What do you guys think?

[rev_rock]

I just got my '93 3VZFE back from getting new head gaskets put on. Actually, the heads had to be replaced because mine were cracked. The machine shop got some used ones, pressure tested, resurfaced, and replaced the valves. The water pump and thermostat were also replaced. I used Toyota OEM gaskets.

I drove it to work and around town, and everything seemed fine. Today, I took it on about a 40 mile drive. Everything was fine on the freeway, but when I got off, and on city streets, it started to overheat. I pulled over right away and let it cool off some, then went to my destination. Coming home on the freeway, it was okay until I got stuck behind some big rigs on a steep grade. I started heating up again, so I pulled off and let it cool again. I made it home, but it was running hotter than normal though. I didn't see any leaks, and my radiator was full of coolant before I left home. The only place where any coolant was coming out was at the overflow tank, which was full of hot coolant.

Any ideas of what may have caused the problem? I'll have to wait until Monday to call my mechanic and see what he wants to do.

[ASG14]

Was the Collant filler neck cap/radiator cap replaced too? Everyone forgets when those go bad, they don't allow the collant to flow correctly, and often overlook it.

[rev_rock]

I replaced them both within the last 6 months, so they're still really new.

[ASG14]

Also, are your radiator fans working? And what is the condition of the radiator itself?

[rev_rock]

I thought about the fans, so I'll check them both tomorrow. The radiator is new. The mechanic put it in for me when he did the heads. Just forgot to mention that in my original post.

Speaking of fans, can the hydraulic fan go out on these cars? Wouldn't think so, but I'm sure they're driven by internal impellers that could break or something.

[J_Phu]

sounds like your fan is not spinning up to speed when your car get hot. Try checking the coolant temp. sensor also.......

[rev_rock]

I'm getting ready to go check out the fan. Any opinions or experiences on replacing the hydraulic fan with an electric one? Or any ideas on a dual fan setup?

And how about longevity? My son had some mixed results with electric fans. I know that most FWD vehicles use them, but the OEM fan on his Kia Rio (I know, I know!!) went out on him at about 75K miles. He also had a Jeep Commanche that he put electric fans on. Worked pretty good for a while, but quit after he sold it to my brother.

Any thoughts?

[Zembonez]

Sounds like you got your engine repairs done but didn't fix what caused the overheating in the first place. (says Captain Obvious) I'd sure do a serious radiator flush after you make sure the cooling fans are working properly. It would suck to spend the money you have and torch the engine again.

[rev_rock]

Well, I checked out the fan, but can't really tell anything about it. It's working and picks up speed with engine rpm. Seems to be slow at idle, if you ask me. My manual says that it should run about 1000 rpm when the engine is a 2000 rpm. How you're supposed to measure that, I don't know. The manual says that there's a solenoid switch that adjusts the volume of fluid flow to the fan, but doesn't show where that solenoid is. Any ideas? It also says that you can use a jumper wire between the terminals on the data link connector and the fan should run at approximately 1100 rpm. I assume this means at idle? The stupid manual doesn't say (it's a Haynes manual). Anyone ever mess with one of these fans? Didn't it dawn on Toyota that electric would have been MUCH better and easier???

[Zembonez]

I'd bet that if they are turning, they are functioning pretty close to spec. What does the inside of the radiator look like? have you flushed it?

[rev_rock]

It's brand new. Installed when the heads were done. I'm concerned with the sealing of the new heads now. Since it lost some coolant from the overflow tank when it got hot, I topped it off today, and ran it at idle for about 20 minutes while I checked the fan. It seemed normal. Never got hot. I opened (carefully!) the filler cap and could see some slight bubbling in the coolant. It was VERY slight, and could possibly just be air in the coolant. It wasn't boiling, like it would do before with the cracked heads. Maybe a re-torque of the heads? Heck, I don't know. I'm going to drive it around town today and tomorrow and see what it does, then call my mechanic on Monday and see what he thinks.

[Zembonez]

it is also possible to get a "bad" new thermostat. Even though they are checked during the manufacturing process, a lot can happen in shipping and handling.

I certainly agree with taking it back to the shop. They should have checked it over better than that before letting it go... or so it seems.

[rev_rock]

Well, I do suppose it could be the thermostat. It was a duralast, which doesn't always make the best stuff. However, it seems to be fine while on the road, but starts getter hotter when the rpm's drop. Makes me think that maybe one of the heads wasn't as good as the machinist thought.

My mechanic is a friend from work. He does car repair on the side. He's been building and racing cars for over 40 years. He does quality work, and I really trust him. He kept the car and drove it around for a couple days before he brought it back. He lives about 45 miles away and drove the car back from there. But he may not have done any combination (city/hwy) driving in it though.

[96CamrySport]

Have you lost coolant? Did you replace the water pump? will the car put out heat from the hvac vents at operating temp? open the radiator cap with the car at or close to room temp, and see if it's full of coolant.

to check for a bad head job, go to napa and buy a "Block Test Kit". It'll include some blue fluid and a cylinder to put it in. Drain the coolant overflow bottle about halfway, run the car to normal operating temp and follow the directions on the kit. if it turns yellow, either the heads or the head job are bad.


I've never heard of any water pump problems on J-cars, but on the euros (bmw, vw, audi) they like to use plastic wp impellers (stupid, stupid idea). Your symptoms almost exactly duplicate what happens when an impeller comes loose but stays on the pump shaft.

[rev_rock]

Okay, let me start from scratch. I bought this car knowing that it had, at least, a blown head gasket. After running it for almost 2 years using something called "Steel Seal" (which works pretty well, by the way), and putting about 13,000 miles on it, it began to run hot again.

My mechanic replaced the water pump (OEM new, not rebuilt), timing belt, thermostat, radiator, and heads. The heads that were on it were both cracked, and the machine shop guy found some used ones and pressure tested, milled, ground valve seats and replaced the valves. I bought OEM Toyota gaskets to use, since I've read that they were the best thing out there.

After putting it all back together, the mechanic kept it for a couple of days and drove it around. I live about 45 miles from his house, and he drove it up here to me with no problems. I drove it around town for a couple days, then decided to try it on a longer drive. I drove to Bakersfield, CA, which is about 40 miles, one way. It did fine on the highway, but after getting off the highway and onto city streets, it started getting hot. It never got to the red area of the temp gauge, but close. I shut if off and let it cool. It did puke some antifreeze out of the overflow tank. After cooling down, I drove it to my destination, where it got to cool for a few more minutes. I drove it back home, and the only problem was when I was coming up the highway (there's about a 3000' elevation change from Bakersfield), I got behind some slow trucks and got down to about 15 mph. It started getting hot again, so I immediately pulled off the road. After cooling again, and making sure there were no more trucks to get stuck behind, I took off again and drove on home. Each time I stopped to let it cool, it bubbled over into, and out of, the overflow tank. Yesterday, I opened the radiator cap and didn't see any coolant. I had some extra coolant and poured it in. It was probably just over a quart low. I started it up and let it idle for about 20 minutes and it didn't overheat. I opened the filler cap on the engine, and could see just very slight bubbling in the coolant. Don't know if that indicates another gasket/head leak, or just air in the system. I drove it to town and it did fine. My dad suggested maybe an air lock, but I've never heard of that happening in this engine (3VZFE V-6), but that doesn't mean it couldn't, I guess. I'm still suspecting a combustion leak. There's no water in the oil or vice-versa. I'll see what my mechanic friend wants to do about it.