Do the V8's run HOT?

[saaggie]

Hello Everyone

I am a new member and proud owner of a 03 Sport V8 4x4. Here in South Texas its hitting the low 90's and I have noticed that the clutch fan is on often on the V8 and you can feel the power draw, as well as, the extra noise. Is this normal? This is my first Toyota and V8, I am used to the V6's doing this. Any advice is appreciated.

Stacy

 

[RickyCRX]

I live in San Antonio and have been noticing that more lately when I'm in "city" traffic, especially after being on the highway for a while. My temp gauge never really moves, so I'm sure it's not overheating at all. I just think it's heat soak and the fan is doing its job as designed. Perhaps it is designed to come on at a little bit lower temperature than some vehicles. I know on my S10 Blazer, the fan clutch doesn't normally engage until the temp gauge gets close to 210 (it has a 195 degree thermostat, stock).

I wish the 4Runners had more accurate gauges that moved around and had marks as to what the actual temperature is. I will miss that part about the Blazer when it finally sells.

Ricky

Hello Everyone

I am a new member and proud owner of a 03 Sport V8 4x4. Here in South Texas its hitting the low 90's and I have noticed that the clutch fan is on often on the V8 and you can feel the power draw, as well as, the extra noise. Is this normal? This is my first Toyota and V8, I am used to the V6's doing this. Any advice is appreciated.

Stacy

 

[saaggie]

Yeah, my gauges never move either. Is this V8 all aluminum?

Stacy

 

[Mark86]

I thought that this engine actually ran cooler than other engines I have seen. My temperature guage always stays in the middle whether it is -10 or 110 outside. saaggie, are you using the AC when this happens? The reason I ask is because the only time I hear the fan running is when the AC is on in the truck.

 

[Casper]

Down in corpus...soon to be Vegas, but i put in water wetter in mine and its actually slightly below half way and never moves, although i agree that the fan is running a good bit in city driving.

 

[<<<<]

Yeah, my gauges never move either. Is this V8 all aluminum?

Stacy

Cast Iron block

 

[RickyCRX]

Mine stays a little bit below half without water wetter in it.

Ricky

Down in corpus...soon to be Vegas, but i put in water wetter in mine and its actually slightly below half way and never moves, although i agree that the fan is running a good bit in city driving.

 

[charlier180]

Mine stays a little bit below half without water wetter in it.

Ricky

My 4Runner's coolant gauge stays in about the same place even when I am towing in the mountains or simply driving around town.

 

[TeryT]

My 4Runner's coolant gauge stays in about the same place even when I am towing in the mountains or simply driving around town.

Same here. I towed 6,500 foot elevation gain in 100 degrees. The needle ALWAYS stays in the lower 1/3 of the normal operating range mark.

 

[Jeffreal]

Coolant Temp through OBDII

I am running and OBDII (on board diagnostic) scanner to my old Palm m130 PDA mounted next to the left A/C vent. It monitors and displays what the engine computer is seeing from the various sensors and displays them. There are numerous threads about this setup.

Anyway, the point is that the temperature is incredibly stable - almost always sitting within 2 degrees of 185 F. It blows me away - I took a fully loaded truck (with 3 mountain bikes on the back and a Yakima roof box on top) up some serious mountain roads in northern AZ and souther UT at highway speeds and the V8 never even broke 190. Impressive cooling capacity. I only with there was a transmission temp sensor I could monitor.

Cheers,
Jeff

 

[MnRunr]

Re: Coolant Temp through OBDII

I am running and OBDII (on board diagnostic) scanner to my old Palm m130 PDA mounted next to the left A/C vent. It monitors and displays what the engine computer is seeing from the various sensors and displays them. There are numerous threads about this setup.

Cheers,
Jeff

Are 4th gen stock guages (engine temp, oil) "idiot" gauges or do they give accurate readings at all range? if yes, has anybody replaced them? I know some of the prior gen runners have replaced theirs..

 

[Casper]

Re: Re: Coolant Temp through OBDII

Are 4th gen stock guages (engine temp, oil) "idiot" gauges or do they give accurate readings at all range? if yes, has anybody replaced them? I know some of the prior gen runners have replaced theirs..

