the radiator. I didn't pull the plugs but it isn't missing either.

... The only definitive test I know .... other than chemical analyses, is to use a pressure gage tester .... available at any shop, mechanic, and many part stores. This is a static pressure test ... just watch to see if the needle holds pressure at a given level. You won't necessarily see the leakage if it is internal .... within the block/head, but you will surely see coolant someplace it the leak is a hose, radiator, or even below the car from the heater core. ... This device is also used to test radiator caps for a proper seal.

... Can't definitely say about any other symptoms ... buy a pressure gage tester or have the test performed at a shop someplace.

-=]KaiN[=- · 09-18-2007, 08:52 PM

while doing your pressure test like dc_98_cam said look in the spark plug holes for coolant seepage. Hydrocarbons in the coolant come from exhaust gases being pushed into the cooling system. If exhaust can get out then coolant can get in.

cbh93camry · 09-25-2007, 05:25 PM

Sorry it's been a few days since my last post but I've been out of town. My son took his car to the service center & they checked it for two days. They couldn't find anything & it didn't over heat. I had let it run the night before without the cap on to see if air was in the system. I guess between that & the new radiator cap the problem was fixed. I did have to get 3 different caps from the parts store. The problem was they had the wrong part number listed for the 93. They put on a 94 & it fits perfect. Thanks for all the input.