Just FYI, normally the jiggle valve goes at the 12 'o clock position which helps allow air to pass through. There's something about the design of the coolant path in this engine causes it to work better when placed at 6. The official Toyota service manual tells you to place it at the 6, but a lot of the aftermarket manuals (Haynes) still say to put it at 12. For some unknown reason this engine runs several degrees hotter with it at the 12, and there are a ton of people on this forum who have witnessed it.

Typically a truck that has been serviced at the dealership will have it in the right way, but a lot of independent shops don't know about this quirk and put it in the wrong spot.

Like you in Florida, things get awfully hot here in Arizona and cooler is better.
Thanks

Clogged with sediments in the coolant.

Glad I caught the temp gauge climbing up while I was heading to Reno from Sacramento. Quickly pulled over and allowed it to cool. Then I called a friend of mine to bring a fan clutch as I suspected it. Installed it and continued the journey and in about 3-4 miles again the same thing. Pulled over and this time I suspected the thermostat. I opened the thermostat housing and saw it was fully open. Then noticed the radiator tubes that runs from top tank to bottom tank was covered with find dust like sediments. After finding the issue, drove down hill back to Sac. No issues down hill. Got a new radiator next day and have had no issues after that! Before we tossed in the old radiator to trash, we crak open the top tank and found out 38 is fully clogged.

Hi guys,

I couldn't find a better thread to revive so here it is.

It was 91 out today and I was in a long drive thru (~15-20mins) and noticed my temp gauge went almost to red!!!

Here's a pic

I know it only did this in idle cuz I always watch the dash for Temps etc. I never seen it like this high before. I did remember a couple years ago it went up like a couple cm past the halfway mark when I sat in idle for 20 mins with AC on and it was hot out.

I had the AC on "cold" so the coolest setting and the fan was at 2 bars so not even full blast.

Is this normal or should I get it checked out???

I checked for any coolant leaks and didn't find any. The reservoir is full and didn't lose any coolant from the last time I checked it 2 weeks ago. I also got the coolant flushed recently and the radiator is 4.5yrs old (replaced with a Koyo one) along with the cap and hoses.

From what I read it could be a fan clutch which I have no problem buying since it's $90 on Amazon and from what I read it's pretty easy job for my mechanic to do.

It went back down to normal ish as I drove home for about 25 mins

@TheDurk had a good post of how to test the fan clutch i cant seem to find it but if you start the truck from cold the fan speed should go up with the rpms and also the risky rolled up newspaper test and replacement @mtbtim has a video on how to replace the fan clutch. Make sure the thermostat is good and the radiator is not clogged.

I just search "test fan clutch" using the custom google site for the 3rd gen.

https://www.toyota-4runner.org/1753010-post8.html

Testing the fan clutch:
If you have reason to suspect that the fan clutch is defective, here is the recommended procedure to verify the condition of the fan clutch.
1. Start the car (cold) with the hood open and note if the fan is turning, increase the engine RPM and note if the fan turns faster and the noise increases, if it does, first good indication, if it does not increase speed/noise, clutch is bad and needs to be replaced. (Remember, this must be tested after the car has been off for and extended period, over night etc.)
2. Leave engine running and note if the fan starts to slow down after 2-5 minutes, speed/noise should diminish and even raising the RPM, the fan should not make as much noise as when first starting, if it does slow, this is the second good indication. If speed/noise does not decrease, clutch may be “frozen” and should be replaced.
3. Leave the engine idle and watch the temperature indicator. When normal operating temperature has been reached, some increase in fan speed/noise should be noted, in particular when the RPM is increased. If temperature is fairly stable and the fan noise/speed increases or cycles, third good indication. If temperature indication continues to increase, with no increase in fan noise/speed, clutch is defective and should be replaced.
4. After the engine is at normal operating temperature or above, is the only time that the “rolled up newspaper” test that many people talk about should be performed! Take some newspaper and roll it up into a long narrow tube. Be careful, keep hands and fingers away from the fan while performing this test! With the engine at full operating temperature and idling, take the rolled up paper and insert it on the back side of the fan and try to reach the hub of the fan avoiding the blades until close to the hub. Push the rolled paper at the fan increasing the friction to the hub area of the fan. If the fan can not be stopped easily this is the fourth good indication, if it can be stopped the clutch is defective and should be replaced. Again, this test can only be performed when the engine is at or above full operating temperature.

Testing can be performed in any order but just make sure the conditions during testing are those that are specified for that specific test.
Do not continue to operate the engine if the temperature continues to rise and certainly stop if the temperature approaches “redline”.



That should be it, I'll test it tomorrow morning. Thank you!

[QUOTE=sugjavier;3495485]Hi guys,

I couldn't find a better thread to revive so here it is.

It was 91 out today and I was in a long drive thru (~15-20mins) and noticed my temp gauge went almost to red!!!

Just and educated guess but here it is..... Your radiator has vertical water jackets meaning the water goes vertically thru the radiator...... get dirt buildup at the bottom inside and waterflow is restricted..
Make sure the outside of your radiator is free of bugs and dirt too
Do this free test...get the engine up to normal or better operating temperature. Shut the engine down and quickly go out and feel the radiator at the bottom of the fins then up at the top. If the bottom is much cooler you likely have dirt obstruction....
It could be the clutch fan so test it out..... it should spin with some restriction.

Did you also remove the rad cap to see if coolant is touching the bottom of the Rad cap and you’re not low on coolant?


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I did check the radiator cap.

Here's what it looks like: cap

I did notice a small coolant that dried off on the right side.
As far as flushing, it was recently done like a month ago. Is that color normal?
I know we used Zerex Asian formula which is red or pink.

I'll be testing the fan clutch later this afternoon

So I did Durks tests and able to pass 1-3
However I was able to stop the fan with the newspaper on step 4

Am I not supposed to stop it at all with the newspaper even if I push hard?