93 V6 Camry 3VZ-FE Engine Heat

[azcat90]

To the 3VZ-FE experts:

My 93 Camry V6 (132K miles) is boiling coolant into the radiator recovery tank after trips more than 10 miles and there is a strong burning coolant smell when I get out of the car.

The temp guage never goes above half.

To fix this so far I have replaced the radiator, upper hose, lower hose and thermostat, nothing changed. The power steering fluid powered fan seems to work OK.

Head Gaskets are good: The Monro Muffler guys checked for exhaust in the coolant (several times), for coolant in the oil, oil in the coolant, all negative, no leaks.

They're guessing that the water pump is not pushing coolant into the block causing it to go above 300 degrees and the coolant next to the temp sensor is still in the acceptable temp range. It is a six year old WP with only 50K on it but I ordered a Bosch OEM pump from rockauto and will install it when i get it.

Is there anything else I should be looking at besides that water pump?

[71Corolla]

Originally Posted by azcat90

...I ordered a Bosch OEM pump from rockauto and will install it when i get it.

What do you mean by "Bosch OEM"? Bosch is certainly not OE for your car. Have you replaced both the radiator and filler caps with OE units?

[azcat90]

Oh yeah you're right it says "OE Replacement" not OEM for the Bosch pump.

I forgot I did purchase and put on Toyota genuine filler cap, radiator cap and radiator cap cover during this ordeal (from toyotapartszone.com).

[71Corolla]

If you love your car, don't put a Bosch pump in it.

[azcat90]

You're recommending Toyota Genuine instead?

What's up with Bosch?

Also - both the Bosch pump and the Toyota genuine come with a gasket. Does this replace the goop the instructions say to put in the groove on the water pump?

[71Corolla]

Originally Posted by azcat90

You're recommending Toyota Genuine instead?pump?

110%, Bosch pumps are poor quality in my experience. Get an Aisin pump, they usually come with the gasket & o-rings. No need to apply sealer it's already on the gasket, just make sure the surface of the block is cleaned properly and free of rust.

BTW, I don't know the production date of your car, but if it falls in the range of 6/91-8/92, supposedly there will be a clearance problem with one of the brackets, called an "engine mount bracket". I can't confirm this but have read this in several places so FYI.

[azcat90]

Aisin... Thanks. My car was built September 1992 at Tsutsumi factory in Japan. I was able to change the thermostat by just removing the alternator, wiper fluid tank and radiator recovery tank so I'll see if there is anything else in the way of the water pump. In addition I 'm going to pull the right front wheel off and remove the splash guard too this time.

Do you have an opinion whether something else might be causing the boiling? Are there sensors/senders I should check?

[71Corolla]

If it's not the water pump, then the only other thing I can think of if is the cooling system is clogged somewhere preventing proper flow. A sensor can't cause this (unless the cooling fan does not work correctly) but I would expect to see your temp gauge climb past the normal position.

BTW, I have heard of situations where a combustion leak test came back negative but there was still a head gasket problem. But seeing you have no coolant in the oil or the reverse it does not seem likely, but it is still possible. The definitive test for this is to pressurize each cylinder with air and look for bubbles in the cooling system.

...forgot to add, to replace the water pump you have to remove the timing belt.

[azcat90]

Awesome info thanks...

Yes, the Monro guys mentioned clogs maybe causing a hot spot in one part of the engine.

So this begs the question - How does one unclog the cooling system?

[azcat90]

Timing belt. Do I have to turn the engine and align marks and all that stuff? I might as well replace the timing belt if I have to remove the existing.

[71Corolla]

Originally Posted by azcat90

So this begs the question - How does one unclog the cooling system?

Depends, sometimes you can't without dismantling the engine. A coolant flush additive is the safest way to try and clean out a cooling system. Some people suggest using dish washer detergent but I have never tried this. Another method is to use CLR cleaner which will dissolve rust and minerals. I did this many years ago on a completely clogged system and it worked. The car gurgled and made noises like a boiler that was ready to explode but it cleaned the crud out pretty well.

[71Corolla]

Originally Posted by azcat90

Timing belt. Do I have to turn the engine and align marks and all that stuff? I might as well replace the timing belt if I have to remove the existing.

Yep line up the crank to the zero timing mark. If you are replacing the belt, get a Toyota or Mitsuboshi belt they have timing marks right on the belt, it makes it extremely easy to line things up you don't have to worry about getting the marks exact on the crank and the cam in relation to the housings. Just line up the belt marks and you're done.

[azcat90]

The instructions I have say that I have to "Disconnect the timing belt from the water pump pulley." I didn't know I had to pull it completely off...


Here it is...
3.0L (3VZ-FE) Engine
Camry
1 Disconnect the negative battery cable from the battery. On vehicles equipped with an air bag, wait at least 90 seconds before proceeding.
2 Drain the engine coolant.
3 Disconnect the lower radiator hose at the water inlet.
4 Disconnect the timing belt from the water pump pulley.
5 Remove the bolt holding the inlet pipe to the alternator belt adjusting bar and then remove the inlet pipe and O-ring.
6 Remove the water inlet and thermostat.
7 Remove the seven bolts and then pry off the water pump.

To install:

1 Scrape any remaining gasket material off the pump mating surface. Apply a 2–3mm (0.08–0.12 in.) bead of sealant to the groove in the pump and then install the pump. Tighten the bolts to 14 ft. lbs. (20 Nm).
2 Install the water inlet and thermostat.
3 Install a new O-ring to the water inlet pipe, coat it with soapy water and then connect the pipe to the inlet. Install the bolt holding the pipe to the adjusting bar and tighten it to 14 ft. lbs. (20 Nm).
4 Install the timing belt.
5 Connect the radiator hose and fill the engine with coolant.

[71Corolla]

I don't know if you can pull the pump off without removing the timing belt. Well I'm sure you can, but putting it back I don't see how. The hydraulic tensioner will probably make it pretty hard to fight against the belt to get the pump back in. So at the least, you would probably need to remove the tensioner, and maybe the idler bearing (top middle) to give you enough slack to work with. "Disconnect the timing belt from the water pump pulley" is not a very specific instruction!

But if you're replacing the T-belt anyway no worries.

[thaharlequin]

This is probably silly, but did you make sure to burp the coolant and do a few short trips then add coolant as the air pockets were moved out of the engine?