While i dont think that they are complete idiot guages, i dont really think that they are truly as accurate as they could be.

 

[Northof49]

Re: Coolant Temp through OBDII

Anyway, the point is that the temperature is incredibly stable - almost always sitting within 2 degrees of 185 F. It blows me away - I took a fully loaded truck (with 3 mountain bikes on the back and a Yakima roof box on top) up some serious mountain roads in northern AZ and souther UT at highway speeds and the V8 never even broke 190. Impressive cooling capacity. I only with there was a transmission temp sensor I could monitor.

Interesting.....I would have assumed that the temp guage was simply calibrated so it wouldn't move unless something drastic happened. However, if it really never varies more than 5 degrees.....I guess it has no reason to move much!

 

[Jeffreal]

Re: Re: Coolant Temp through OBDII

Interesting.....I would have assumed that the temp guage was simply calibrated so it wouldn't move unless something drastic happened. However, if it really never varies more than 5 degrees.....I guess it has no reason to move much!

Exactly - it climbs exactly in time with the temp rise according to the computer. It really never moves more than a couple degrees. I live in Tucson, AZ where it is often over 100degrees and I run with A/C all summer up the mountains, etc and it never moves more than maybe two degrees. I don't know how that thermostat can be so precise - is it just a standard bi-metallic mechanical thermostat or something more sophisticated?

 

[Koz]

The fan clutch is a viscous-coupling filled with a silicone type fluid/oil that is heat/speed sensitive. It can vary the clutch engagement based on how hot it gets or how fast it is rotating and how much wind resistance is against the blades. It is a very good and basic design that draws very little drag on the engine to operate at various speeds. You can check the coupling by visually checking it for leaks and spinning the fan manually when the engine is not running. It should not turn freely to the touch, there should be some drag. When you hear the fan roaring it is working/engaged. The hotter the fluid gets the more engagement there is.

Koz

 

[Whoknows]

I live in centex and find that my fan seems to run when ambient temp reaches 90. I can hear and feel it. But, my temp runs at about 1/3 and rarely moves. I'm headed through the desert this summer and I'll be interested to see how it fares.

 

[RickyCRX]

I live in San Antonio and with the temperatures around 98-101 lately, my fan has been on pretty much all the time after being on the highway for a short distance. It's a little bit annoying, but at least I know the fan is doing its job.

I drove the 4Runner from San Antonio, TX to Vancouver, Canada last summer in June/July, taking the southern route through the Arizona desert on the way out and through California, then came back via the 'direct' route through Idaho, Utah, SW Colorado, Northern Arizona, etc... It was 105-115 degrees through many areas that I drove and never once did the vehicle seem like it was having heat issues. We probably had 500-800lbs of cargo in the back on the way home from Vancouver as we moved the last of my wife's stuff down here from her parent's place. The 4Runner was full from floor to ceiling from the back of the front seats all the way to the rear window. You should be just fine on your trip.

Ricky

 

[Jeffreal]

Not an electric fan

As Koz stated, the fan doesn't "turn on" or off... it's always "ON". It's directly connected to the serpentine belt (accessory belt) on the front of the engine. It's on a mechanical coupling (no switch) to the engine. The radiator and water pump must have great capacity because the truck never seems to get over 190 degrees. Can anyone comment on the transmission temps?

 

[RickyCRX]

Re: Not an electric fan

As Koz stated, the fan doesn't "turn on" or off... it's always "ON". It's directly connected to the serpentine belt (accessory belt) on the front of the engine. It's on a mechanical coupling (no switch) to the engine. The radiator and water pump must have great capacity because the truck never seems to get over 190 degrees. Can anyone comment on the transmission temps?

Yeah, I know it's always on with the engine; I basically meant that it's been 'coupled' or engaged more with the hotter temperatures these last few weeks.

I'd be curious to know what transmission temps look like with just the stock trans cooler. I've been thinking about adding a gauge sender inline on mine just before the radiator cooler to see how it looks when towing and in stop-and-go traffic.

Ricky