OVERHEATING '98 4cyl Auto -NEW radiator

[verve92]

Hey All,
OK

STEP:
1) Radiator went- got it replaced with new one.

2) Two days go by and car ran HOT all the way up NO steam- only a little in overflow. Filled radiator. Went up and down as i drove bit only a little.

3) Took back to mechanic he claimed air in top of motor- OK. Off I go.

4)NOW. 2 days go by- fine. I come home from work it runs hot same as step 2. Only its at night and i'm on a dark street and front of motor in air filter housing hole -its glowing orange. Again no steam-

5) WTF??????

[JohnGD]

So each time you're losing coolant? You likely still have a leak somewhere.

You should go to a radiator shop and have them pressure test the system. I probably won't go back to your current shop.

[hill8570]

Well, first things first -- the reservoir (it's more than just an "overflow") should be roughly 1/2 full (I like to fill to the "full" mark, personally) after messing with the cooling system -- this allows the system to finish burping itself -- any small air pockets should be replaced with coolant from the reservoir.

Second, did you "burp" the cooling system after changing out the radiator? The 5S-FE is pretty easy to burp -- just warm it up (leaving the radiator cap off), run the heater on high, and occasionally race the engine for 10 or 15 minutes. After that, shut off engine, top off the radiator and reservoir, and put the cap on.


Third, any other things get replaced while the radiator was being changed out? A lot of folks have bad luck with aftermarket radiator caps and thermostats -- if those got changed out at the same time, I'd be suspicious of them.

Anywho, if the system was burped correctly, you shouldn't see the reservoir level drop much. Maybe a smidge the first day or two. If it keeps dropping day after day, you've got a leak to track down.

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by verve92

Hey All,
OK

STEP:
1) Radiator went- got it replaced with new one.

2) Two days go by and car ran HOT all the way up NO steam- only a little in overflow. Filled radiator. Went up and down as i drove bit only a little.

3) Took back to mechanic he claimed air in top of motor- OK. Off I go.

4)NOW. 2 days go by- fine. I come home from work it runs hot same as step 2. Only its at night and i'm on a dark street and front of motor in air filter housing hole -its glowing orange. Again no steam-

5) WTF??????

Er...wait...it's glowing orange?! Sounds like you have different problems going on here. Is yer check engine light on? If so, did you have the codes scanned (free at AutoZone). Got any piccies of yer engine bay?

Was yer radiator empty at step 4? Did both radiator hoses git replaced? Can you do yer own wrenching? If so, I'd pull the thermostat out and replace it with a Toyota one. Make sure the jiggle valve is at the 12 o'clock position. Replace the radiator hoses at the same time.

[verve92]

Hill:
Thats exactly what mechanic did wen i brought it back 1st time; no reason for them to think anything was wrong-

Water pump? I think its the original cap. Jeez I hope it's not a head gasket.


Any ideas? -will keep you posted if my Camry survives, maybe we will all learn something.

[haux]

I've had a lot of overheating experience with my personal vehicle.

All of these steps should be covered unless the cause is obvious.

1) Pressure test the system to confirm any possible leaks. (I think you said that was already done?)
2) Confirm that both radiator fans are working fine.
3) Confirm that the cooling system is holding pressure.
4) Confirm that coolant is being circulated.

For #3, idle the car for a while. Squeeze both large coolant hoses. They should both be HARD to squeeze. If they collapse easily.... there may be a pressure problem. In which case, the first step would be to try a new radiator cap. Was the radiator cap replaced when the radiator was? Pep Boy's sure didn't do that for me.

For #4, after idling, when squeezing those hoses, both of them should be quite hot. You can also sometimes feel the coolant running through them.

Another problem could possible be with the engine coolant temperature sensor. I'm unsure if that could cause what you are experiencing though.

[hill8570]

Originally Posted by verve92

Hill:
Thats exactly what mechanic did wen i brought it back 1st time; no reason for them to think anything was wrong-

Water pump? I think its the original cap. Jeez I hope it's not a head gasket.

Any ideas? -will keep you posted if my Camry survives, maybe we will all learn something.

OK, I ass-u-me you mean the mechanic re-burped the system. OK, I'll ass-u-me he's competent for now...

Again, how old and what brand (OEM or not) are the radiator cap and thermostat? Unless it's a head gasket problem, my money's on the thermostat being some crappy Chinese POS and it's sticking shut. Outside chance it's the radiator cap, but that's not as likely. However, thermostats, radiator caps, and thermostat gaskets are cheap (OEM is more expensive than aftermarket, but you can trust them, and the cost is way, way less than an engine rebuild).

Also, please confirm that the coolant level in the reservoir is more-or-less 1/2 full. On a day-to-day basis, is it still dropping?

If your temp gauge is creeping near the red zone (heck, if it's moving above 1/2 way), do not drive the car until you get this figured out -- overheating is one of the few ways to kill a car quickly.