3rd & 4th Generation (1992–1996 & 1997–2001)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1992-1996 & 1997-2001
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
It was raining again yesterday. Stopping at the red light, I noticed what looked like steam coming out of the tip of the bonnet. I thought that it had been the car ahead of mine's exhaust though when the car pulled way, I still saw the steam.
My '96 200i was running 100% fine all the way. Got home and thought to myself to just check it out. Perhaps the rain fell on the heat cover plate somehow. I noticed I had a crack in the top plastic of the radiator. (Upper tank) Around 4 inches long, but hairfine nonetheless.
Check the resovoir... Empty. Just about 100ml left... Quickly disconnecting the pipe leading from the lower tank, phew... still some liquid in there, indicating that at least I had some form of coolant running still. The car was not running hot at all. Running at normal temperature.
The car has around 210'000km on it, so I'd think the radiator has a pounding on it already. However, one of my friends have a '94 200i, and his did the same. Apparently you can buy the upper tank seperate from Toyota. That's what I'll be doing today...
Question is this: How do I check if it damaged something? There's no smoke, no jerking, no water spewing out anywhere besides the crack in the upper tank... Did I rescue her from disaster by killing the motor just in the nick of time?
just go to a radiator place. they'll put a new top tank and clean out the core. i just did that for one of my cars and it only cost me $120 AUD. they quoted me $150 for my camry, but if you can get the whole thing for $150 new, then go for it.
You can find aftermarket radiators that are all metal. I personally don't like the plastic and metal combos. However, as UNCO mentioned, a lot of radiator shops will rebuild a broken one.
Guys, he is from South Africa, so US stores will not work for him.
And no, if your car was not overheating, you do not have to worry about damaging anything. Just pop in a new radiator and you'll ne fine. My dad's had to be replaced from cracking around 110,000 miles.
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Employed at Toyota in Parts, again.
Guys, he is from South Africa, so US stores will not work for him.
And no, if your car was not overheating, you do not have to worry about damaging anything. Just pop in a new radiator and you'll ne fine. My dad's had to be replaced from cracking around 110,000 miles.
Same here. Replaced at 130K. Took me two hours to install the $80 radiator and a new thermostat. I found all the necessary information for the DIY right here, of course.
Just did mine, about the same, 2 hours, had 132K miles. $80 Radiator that fit well. How the heck do they get away with a ton of money to do this job? Of course the DIY here was a big PLUS! Thanks.
I drove my wife's car one morning and noticed an antifreeze smell when I parked. On the way home I paid attention to the temp gage, and noticed it was running a little hotter than normal. Sure enough, a 4" crack on the upper radiator tank. The reservoir was dry and the upper hose had nothing but air in it. A new radiator from CarQuest was 120 something.
Now, when I fill up any of our vehicles, I check the oil AND the coolant level.
Had mine fixed eventually. Cost me R550 (around $80) to replace the upper tank. Re-installed it myself. The only problem I have now: It's still a plastic tank!
At least the car is still going. Thanks for everyone's help!
I replaced my radiator once already and this new one I have that is all copper/aluminum has cracked again after 3 years of use. I don't know why it has a leak again.. this one might only have 40k miles on it... I mean what causes a radiator to crack?? Yes I have used antifreeze in it..
ALso, if I have to buy a new one, whats wrong with plastic tanks? Apparently my all copper/alu. cracks as well so I don't see any reason not to get a cheaper rad if I have to replace them so often.
There is nothing wrong with plastic tanks as long as they're on an aluminum core. Plastic tank copper/brass core radiators are junk. The thermal expansion differences between plastic and the brass headers will cause the tank or the header to crack after time. Try www.completeradiators.com , they carry Modine radiators with a lifetime warranty. Radiators are like everything else, there's junk and there's quality. You can expect nothing but problems from the junk brands.
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Just about 100ml left... Quickly disconnecting the pipe leading from the lower tank, phew... still some liquid in there, indicating that at least I had some form of coolant running still. The car was not running hot at all. Running at normal temperature.
That's what I'll be doing today...
They only have the whole radiator. (At around $230 = ZAR1400)
05 RX330 
Linear Mode
