Hi, I have fried my head gasket on my V6 4 runner with VERY high mileage more than once. Car runs great when its repaired but this is getting embarrassing. At any time, the tiniest hole or blockage can cause catastrophic overheating in a very short period of time and all you have is this stupid red needle that you may not even notice. OR it may be something else, like my mechanic now thinks there is an exhaust restriction of some type. Stupid needle shows its good and hot after the engine is gone, well that sure helps. OK so I want to buy one of these engine overheating alarms, not expensive at all. WHO HERE has installed one of these? Seems like the way to go for high mileage bigger engine cars.
Engine Alarms
- Thread starter MattinLA
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shootmymime
New member
Get an ultra gauge. It monitors the engine temps digitally and you can set maximum alarm for the engine temp. Plus it only coat around $70. Plus you get tons more functions with it!
diggity_1031
New member
Maybe you have warped heads?
Engine alarm
Warped heads? Whatever, they are being shaved. No, the repair has been done already. Also ultragauge will not work for my 1996 4Runner, Ultragauge is just an OBD digital plugin gauge, since my ECU doesn't support a digital temperature gauge, neither will ultragauge.
Warped heads? Whatever, they are being shaved. No, the repair has been done already. Also ultragauge will not work for my 1996 4Runner, Ultragauge is just an OBD digital plugin gauge, since my ECU doesn't support a digital temperature gauge, neither will ultragauge.
OP, it sounds like you've had a succession of marginal repairs. I'd find another Mechanic.
Whoever does the job needs to make sure the block deck is within tolerance for flatness. .003" being the maximum I would accept. Within .002" is better. They also need to make sure the RA finish on the head and block surfaces are compatible with a good MLS headgasket. They also need to use new TTY head bolts.
It overheated initially for a reason, was that reason ever found and repaired? Or is it possible the cause of the initial overheating still exists, and is the reason for the headgasket(s) failing repeatedly?
At this point I'd probably replace all parts cooling related, just to have a fresh start: Radiator, water pump, thermostat, fan clutch, radiator cap, hoses, etc.
As mentioned, the Ultra Gauge is inexpensive, plugs into the OBD2 port, and can monitor engine temperatures, along with numerous other systems. You can also set it to sound an alarm, when the coolant reaches whatever temperature you choose.
Whoever does the job needs to make sure the block deck is within tolerance for flatness. .003" being the maximum I would accept. Within .002" is better. They also need to make sure the RA finish on the head and block surfaces are compatible with a good MLS headgasket. They also need to use new TTY head bolts.
It overheated initially for a reason, was that reason ever found and repaired? Or is it possible the cause of the initial overheating still exists, and is the reason for the headgasket(s) failing repeatedly?
At this point I'd probably replace all parts cooling related, just to have a fresh start: Radiator, water pump, thermostat, fan clutch, radiator cap, hoses, etc.
As mentioned, the Ultra Gauge is inexpensive, plugs into the OBD2 port, and can monitor engine temperatures, along with numerous other systems. You can also set it to sound an alarm, when the coolant reaches whatever temperature you choose.
shootmymime
New member
If yours is a 96. The ultra gauge will work. The obd2 plug was standard on all vehicles from 96 on.
Overheating Alarm
The ultragauge cannot monitor engine temperature on all cars out there. Although my car is OBD2, My ECU does not support any digital gauges. I have ZERO digital gauges. The overheat gauge is analog with a sending sensor. Therefore ultragauge is not going to do anything beyond what my ECU can monitor except kick up trouble codes if and when I have them for whatever reason. So it does JACK for me in terms of engine temperature monitoring.
The ultragauge cannot monitor engine temperature on all cars out there. Although my car is OBD2, My ECU does not support any digital gauges. I have ZERO digital gauges. The overheat gauge is analog with a sending sensor. Therefore ultragauge is not going to do anything beyond what my ECU can monitor except kick up trouble codes if and when I have them for whatever reason. So it does JACK for me in terms of engine temperature monitoring.
Last edited:
TheDurk
Elite Member
The ECU uses a separate coolant temperature sensor from the dash gauge. It needs to know the engine temp to determine when to switch from open loop (cold-start mode) to closed loop (run mode). All 3G 4Runners have this ECT sensor to the ECU and that temp is what the Ultraguage reads, not the analog signal to the dash. Have you actually tried a live scanner on your OBDII port? Any live scanner, not just an Ultraguage, should be able to read your engine temp.
shootmymime
New member
an ultra gauge is a live running digital computer/ monitor that is completely separate from the gauges on your dash. it WILL give you a read out of your engine temps. and you can set an alarm on the ultra gauge so when the temp increases to a specified amount, the alarm will sound so you dont have to be paranoid about it over heating and not seeing the gauge.
Im telling you this works because ive plugged mine into my brothers 96 sr5 to check trouble codes.
UltraGauge OBDII Scan tool & Information Center
Ultra Temperature Gauge
Ok, this is some better specific explanation of how the ultragauge will read my engine temperature, great! However, the current analog temperature gauge in my 96, like the sensor itself is original OEM - it's ancient! And how sensitive is the sensor? Heat sensors have come a long way since 1996! There is this engine guardian alarm device out of Canada I am thinking of buying. It uses its own sensor, you can mount it wherever you want. Also, all these other dozens of OBD2 ECU virtual gauges are not really important to me. I just want to know engine temperature and get an audible warning, so I don't blow my head gasket again. Each time, it WAS my fault. Christ, just 3 minutes of a pinhole leak on the freeway can total your engine it's scary. Unbelievable.
Ok, this is some better specific explanation of how the ultragauge will read my engine temperature, great! However, the current analog temperature gauge in my 96, like the sensor itself is original OEM - it's ancient! And how sensitive is the sensor? Heat sensors have come a long way since 1996! There is this engine guardian alarm device out of Canada I am thinking of buying. It uses its own sensor, you can mount it wherever you want. Also, all these other dozens of OBD2 ECU virtual gauges are not really important to me. I just want to know engine temperature and get an audible warning, so I don't blow my head gasket again. Each time, it WAS my fault. Christ, just 3 minutes of a pinhole leak on the freeway can total your engine it's scary. Unbelievable.
Temperature sensors haven't come a long way since 96. The're pretty much the same. Its just a small conductive element that changes its resistance relative to temperature. They are pretty reliable. If the engine guardian is cheaper than 70$ its a good deal, otherwise ultraguage will give you more bang for your buck.