3rd & 4th Generation (1992–1996 & 1997–2001)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1992-1996 & 1997-2001
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Anyway, my fiance's car (2000 Camry, 4 cylinder) has got an overheating problem.
I just replaced the thermostat yesterday with no luck.
What is a quick and dirty way to check if the waterpump is functional?
When it overheats - is the lower radiator hose hot or warm? Don't know, will check
What is about fans? Do they kick on when engine is hot? If you turn on A/C - are they ON or OFF? Will check when the engine is hot...they do go on when the A/C is on.
Thanks...I think i am going to do a full backflush and see what comes out...I have a feeling the radiator might be the culprit, but will check fans as well
Ok...a follow up.
Me and my fiance swapped cars, and of course it didnt overheat with me. But it was leaking coolant in the cabin, therefore it's gotta be a leaking heater core.....however we just replaced it a few months ago. So, could it be anything but that? I am going to by-pass it now regardless, so do you guys happen to know what size hoses those are?
I checked, and the fans do turn on when the engine gets hot enough.
I grabbed both upper and lower radiator hoses, both were hot, but not too hot where i couldnt grab them. Also, both were easy to squish (waterpump not pumping enough water?). I revved the engine and neither hose collapsed.
What do you guys think?
Seeing as you have a leak, the system will have trouble pressurizing. And it will also tend to take in air, so the system will never be free of air pockets. The heater core itself is probably failing because any hoses connecting to it occur in the engine bay not the cabin.
I suppose it is possible for a hose leak to travel along something and enter the cabin, you could check that. Either way, you need to have a leak free system before you troubleshoot further.
If you had some mechanic put the heater core in a few months ago, I would take it back to that mechanic and have him correct the issue. If you put it in, well at least you have a warranty on the new heater core. You may have disturbed the core inlet tubes during installation, and if they are the ones that are crimped-attached to the core body, sealed with an o-ring, the crimping may have loosened up when the tubes were disturbed. If the tubes are welded in place, it would take more force to cause a leak, but it is still possible. I would doubt a new heater core would have developed a corrosion leak already.
Why was the heater core replaced anyway? Was it plugged up, not getting any heat? If so, that would be an indicator what is going on within your radiator.
It would be almost impossible to backflush out a radiator to remove all the plugging. You might get some out, but the cooling efficiency might be compromised (if the radiator is really a majority of the overheating problem). But if you couldn't get the engine to overheat, something else is likely going on. Like others have said, you need to eliminate all leaks and ensure no air is in the cooling system before you can really troubleshoot the cause of overheating.
Regarding bypassing the heater core, get yourself a flushing tee kit from an auto parts store. Disconnect both radiator hoses from the heater core, then use one of the supplied tees that fits both hose ends properly, and use the tee to connect both hoses. This will provide you an economical way to bypass the heater core for awhile.
If you had some mechanic put the heater core in a few months ago, I would take it back to that mechanic and have him correct the issue. If you put it in, well at least you have a warranty on the new heater core. You may have disturbed the core inlet tubes during installation, and if they are the ones that are crimped-attached to the core body, sealed with an o-ring, the crimping may have loosened up when the tubes were disturbed. If the tubes are welded in place, it would take more force to cause a leak, but it is still possible. I would doubt a new heater core would have developed a corrosion leak already.
Why was the heater core replaced anyway? Was it plugged up, not getting any heat? If so, that would be an indicator what is going on within your radiator.
It would be almost impossible to backflush out a radiator to remove all the plugging. You might get some out, but the cooling efficiency might be compromised (if the radiator is really a majority of the overheating problem). But if you couldn't get the engine to overheat, something else is likely going on. Like others have said, you need to eliminate all leaks and ensure no air is in the cooling system before you can really troubleshoot the cause of overheating.
Regarding bypassing the heater core, get yourself a flushing tee kit from an auto parts store. Disconnect both radiator hoses from the heater core, then use one of the supplied tees that fits both hose ends properly, and use the tee to connect both hoses. This will provide you an economical way to bypass the heater core for awhile.
That was the plan, take it back to the bastard who installed it (I lived in an apartment back then and couldnt do maintenance on cars, so I didnt do it myself). Unfortunately, long story short the shop is no longer in business...some shady dealings so I am assed out as far as that is concerned.
The reason we removed it in the first place was due to leakage. There was a hole in the inlet which I actually saw. I haven't been able to remove this one yet, but I won't be able to replace it for a while anyway (weddings are expensive).
Thanks for the tip...will let you know how it goes.
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so I am assed out as far as that is concerned.
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