my toyota hi lux surf did a major ' over heat ' back in february. the
thermostat was changed, but a week later it did it again so the local
mechanic ' summised ' it was probably a head gasket and refused to do it.
so it sat on my drive for 5 wks while I decided whether it was worth the
expense, then someone else looked at it and said, definately NOT head
gone, so started driving it again, with no problems for approx 2/3 months,
then it blue again after @ 50 miles towing a horse box. I kept topping it
up with water every time it went onto the red on the way home { unladen
}for which I had to stop 5 times! since having it home it's been on lots
of short journeys with no problems and even got to Exeter one day, a
distance of 35/40 miles! I haven't put any water in it and in fact, i've
left the level down so far as it can't be seen from the filler
cap.........could this be the problem; too much water ? any suggestions or
similar stories welcome.

extacy wrote:
> my toyota hi lux surf did a major ' over heat ' back in february. the
> thermostat was changed, but a week later it did it again so the local
> mechanic ' summised ' it was probably a head gasket and refused to do it.
> so it sat on my drive for 5 wks while I decided whether it was worth the
> expense, then someone else looked at it and said, definately NOT head
> gone, so started driving it again, with no problems for approx 2/3 months,
> then it blue again after @ 50 miles towing a horse box. I kept topping it
> up with water every time it went onto the red on the way home { unladen
> }for which I had to stop 5 times! since having it home it's been on lots
> of short journeys with no problems and even got to Exeter one day, a
> distance of 35/40 miles! I haven't put any water in it and in fact, i've
> left the level down so far as it can't be seen from the filler
> cap.........could this be the problem; too much water ? any suggestions or
> similar stories welcome.
>


It is very likely you have two problems now. THe first being a warped
head for a couple of good overheats (aluminum head tend to warp when
cooked and it is rare that they do not)and damaged head gasket. If this
is the case, you need to mill the head flat when replacing head gasket.
This likely all started because your raditor id clogged up, either
internally or exteranlly (or both) limiting cooling. When you engine
gets hot, it is time to stop and cool out before it hits the red and
then find the cause and fix it as soon as possible when trip is
completed. On tip, when your car starts to cook, roll down windows and
turn on heater defroster full blast (yes it can get a bit warm in car)
as this can sometimes keep things cool enough to get you where you are
going.


-----------------
www.thesnoman.com

You need to find out right away where the water is going or you will be
buying a new engine really soon...

The coolant should be full to the top of the rad with an overflow bottle
about 1/2 full.

If it is puking it out the overflow when it overheats, then it almost
sounds like you have another bad thermostat. You can now buy ones that
will fail open when overheated.

If it is not puking it out on the ground or all over the place, then
indeed you have a bad head gasket at the least. The coolant will
destroy the guts of the engine very quickly too.

What does the oil on the dipstick look like?

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

extacy wrote:
>
> my toyota hi lux surf did a major ' over heat ' back in february. the
> thermostat was changed, but a week later it did it again so the local
> mechanic ' summised ' it was probably a head gasket and refused to do it.
> so it sat on my drive for 5 wks while I decided whether it was worth the
> expense, then someone else looked at it and said, definately NOT head
> gone, so started driving it again, with no problems for approx 2/3 months,
> then it blue again after @ 50 miles towing a horse box. I kept topping it
> up with water every time it went onto the red on the way home { unladen
> }for which I had to stop 5 times! since having it home it's been on lots
> of short journeys with no problems and even got to Exeter one day, a
> distance of 35/40 miles! I haven't put any water in it and in fact, i've
> left the level down so far as it can't be seen from the filler
> cap.........could this be the problem; too much water ? any suggestions or
> similar stories welcome.

Mike Romain wrote:
> You need to find out right away where the water is going or you will be
> buying a new engine really soon...
>
> The coolant should be full to the top of the rad with an overflow bottle
> about 1/2 full.
>
> If it is puking it out the overflow when it overheats, then it almost
> sounds like you have another bad thermostat. You can now buy ones that
> will fail open when overheated.
>
> If it is not puking it out on the ground or all over the place, then
> indeed you have a bad head gasket at the least. The coolant will
> destroy the guts of the engine very quickly too.
>
> What does the oil on the dipstick look like?
>
> Mike

You strangely left out a clogged radiator because it is not always the
thermostat and most people to not even consider the radiator itself. I
have little doubt that he has a radiator problem that started this mess
and now he has other problems too.

-----------------
www.thesnoman.com

1. The toyota (cressida) that I had, would shut down (sensor) before it
would overheat ... learned that when the thermostat stuck shut pulling up
onto the 401 (highway).
2. If you've been using water rather than coolant, your system may be
clogged.
3. If you have an electric fan check that out.
4. I've heard that water pumps (the vanes) can deteriorate leaving a pump
that works ... but not very well. And you say you're using water in the
system ... bad idea.


"extacy" <loopisue6@aol.com> wrote in message
news:0bc0aff9a6a487041bee3f961aa2c7f6@localhost.talkaboutautos.com...
> my toyota hi lux surf did a major ' over heat ' back in february. the
> thermostat was changed, but a week later it did it again so the local
> mechanic ' summised ' it was probably a head gasket and refused to do it.
> so it sat on my drive for 5 wks while I decided whether it was worth the
> expense, then someone else looked at it and said, definately NOT head
> gone, so started driving it again, with no problems for approx 2/3 months,
> then it blue again after @ 50 miles towing a horse box. I kept topping it
> up with water every time it went onto the red on the way home { unladen
> }for which I had to stop 5 times! since having it home it's been on lots
> of short journeys with no problems and even got to Exeter one day, a
> distance of 35/40 miles! I haven't put any water in it and in fact, i've
> left the level down so far as it can't be seen from the filler
> cap.........could this be the problem; too much water ? any suggestions or
> similar stories welcome.
>

"" wrote:
> Mike Romain wrote:
> > You need to find out right away where the water is going or
> you will be
> > buying a new engine really soon...
> >
> > The coolant should be full to the top of the rad with an
> overflow bottle
> > about 1/2 full.
> >
> > If it is puking it out the overflow when it overheats, then
> it almost
> > sounds like you have another bad thermostat. You can now
> buy ones that
> > will fail open when overheated.
> >
> > If it is not puking it out on the ground or all over the
> place, then
> > indeed you have a bad head gasket at the least. The coolant
> will
> > destroy the guts of the engine very quickly too.
> >
> > What does the oil on the dipstick look like?
> >
> > Mike
>
> You strangely left out a clogged radiator because it is not
> always the
> thermostat and most people to not even consider the radiator
> itself. I
> have little doubt that he has a radiator problem that started
> this mess
> and now he has other problems too.
>
> -----------------
> www.thesnoman.com

Water pump is another good thing to look at. I had one ’work’ but it
only moved enough water to make it look like its working so it would
overheat. some shops wont stress test the water pump unless you ask.
cloged radiator, bad fan, and thermostat are still likely aswell.

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