2005 v8 runner overheating

HER_RUNNER

New member
This is my first post so bare with me.This morning we drove the truck for about 15miles and noticed the temperature gauge reached the red marker and luckily or hopefully no internal damage, anyways the truck has only 40k miles with up to date maintenance.Our warranty expired month ago,so no help there yet.Before I get out there on the truck and start narrowing things down I wanted to see If anybody else had similar problems with over heating with the newer truck and any suggestion would be appreciated,thanks in advance.
 
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I thought the motor has 100,000 mile warranty? Just take it back! I am sure the motor still has a warranty! Can anyone check me on this?
 
Just checked the website......Toyota warranty on that engine is 60 months or 60,000 miles.....whichever comes first! I would have them check it out and fix it! Make sure it has coolant in it like he said above and drop it off at the dealership. They ought to cover the repairs!
 
bigt2148 said:
Just checked the website......Toyota warranty on that engine is 60 months or 60,000 miles.....whichever comes first! I would have them check it out and fix it! Make sure it has coolant in it like he said above and drop it off at the dealership. They ought to cover the repairs!

thanks for the heads up! i just let the OP knows about it and he is calling the dealership for this matter now.....
 
Hey guys, thanks for the great advise.I checked all possible links and sounds like it might be the thermostat,will be taking it out tomorrow.
 
Just checked the thermostat and it seems to be working fine but I replaced it anyways.Took it for a test drive no luck,can somebody tell me what is the purpose of the radiator cap and if it's bad can it cause it too run hot.Please help.Thanks
 
HER_RUNNER said:
Just checked the thermostat and it seems to be working fine but I replaced it anyways.Took it for a test drive no luck,can somebody tell me what is the purpose of the radiator cap and if it's bad can it cause it too run hot.Please help.Thanks

All the cap does is let the cooling system build positive pressure to reduce the boiling-point of the coolant. This is what allows temperatures to rise in the 230+ range and still cool the engine. I doubt that the cap is allowing for the HOT temperature the engine ran. There must be another reason such as the afore mentioned thermostat or low coolant level, blockage in the system, weakened hose that is collapsing......or just maybe a bad temp sensor or gauge.

In respect to the latter, I would verify the actual temperature with a pyrometer or other means to ensure that you "actually" have a problem.

Keep us posted as there has been no real pattern of over-heating with 4Runners.

Good Luck
 
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fan clutch?

check the action of the radiator fan. have someone rev the engine is it moving with the engine or does it still move slowly?
 
ALLEGRO said:
I doubt that the cap is allowing for the HOT temperature the engine ran. There must be another reason such as the afore mentioned thermostat or low coolant level, blockage in the system, weakened hose that is collapsing......or just maybe a bad temp sensor or gauge.

In respect to the latter, I would verify the actual temperature with a pyrometer or other means to ensure that you "actually" have a problem.

Good Luck

:iagree:

I am leaning towards a sensor also. You can buy a inexpensive Infared thermometer at autozone for around $30.00 see link below. They are very easy to use and a nice to have. Point it at the location where the upper radiator hose leaves the engine after it is good and warm. At the metal not the hose. If it reads anywhere between 165 -200 degrees it is not really over heating and it is hopefully a sensor issue.

http://www.autozone.com/selectedZip...etail/initialR,5256408/shopping/selectZip.htm

Do you have a check engine light??? If so Autozone or Advance will scan your code for free and tell you what code it is throwing and give you a printout with a brief discription.

Good luck
 
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HER_RUNNER said:
Guys thanks for the reply,First,yes I have heat and yes I've checked the fan clutch,Both good
Make sure air can actually flow through the radiator, that the fins are free of mud, bugs, or other debris. You should be able to shine a light through the radiator, also check the air flow through the air conditioner condenser assembly which sits in front of the radiator.
 
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drmorbius,thank you! you hit it right on! On Sat I had it towed to a local Toyota dealership, $200.00 and a couple of hours later they called back and confirmed that it was mud and dirt blocking the air flow, (I checked it with a light to see If I can see the light through the radiator and saw light,guess it need to be very unobstructed) but the interesting thing was they told me that I needed a new radiator so I'm going to just take it back home and try to clean it real good. The estimate for repair was around $1,000. Guess it was from a couple off offroading session.Just wish I was a little bit more patience,but better safe than sorry.Again will keep ya posted.Thankz again t4r FAM;): )
 
Radiator is an easy Do it yourself item. Cost about $200 +/- from on line sources shipped to your house. Spend a few hours doing it yourself and save a thousand! I'm sure there are some write ups around here some where.
YOU CAN do it!
 
Here's something that might have help PREVENT this situation.

$4.00 at Harbor Freight

35226.gif


I actually purchased it for my Corvette but will use it on all of my cars. The Corvette is a "bottom breather" and sucks up all sorts of things, from Walmart bags to leaves and the like. On it, I pull off the top radiator support and put the wand down between the radiator and the condensor and 100psi will push out all the debris. It is amazing how well it works.

Looking at my 07 Limited, it appears that I can do the exact same thing by removing the top cover as well.

I hope this may help someone avoid the overheating problem.
 
ALLEGRO said:
Here's something that might have help PREVENT this situation.

$4.00 at Harbor Freight

35226.gif


I actually purchased it for my Corvette but will use it on all of my cars. The Corvette is a "bottom breather" and sucks up all sorts of things, from Walmart bags to leaves and the like. On it, I pull off the top radiator support and put the wand down between the radiator and the condensor and 100psi will push out all the debris. It is amazing how well it works.

Looking at my 07 Limited, it appears that I can do the exact same thing by removing the top cover as well.

I hope this may help someone avoid the overheating problem.
:iagree: I think the reason they want you to get a new radiator is because the mud has been "baked" into the core and is probably like adobe. You might try pulling it out and getting it steam cleaned or take it to a radiator shop and have it boiled out, but it's going to be tough to get it all out. I would consider a new radiator if it was mine. The device shown in Allegro's post would be good to use right after your offroading session before the heat has a chance to harden the mud etc.
 
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Guys. thanks again.Problems solved! Got the car back from the dealer 3 hours ago.,then took the fan shroud and fan off the truck to clean,your right about baked on adobe, took a good hour of straight full pressure stream off the garden hose to every inch of the radiator from the back and be patient.And that did it:D
Lesson learned: If it's not your 4runner,don't get it dirty!
 

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