Overheating nightmare - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

mydirtycorolla88 · 08-15-2011, 07:18 PM

I HAVE A 1988 TOYOTA COROLLA SR5. I HAVE PUT IN A NEW RADIATOR NEW THERMO, AND NEW HOSES. IVE CHECKED MY OIL TO SEE IF ITS MILKY FOR A POSSIBLE HEAD GASKET LEAK. THE FLUID FLOWS INSIDE THE RADIATOR TELLING ME THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH THE WATER PUMP. I TOOK THE CAP OFF THE HEATER LINE GOING INTO THE CAB AND CHECKED FOR BUBBLES AND ADDED LIQUID THERE. I EVEN TRIED RUNNING THE CAR WITH THE CAP LOOSE TO POSSIBLE PREVENT AN AIR LOCK IN THE SYSTEM. I CAN ONLY MAKE IT 5 MILES DOWN THE ROAD BEFOR IT REALLY GETS UP THERE ON THE TEMP GAUGE. NO LEAKS NOTHING IM HAVING SUCH A HARD TIME TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT ELSE IT COULD BE. WHAT ELSE IS THERE THAT CAN CAUSE A OVERHEATING PROBLEM OF THIS SORT WITH ALL THAT DONE?

THANKS

eberbs1 · 08-15-2011, 07:39 PM

Hello,
It might be worth checking the timing, if the timing is too far retarded it can cause the engine to run hot.

mydirtycorolla88 · 08-15-2011, 07:48 PM

I should be able to notice if its off wen driving though shouldnt I?

***plyr503*** · 08-15-2011, 08:42 PM

Is the fan working properly?

90 GP · 08-16-2011, 04:46 AM

Park it on an incline (front end higher than back). With engine cold remove cap and let it run till warm to bleed any air out of system, top off with antifreeze and replace cap. When temp gauge gets slightly above the mid point the fans should kick on until the temp drops below that point. If the temp gauge is still spiking then you likely have head gasket issues.

mydirtycorolla88 · 08-16-2011, 08:10 PM

I have unplugged the fan so that as the key is turned to on the fan runs constantly until the key is turned off. And that is how its been during my attempts to stop the overheating.

Alright would the bigger the incline the better?

I was also thinking of trying to run the car without a thermo and see if that would make things somewhat cooler. Because it wouldnt wait for the car to get to the certain temp to open up it would just be a constant flow.

Thanks for the help so far

verlaryder · 08-16-2011, 10:58 PM

Did the car ever run cool?

Dave's · 08-17-2011, 03:19 AM

Might have the coolant tested for exhaust gases. You can have a head gasket leak which doesn't put oil in the coolant thus turning it milky. Instead it leaks exhaust into the coolant and can heat it rather quickly even without any obvious signs. But I know there is a test for that problem. Good luck. Let us know.

90 GP · 08-17-2011, 05:29 AM

You shouldn't have to remove stat and run fan continuously to keep it from overheating. If the stat is new , the water pump is working properly, fans coming on at right temp along with your new radiator it should never run hot. Have seen the same overheating issue posted here before and the possibility of head gasket failure is quite high. You risk head warpage and further engine damage if you don't fix it before it's too late.

verlaryder · 08-17-2011, 09:44 AM

We have nothing more to offer since you have not told us in detail about the background of the car; i.e. did it ever run cool and what was done to the car just before it ran hot?

mydirtycorolla88 · 08-17-2011, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by verlaryder

We have nothing more to offer since you have not told us in detail about the background of the car; i.e. did it ever run cool and what was done to the car just before it ran hot?

I got the car after my grandparents split and I had to dig it out of a snow bank. This is when i was in high school it didnt over heat or nothing for the first month then it overheated slightly once came spring time when i would turn my heater off. checked for leaks there were non that i found at that time. So i ran the car with the heater on always and windows down for the next 5 months and then the clutch went out. So I parked the car in the gravel pit and went back to my truck the car sat for 2 years then with the gas prices how they were i got it out of the pit put the new clutch in it and it was still overheating. So i took and put a new radiator in it because it would leak all fluid out as soon as i poured it in put a new thermostat in it and drove it for 6 months. I noticed it was starting to over heat again and fluid was getting low so i checked for leaks found a leak changed all hoses because of it and after doing that it wont keep from over heating. After putting the new hoses in and filling the fluid all the hoses collapsed so i thought it was an air lock shut the car off opened the cap hoses opened back up and never happened again, and from there is wear i tried all the things in my first post which made this car my overheating nightmare.

mydirtycorolla88 · 08-17-2011, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave's

Might have the coolant tested for exhaust gases. You can have a head gasket leak which doesn't put oil in the coolant thus turning it milky. Instead it leaks exhaust into the coolant and can heat it rather quickly even without any obvious signs. But I know there is a test for that problem. Good luck. Let us know.

would i be able to smell engine coolant on my hand if i put it againt the exhaust pipe if its exhaust gases causing the issue because i attempted to see if it was burning any coolant by doing that and all i could smell was gas on my hand?

verlaryder · 08-18-2011, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mydirtycorolla88

put a new radiator in it, put a new thermostat in it and drove it for 6 months. I noticed it was starting to over heat again and fluid was getting low so i checked for leaks found a leak changed all hoses because of it and after doing that it wont keep from over heating. After putting the new hoses in and filling the fluid all the hoses collapsed so i thought it was an air lock shut the car off opened the cap hoses opened back up and never happened again, and from there is wear i tried all the things in my first post which made this car my overheating nightmare.

Did the new radiator and thermostat solve the overheating problem for 1,2,3,4 or 5 months? Or did these new parts have no effect at all?

Is the radiator coolant level full when you check it in the morning? Is the coolant overflow jar half full
when you check it in the morning?

Is the coolant approximately a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water?

When you say "FLUID FLOWS INSIDE THE RADIATOR" is that after the engine has warmed up or when the engine is cold in the morning? Or both?

Dave's · 08-18-2011, 01:18 AM

It's possible for coolant to get sucked into the cylinder and blown out with the exhaust but you normally lose coolant pretty quickly. If the exhaust gas is getting into the coolant I think the only way to check is with a test. If memory serves me, there's a chemical you can add to the coolant and it changes color if exhaust gases are present.

90 GP · 08-18-2011, 05:00 AM

From your added input I definitely think head gasket. It probably initially failed when you started running the heater to keep it from overheating. These engines don't tolerate repeated overheating episodes. Replace head gasket and have head/block checked for warpage. Alot of times the cooling system gets over pressurized due to a head gasket leak( exhaust gases leaking into cooling system) and can cause the heater core to fail and start leaking. You need to replace head gasket before the engine is toast.