Camry overheating, I'm baffled

[twh34d]

Alright, where do I start. I own a 92 carmy 2.2L LE. About 6 months ago my radiator got a crack in it so I replaced it with a new one. Everything was fine till about 3 weeks ago. I averheated on the side of the road and water was flowing out of it as fast as I could put it in. It was coming from the water pump so I took it in to the shop and got a new water pump installed. A week later the temp guage crept up and pegged again so I took it back to the shop. They said that the thermostat was probably plugged so they put in a new one. Last week when I tried to drive on the highway the temp guage crept up and pegged again and I noticed that while it was pegged that the fans (dual) were not coming on. I powered the fans and they both work properly. So I took it back to the shop and they replaced the coolant temp sensor and the fan #2 relay. Then I tried to drive on the highway and got about 50 miles into the trip when the temp guage slowly crept up to the red and I noticed that the fans were not coming on. When I drive around town the temp is fine, it only overheats when I get on the highway for long distances. Does anyone know where I could go to find out how to test a fan relay? Or how to tell if they are bad? Is it possible that I have a faulty temp guage? No leaks in the system. Needless to say I have spent some money on this car and it has a lot of miles on it. I also would be suprised if my mechanic was screwing me. Any thoughts?

[Gary_602Z]

If I were to guess I would say you have a head gasket starting to leak. The fans should not come on at highway speeds so I doubt that is a problem. Have you checked your coolant? If it is going down it could be a head gasket. The should be test for the sensor or just relace it if it is cheap enough.

Gary

[twh34d]

My camry runs smooth even when the guage says it is hot. There is no discoloration of the oil under the cap. There is no white smoke coming from the tailpipe. Could it still be a blown head gasket? If it is, how long could I continue to drive it? Thanks

[azz419]

assuming the 5S's are the same as the 3S's, there should be a coolant sensor on the thermostat housing or thereabouts, unplug the connector from that and your fans should come on (with the ignition on) That is an easy check. As for the head gasket, Our workshop has a small leak tester that fits onto the top of the radiator and sucks in the aitr there to test for exhaust gases (exhaust gases coming up through the coolant is a sign of a head gasket) also you might want to let the car run up to temp with the radiator cap off and watch for bubbles. I would replace your radiator cap too (do this first) Failing all of that I would remove the radiator and have it rodded out and flush out the block and heater. hope some of this helps.


azz