My girlfriend has a 1997 4runner 3.4 v6 with 280,000 miles. She bought it with 150,000 and has done little service to it since. Prior to the day in question I heard some rattling from under the hood and checked the fan clutch. It was bad , I could hold it with my hand and start the car or stop it with a newspaper, so it was replaced. The next day she called me and said "my car exploded" so I grabbed a car hauler and went to where she was. She had left the house on a cold 36-40f day and made it about 15 miles. The top of the radiator cracked and broke mostly off, basically all that was left was the upper hose connection. I replaced the radiator, cap, and thermostat and refilled it with coolant with my lisle radiator funnel to try to get any air bubbles out. I ran it for about 30 minutes with the heat on high and did not see anymore bubbles coming out but was still not getting heat inside the car.
I used a garden hose and flushed the heater core out and it was mostly clean. I refilled the system and still didn't get any heat. The dash gauge remains in the middle the entire time after it has warmed up. I put the new radiator cap on and took it for a drive. About a mile down the road (55mph road) I notice the gauge starting to creep up so I turn around and head home. By the time I get home the gauge is to the red and the rad is bubbling into the overflow by the time I stop at the house. I let it cool and try to burp the system again but have no luck. I notice that while the engine is idling the coolant level rises and falls in the funnel but no bubbles come out.
So the question is what is left? Could the water pump have been rattling and the fins have broken off? There is no apparent coolant leaking from the weep holes.
I used a garden hose and flushed the heater core out and it was mostly clean. I refilled the system and still didn't get any heat. The dash gauge remains in the middle the entire time after it has warmed up. I put the new radiator cap on and took it for a drive. About a mile down the road (55mph road) I notice the gauge starting to creep up so I turn around and head home. By the time I get home the gauge is to the red and the rad is bubbling into the overflow by the time I stop at the house. I let it cool and try to burp the system again but have no luck. I notice that while the engine is idling the coolant level rises and falls in the funnel but no bubbles come out.
So the question is what is left? Could the water pump have been rattling and the fins have broken off? There is no apparent coolant leaking from the weep holes.
