98 Camry Overheating

"bsmith95610" kirjoitti viestiss: snipped-for-privacy@j28g2000hsj.googlegroups.com...

I once had '96 Toyota Carina E in which temperature gauge started more and more often to rise quickly but then it as quickly dropped down to normal. Finally, after lots of head-scratching and wrong diagnoses at two different dealership service shops, it turned out that coolant was low because the pump was broken and slowly leaking. Apparently too small amount of coolant didn't circulate steadily and caused the gauge to go up and down (and the engine to actually heat accordingly). If I understood your symptoms correctly they would fit with a leak.

But it was just a thought. Probably it's something else because I presume that at least after replacing radiatior you put there correct amount of coolant and the problem should have gone away for a while...

P.V.

Have you checked to see that the cooling fan(s) are working as they should? And checking the condition of the water pump would be a good idea.

Now, a blown or leaking head gasket, or a warped or cracked head, or a cracked block sometimes, can certainly cause a car to overheat. Superheated combustion gases leaking into the cooling system are the reason.

You can usually check the integrity of these parts with pressure tests, although for small or intermittent leaks you may get somewhat inconclusive results. In the case of leaks, water does not always get into the oil, but if gases are getting into the coolant, it can usually be detected pretty well.

Hey there are some awesome mechanics at the store i work at, I can give you a toll-free number to call and I'm sure they might could help. A 98 Camry shouldn't be doing that. I bet they would have a solution for you in 5 minutes. Email me at stewmeister ... .....@gmail . com and I'll give you the number and who to ask for.

When you find out what it was, will you please post the cause and solution?

Before you replace any more parts, I recommend that you check them to determine whether they are good or bad first. How do you know that the car never actually overheated? Was the temp gauge in the red or just near the top of the scale? When you replaced the thermostat, what kind did you use? Which way was the spring oriented when you installed it, and what was the position of the jiggle valve?

Do you have the 4 or 6 cylinder engine? How many miles on the engine? How many miles on the timing belt? Has the water pump ever been replaced?

A cracked head could cause the engine to overheat, but there are usually other symptoms, like oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil, coolant leaks, and/or steam coming out the exhaust.

Do the electric cooling fans come on when the temp gauge is reading hot?

In addition to all the others suggestions, check for water pump operation. It may have a sheared shaft or broken impeller.

If you installed a new radiator and thermostat, I would suspect you are not getting flow.

You can visually check it by draining the radiator down a bit so you can see some tubes.

Start the car leaving the radiator cap off and when it reaches operating temperature and the thermostat opens, you should easily see coolant flowing in the radiator.

If not, it's probably the pump.

Good luck.