User Tag List

Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 10-12-2019, 09:31 PM #1
MattEnTheHat's Avatar
MattEnTheHat MattEnTheHat is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: San Jose, CA
Age: 29
Posts: 11
Real Name: Matthew
MattEnTheHat is on a distinguished road
MattEnTheHat MattEnTheHat is offline
Junior Member
MattEnTheHat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: San Jose, CA
Age: 29
Posts: 11
Real Name: Matthew
MattEnTheHat is on a distinguished road
Coolant Reservoir Empties, but Radiator Always Full

Edit: I seem to have found the source of the problem, see my reply below for details.

So my coolant reservoir empties out fairly quickly - if I top it off when I get gas, by the next time I fill up, it will have dropped maybe halfway, and continues to drop until it is completely empty. The radiator, however, is always completely full, and stays that way even if I drive with the reservoir empty. Temps seem fine - they got rather high once while wheeling in 100°+ weather (lots of idling and very slow driving at high-ish RPM), but other than that no issues.

Just did one of those tests to check for exhaust gasses in the coolant, and it came back negative, and both the coolant and oil look clean. I can't find any obvious leaks, or puddles when I park.

Seems like the simplest answer is just that the reservoir itself has a slow leak, but since I haven't been able to actually find one, I'm not sure.

My thoughts for next steps are:
  • Cooling system pressure test (but pretty sure this will be OK, since the radiator is always full?)
  • UV leak locator test - maybe I'll be able to find the leak that way?

Any other suggestions? Is this even something I should be worried about to begin with?
__________________
'93 3.0 4x4 Manual, 4" Pro Comp Lift with Bilstein 5100s, 35x12.5" General Grabber ATX

Last edited by MattEnTheHat; 10-12-2019 at 11:34 PM.
MattEnTheHat is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-12-2019, 11:39 PM #2
MattEnTheHat's Avatar
MattEnTheHat MattEnTheHat is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: San Jose, CA
Age: 29
Posts: 11
Real Name: Matthew
MattEnTheHat is on a distinguished road
MattEnTheHat MattEnTheHat is offline
Junior Member
MattEnTheHat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: San Jose, CA
Age: 29
Posts: 11
Real Name: Matthew
MattEnTheHat is on a distinguished road
Whelp, it seems I've answered my own question. Pressure tested the cooling system, and there is most definitely a fairly significant leak. Its in the hose pictured, near the bottom (kind of out of sight in the picture) - looks like this hose leads to the radiator core. I'll update with info on whether this fully resolves the problem once I get a chance to replace it.



Still not sure why the level in the radiator never seemed to go down... I guess maybe I just never drove it for long enough before topping up the reservoir?
__________________
'93 3.0 4x4 Manual, 4" Pro Comp Lift with Bilstein 5100s, 35x12.5" General Grabber ATX

Last edited by MattEnTheHat; 10-12-2019 at 11:46 PM. Reason: forgot picture
MattEnTheHat is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-13-2019, 12:16 AM #3
Jen1999 Jen1999 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Morganton
Posts: 9
Jen1999 is on a distinguished road
Jen1999 Jen1999 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Morganton
Posts: 9
Jen1999 is on a distinguished road
I hope that fixed your problem! Fluid issues are a pain to deal with!
Jen1999 is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Reply

Tags
coolant , full , leak , radiator , reservoir

Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Coolant: Rad is full, reservoir empty. Wut? zazzomicron 3rd gen T4Rs 16 11-25-2019 10:47 PM
FS: NEW 3rd gen 4Runner Toyota Radiator, Radiator Cap, Coolant - SF Bay Area, CA - $ TxnBluDvl For Sale: T4R Items 2 04-08-2017 03:23 PM
Corrosion in Coolant reservoir mgcorreia 3rd gen T4Rs 14 04-20-2014 09:42 PM
Corrosion in Coolant reservoir mgcorreia 3rd gen T4Rs 0 03-30-2014 08:24 PM
Red In Coolant Reservoir, Green in radiator Hk_405 Maintenance/Detailing 8 11-25-2008 08:26 AM

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.2

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:32 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
***This site is an unofficial Toyota site, and is not officially endorsed, supported, authorized by or affiliated with Toyota. All company, product, or service names references in this web site are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners. The Toyota name, marks, designs and logos, as well as Toyota model names, are registered trademarks of Toyota Motor Corporation***Ad Management plugin by RedTyger
 
Copyright © 2020