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.
So i tried out the "super funnel" today to make sure that i bleed the system completely. after about 2 hours of idling and a few minutes of sustained high rpms to make sure the fan comes on and the thermostat is working properly, i took this short video.
Did you put heater on MAX? If you turn the heater off - any changes in bubbles?
Can you see any coolant leaks?
Can you smell exhaust gas in the coming out bubbles?
Stop the engine. Let it cool. Make sure the funnel contains enough coolant, since it will suck it in during the cooling. After this start it again (with heater on MAX). See if there are bubbles.
Also check the oil if it has any traces of coolant.
__________________
Camry Sedan 1996 LE V6 1MZ - 170 Kmiles
-------------------------------------------------- FOR SALE, Sedan/Wagon parts
Pressure tester is in the mail, should be here in a day or 2.
yes, heat is set to hot. fan speed doesnt matter with the camry's setup since if its set to hot the valve is always letting coolant flow to heater core. either way ive let it run at max and off as well as set to hot and cold with the same results.
yes ive heat cycled the engine all day today ensuring the funnel is full.
bubbles like that are present at first cold start this morning as well, so its not boiling.
These engines are ridiculously easy to bleed. Fill up to the top, close rad cap and fill the reservoir way past max and almost will the whole overflow.
After a couple of drives the rad will suck in all it needs.
Has your car been overheating? If youve been getting bubbles like that after a couple good drives then you have a blown headgasket.
Hmmm waterpump and thermostat good? I would run without the thermostat to eliminate it as a factor.
Does it overheat with the fans on? Might wanna replace both rad hoses and see how good the rad flows through with lower hose off. Hopefully its one of these things.
put in a new oem thermostat last week. radiator, hoses and caps are all less than 6 months old. fan is usually blasting when its overheating, unless of course theres not enough coolant reaching the sensor by the thermostat. new waterpump and timing set installed when the engine was rebuilt last year. no difference with a gutted thermostat installed anyway.
a clogged rad or faulty thermostat wouldnt make a constant stream of bubbles on the engine side. i get a good jet of coolant in the funnel if i squeeze the lower hose when the engine is cool and off.
rusty
before you put any more money into fixing this problem just simply loan a BLOCK TESTER KIT from Autozone or Kragen and test it for exhaust gases in the coolant.
If you do have exhaust gases the liquid will turn yellow. If not it will still retain its original BLUE color.
This kit wont cost you anything but the cost of the "test liquid" ~$5.
All the best!
__________________ 1995 Camry DX L4 178,6XX miles and counting each mile.... acquired 05/25/2007 at 129K miles
2004 Mazda6 I4 5-Speed Manual 115,500 miles acquired 01/21/2011 at 109,XXX miles
alright some progress today...i think. with the help of a pressure tester i noticed the new engine cap(that i got from the dealer) was only holding about 10psi before letting go and the rad cap(from autozone) was holding less, like 7.
so i went down to autozone again and bought 2 new caps. the engine cap the dealer gave me was 1.0 bar and the rad was 1.1. the 2 caps i got today from autozone are both 1.1bar.
with the tester on the radiator the engine warmed up to normal, the pressure got to around 15-16psi(1.0-1.1bar) and the fan kicked on, lowered the coolant temp and reduced the pressure to 14-15psi. a few bubbles popped out from the engine cap side when it got high but stopped once the fan kicked up. holds 15 or just below at idle.
so i took it for the 15 minute drive that previously overheated it and it ran fine all the way there and home without any overheat. i left the engine running when i parked in the driveway and popped the hood. fan is cranking at high, but still bubbles in the reservoir, not boiling out but a slow steady stream. after a minute or two the fan slowed to low or idle but the bubbles remained.
alright some progress today...i think. with the help of a pressure tester i noticed the new engine cap(that i got from the dealer) was only holding about 10psi before letting go and the rad cap(from autozone) was holding less, like 7.
so i went down to autozone again and bought 2 new caps. the engine cap the dealer gave me was 1.0 bar and the rad was 1.1. the 2 caps i got today from autozone are both 1.1bar.
with the tester on the radiator the engine warmed up to normal, the pressure got to around 15-16psi(1.0-1.1bar) and the fan kicked on, lowered the coolant temp and reduced the pressure to 14-15psi. a few bubbles popped out from the engine cap side when it got high but stopped once the fan kicked up. holds 15 or just below at idle.
so i took it for the 15 minute drive that previously overheated it and it ran fine all the way there and home without any overheat. i left the engine running when i parked in the driveway and popped the hood. fan is cranking at high, but still bubbles in the reservoir, not boiling out but a slow steady stream. after a minute or two the fan slowed to low or idle but the bubbles remained.
Well I seem to be running into the same issue as you but mine is intermittent. Now with a new cap it seems to hold pressure but it boils from time to time. My final recommendation to you is to have the radiator and cooling system re bled. I was told by a mechanic that these engines (5sfe) are known to have many air locks in the system and in fact can be a bit tricky to rebleed. However, once this is completed, you should be good to go with no more boiling coolant . With that being said, it is best to rebleed through the upper rad hose, elevating the front end of the vehicle to make sure no air gets trapped towards the heater core, etc...once it is bled properly and you ensure there is no air in the system, then give it a test drive...shouldn't have any more problems, than again I am keeping my fingers crossed for the both of us
Well I finally had time to let another shop take a look at it to confirm that there are exhaust gases in the coolant. Results were positive, as I suspected, but at least now I have some 3rd party evidence to support me.
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Bubbles in Coolant
acquired 05/25/2007 at 129K miles
I4 5-Speed Manual 115,500 miles acquired 01/21/2011 at 109,XXX miles
. With that being said, it is best to rebleed through the upper rad hose, elevating the front end of the vehicle to make sure no air gets trapped towards the heater core, etc...once it is bled properly and you ensure there is no air in the system, then give it a test drive...shouldn't have any more problems, than again I am keeping my fingers crossed for the both of us 
1991 Toyota MR2
1996 Toyota Camry
Linear Mode
