I am the owner of '98 Avalon. We bought it used in 2006 with 80K miles.
Since then we have put 130K miles. In August 2009 had to have a new radiator, along with other parts as we hit a large rock and it really damaged the front end.
In April 2010, we were driving on the Interstate and after two hours, I noticed the coolant gauge climb to the "hot" orange mark. A local Toyota dealership determined the radiator had leaks and it was replaced.
This was replaced and we have had no problems. Mainly this car is driven 1 hour each way to work (Interstate driving).
This weekend we had a trip of 4 hours of Interstate driving. At the 2.5 hour mark, the temp gauge started to fluctuate, but not reach the orange level. Again I am in WV so there is much driving up and down some mountains.
The return trip home marked the same thing. After 2.5 hours, the fluctuation of the temp gauge returned, esp going up an incline.
When I got home I could hear the liquid boiling in the coolant system. After cooling I added 0.5 gallons of anti-freeze and today will take the car on an outing.
The problem occurs after driving 2.5 hours. Any trip under this is not a problem.
Any thoughts.???
Thanks in advance. (Praying that it is not the head gasket like SteveAvalon01 experienced.)
You might want to check to see if they installed the correct thermostat, or if your thermostat is opening properly. If the thermostat is incorrect or not opening fully it can restrict flow which can cause the system to overheat under high load. You might also want to check all hoses to insure they are being crimped.
If it were the heater core and you were losing THAT much coolant, the interior of the car would have a horrendous stink to it.
The only sure way to get at this is have the shop pressurize the cooling system with a hand pump(or buy the tool yourself). The best way would be to pressurize it and then lift the car and see what's dripping.
If you see no external leaks (but you say you do), then you'd have to suspect a head gasket. Hopefully not. But the rough running is a troublesome sign. Hopefully not related to coolant loss.
The Following User Says Thank You to Wild_10 For This Useful Post:
Need a new H2O pump and the timing belt...UGH. There was a lot of fluid and the service rep indicated that the timing belt was affected by the liquid. Gonna get a new thermostat just for the heck of it.
They had a 2011 Avalon in the lot...$35K...
and now my other car...2002 Saturn L100 is experiencing coolant system issues.
I guess that after driving 200K miles , some of these parts will break down.
Need a new H2O pump and the timing belt...UGH. There was a lot of fluid and the service rep indicated that the timing belt was affected by the liquid. Gonna get a new thermostat just for the heck of it.
They had a 2011 Avalon in the lot...$35K...
and now my other car...2002 Saturn L100 is experiencing coolant system issues.
I guess that after driving 200K miles , some of these parts will break down.
Timing belt should have nothing to do with cooling, but if it has never been changed it is well overdue. Water pump shouldn't be too expensive, but may be from dealer...usually much cheaper at other places which will install a refurb.
Be careful of typical tactic of car dealerships. They like to give expensive estimates on older cars and then convince the person to trade it in, or sell it for next to nothing. They do a quick repair and sell it to someone else for a healthy profit. They can make a killing swapping cars between customers. You sell yours and buy someone else's they fixed up...or better still, a new car.
Thanks Im...The timing belt has 100K miles on it.
When the liquid from the overflow tank and the water pump
flowed on it, the service rep indicate the belt had deteriorated it.
Since this car is driving 100 miles (round trip) to work, I deemed
it necessary to fix. I'd rather be safe than sorry
and it is Mrs. Lew's car. I still don't want to make car payments.
Thanks Im...The timing belt has 100K miles on it.
When the liquid from the overflow tank and the water pump
flowed on it, the service rep indicate the belt had deteriorated it.
Since this car is driving 100 miles (round trip) to work, I deemed
it necessary to fix. I'd rather be safe than sorry
and it is Mrs. Lew's car. I still don't want to make car payments.
The timing belt is internal. Perhaps they are talking about the accessory drive belt? What are the repair estimates?
Here is what was done.
new timing belt was installed. The old one was deteriorated.
There was oil leakage on it also.
Ne water pump, New PCV valve,
New spark plugs and thermostat.
Almost a new car ...$900.
The 2002 Saturn was traded in for a 2009 Impala...
Which is loaded.
Last week the car I bought for my daughter was paid for.
And payments return to my budget. YAY.
Here is what was done.
new timing belt was installed. The old one was deteriorated.
There was oil leakage on it also.
Ne water pump, New PCV valve,
New spark plugs and thermostat.
Almost a new car ...$900.
The 2002 Saturn was traded in for a 2009 Impala...
Which is loaded.
Last week the car I bought for my daughter was paid for.
And payments return to my budget. YAY.
Good to hear you are back on the road. Are you talking about the accessory drive belt, or the timing belt? I wonder where the oil came from...hopefully not from a front main bearing.
Why'd you skip the water pump? Did it turn out to be OK?
Last edited by ImDisaster; 05-25-2010 at 04:53 AM.
Timing belt should have nothing to do with cooling, but if it has never been changed it is well overdue. Water pump shouldn't be too expensive, but may be from dealer...usually much cheaper at other places which will install a refurb.
Be careful of typical tactic of car dealerships. They like to give expensive estimates on older cars and then convince the person to trade it in, or sell it for next to nothing. They do a quick repair and sell it to someone else for a healthy profit. They can make a killing swapping cars between customers. You sell yours and buy someone else's they fixed up...or better still, a new car.
I assume this is a 1MZFE engine. The timing belt drives the WP so it is related to cooling. If the WP siezes, it can damage the TB. Also, the TB can be damaged by exposure to coolant. I would never change the WP without installing a new TB, even if the TB had been recently changed. OTOH, I would change the TB without necessarily changing the WP.
I assume this is a 1MZFE engine. The timing belt drives the WP so it is related to cooling. If the WP siezes, it can damage the TB. Also, the TB can be damaged by exposure to coolant. I would never change the WP without installing a new TB, even if the TB had been recently changed. OTOH, I would change the TB without necessarily changing the WP.
News to me. Thanks. Never had a car that the timing belt drove the water pump before. I just bought the full Toyota manual, in pdf format, off Ebay for $30 bucks. I'll be understanding a lot more about the particulars of the Toyota engine and the Avalon in general now.
Thanks artbuc. It was my understanding that the TB and WP
were 'intimately' connected. Changing the WP necessitated
a new TB,,,but not the other way around.
Anyways,,,so far so good.
We'll see this Memorial day , Cross your fingers.
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