Coolant blockage?

[tzink]

My daughter has a '96 Camry 4 cylinder. It started overheating - blowing coolant out of the overflow tank - in January.

I have done the following:

- flushed the engine
- replaced the thermostat
- replaced the cap
- replaced the waterpump

After that last bit, I put it on ramps, refilled the coolant. It idles fine, temp gauge stays in the proper range, runs fine. However, if I take it on a 4 mile (spirited) drive around the block, I find again that the coolant is blowing out of the overflow tank.

No oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil. The compression test is 150 psi+ on each cylinder and it holds for 30+ minutes.

Any suggestions? I'm about at my wits end.

Thanks,
-Tim

[eyeball96]

I bet u have the ole "hair line crack in the Radiator" It probably needs replaced.
My 96 did the same thing and that was the problem... I could be wrong tho!

[bigbird]

when it boils over, does it start to run hotter? where do you fill it to?

[tzink]

Originally Posted by bigbird

when it boils over, does it start to run hotter? where do you fill it to?

Tonite I filled the radiator (on ramps) to full, drove 4 miles, and when I got back the overflow was full, coolant boiling out. Radiator looks good, new cap, new thermostat, no other sign of a leak. As it cooled it sucked the overflow down to normal level again.

[tzink]

Oops sorry -- temp guage seemed normal during the drive.

[Kep]

Occassionally, the head gasket will allow exhaust to leak into the coolant resulting in coolant being forced past the overflow cap. However, this also tends to overheat so your comment about normal temp doesn't fit. You can test for this with Block Test Testing Fluid and its testing containter.

Kep

[Luckynumber5]

^ Jumping a bit far ahead there, I have yet to see a Camry with any sort of head gaket problem like that. Usually they just blow and require replacing. Heck even warping the head is fairly uncommon after a bad overheat.

I bet you the radiator is on it's last legs, when the car is warm feel around the radiator. If it has cold spots you probably need to go ahead and plan on installing a new one. Thats what happened to my 92 v6 both times I have overheating problems.

[ROBS]

Originally Posted by Luckynumber5

^ Jumping a bit far ahead there, I have yet to see a Camry with any sort of head gaket problem like that. Usually they just blow and require replacing. Heck even warping the head is fairly uncommon after a bad overheat.

I bet you the radiator is on it's last legs, when the car is warm feel around the radiator. If it has cold spots you probably need to go ahead and plan on installing a new one. Thats what happened to my 92 v6 both times I have overheating problems.

Actually my gen 2 3SFE did exactly that. And the head was warped to hell when I took it off.

OP, just to get the head gasket question out of the way. Take the rad cap off the engine with the car turned off at operating temp. Then start the car with the cap off, does coolant start bubbling out of the rad? Or gush out? If so, the head gasket is blown/head most likely warped. If not, it doesn't necessarily mean that the head gasket is good...the only sure test is the chemical method Kep mentioned above.

[BlueFusion6851]

^+2

I've replaced the thermostat, radiator caps, even the radiator on mine, and when I drive home on the highway doing 70-80mph for about an hour and a half, mine overheats and the coolant in the recovery tank boils.

I hope that a pinhole headgasket leak is not your issue though. Good Luck.

[tzink]

Thanks everyone. Some responses:

- Kep, I have a 95 pickup with the 22-RE engine that did just that. A leak between the cylinder and the water jacket would overpressurize the cooling system. You could see the ding in the gasket once I got it apart. And the piston, plug, etc was soooo clean. On this one all the plugs are pretty much the same color, and no sign of bubbles coming out of the radiator when I watch. I can run it for an hour in the garage, the issue only comes up on the road, then 4 miles is enough to cause it. My 30+ minute (cold) leakdown tests showed no compression leakage. Maybe I need to do that test hot?

Just what is block test fluid?

I don't think it's the radiator, the thing looks brand new. Maybe the former owner replaced that as part of his troubleshooting before dumping the thing on my daughter.

[Undertow]

Block test fluid is just a liquid that is fluorescent and turns lgihts up when you shine a tester light (black light) on it. That's what I've been told.

[Luckynumber5]

Warping the head is definitely possibly with a bad overheat, but again I say it's not a "common" problem on Camry's. Yes, if you drive it while the temp reading is in the red there is a good chance the head gasket will pop around the last cylinder in the cooling line. On the v6s this is cylinder number 5, which is exactly where mine blew after I drove the piss out of it while overheating. The head is straight as can be, warping happens but thankfully rarely.

Check the radiator for cold spots after driving it a little, if the coolant is boiling and parts of the radiator are cool you have a clogged radiator. Maybe from someone putting stop leak in at some point

[Kep]

I don't know enough about this to ecourage you to consider the head gasket. It was just a thought I had because you seem to have considered many other possibilities.

I am perplexed that your coolant is boiling over into the overflow reservoir but that the engine is not overheating. Or is it? You mentioned that it overheated when your daughter drove it but that it didn't overheat for the test drive. Is that correct?

Luckynumber5 may have the best idea.

I will also put out a clogged radiator as a possibility. Flushing the cooling system doesn't often help a clogged radiator. Maybe the radiator allows enough flow for running parked in the driveway but not enough for hiigher RPMs? Unfortunately, I don't know how to test a radiator. You might ask a radiator shop what they would charge.

Here's one Block Test kit:
http://www.arrowheadradiator.com/hea..._leak_test.htm

NAPA auto parts ordered a different fluid for me.

There was a TN guy that bought a kit and tried it a couple of months ago. If you search him out and PM him he might sell you his for a discount.

Kep

[trdcamry00]

My 93 camry 4cyl was overheating also. When i did my tbelt, wp, and thermostat, my thermostat was not opening due to a leak in the headgasket. You can check to see if your thermostat is opening up by looking at the radiator with the cap off. It should look like a river flowing one direction. You might have to rev the engine up a little bit to simulate your overheating. Worst comes to worse, for a temporary fix you can just run no thermostat if this is the case lol. Thats what I did and it worked fine. Hope you find out the problem

[ghettosled]

^ thats not a bad idea. im leaning towards a bum thermostat (even though it is new) or a clogged radiator not cooling the coolent. is it even possible to install a thermostat up-side down on the camry? i would suggest trying what trdcamry00 said and run the car without the thermostat and see if you still have the problem. hey, its an easy and free troubleshooter.