On my Toyota 4Runner 1995 V6 4WD the water level in the rad goes down.. There are no leaks there is no water contamination in engine oil or in the radiator. SO its safe to say that the head gasket is OK. I have noticed that when I start my engine it idles rough for a minute or two and then its smooth. But I just cant figure out where the water is going... Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks Ken
Did you recently change the coolant? Is the engine running hotter than usual?
Not recently but 3 months ago and it ran OK for about 2 months... And yes I have noticed couple of time the engine was running hot but that was because it was low on coolant....
Not unusual for a HG leak to only involve the coolant and exhaust w/o seeing any coolant/oil mixing. Had it happen several times on my '85. All was due to a partly clogged radiator that led to very mild overheating that eventually warped the head and caused the HG to leak. Never saw any oil/coolant mixing, but if it was cool outside, you could see the white exhaust smoke for way longer than would be normal for a cold-started engine. Exhaust would pressurize the cooling system (only onder high engine load), and force the radiator cap to release, venting to the overflow tank which would fill and overflow. Then, once the coolant level got low enough would the engine temp rise. New head, ARP head bolt studs and a new HG and 3-row radiator and its been running rock silid since:
I had the same problem with my 93' 4Runner. The cracks are small enough to vent the steam, but dry up quickly. Check the top of your radiator, look for small cracks. If you see signs of leaks, replace the radiator. It's not worth patching the cracks, eventually more will form.
Good Luck!
JW
That is EXACTLY what my '88 3VZ-E did just prior to me determining that I had lost a head gasket. The engine would run rough for 20-30 seconds after craking it cold and then smooth right out. Then, one day, it seemed like it never did smooth out completely. By the time I got home that night, there was steam coming out the exhaust and oil in the radiator.
Not sure if it means anything - but I thought I would share because what you said sounded so familiar.
I figured that No. 6 cylinder (where my leak was) would accumulate water when the engine sat for a few hours and this would blow out after running the motor for a few seconds. That and possibly the weeping into the cylinder mostly sealed off once the engine heated up and things expanded. Those are just guesses, however.
Luther
One thought - take out the dipstick and place a flame on the tip. Often, any water/coolant in the oil will crackle and pop, even though you can't see it in the mix. This would possibly indicate a HG problem.
Hunt
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