Jiggle Valve my fracking Theromostat!

[GaRunner86]

Yeah, I'm running a Stant 170, just to keep temps where I want them , let us know what happens after u get it back from the stealer. As for the lower hose temp, it should be cool enough to hold, means the radiator is doing its job.

 

[cp99sr5]

Just wanted to close this out with what finally happened at the dealership. They were pretty good about it, they burped it first then though the mechanic did not want to, the service adviser had him pull the thermostat housing to check the orientation and I was assured it was at the correct position. This could be BS but we will eventually see! Anyway the temps are running a bit cooler, from 197 to 202 on a 102 degree day with the AC blasting.

I still don't know what the boiling point temp is for the Runner with a 50/50 mix as specified. The idiot gauge was running slightly above half way to the red before the burp and now its running slightly below halfway to the red. I thought the idiot gauge was reading off the ECU like my scan gauge and so by comparing the temp between them so I can only assume that the engine is running within it operating envelope and there is not much to worry over. I loaded it up with three fairly stout friends right after I got it back and ran it up a local pass, about a 2500 foot gain in about a mile and a half with the AC on, never got above 202. Thanks to BrianSD, TheDurk and all the others that gave their input.

 

[BrianSD_42]

If it never went above 202 under those conditions then it sounds to me like it is finally fully burped and you should be good to go.

 

[cp99sr5]

I bumped this because after 20 days, I was still not satisfied with the temps I was seeing on the scan gauge, 202 to 207. The dealership assured me that they had checked and ensured the jiggle valve was in the correct orientation so I pulled the thermostat to check. Well, it was at 12 so they lied. I pulled it, Put a new gasket on and repositioned it correctly. I also spent some time doing a complete flush, both heaters, radiator and block cause I wanted to ensure I had the correct antifreeze in it. After the fill and burp, my temps are now 188 to 193.

I still don't understand why the jiggle valve position could makes such a difference but it does. I also checked the routing of the transmission cooler lines and I was told the fluid travelled from the trans to radiator to cooler and back, well it was backward from what they said so I swapped those lines. The realization for me is the dealership was dishonest or incompetent or both and I need to go ahead and start challenging myself do the work instead.

 

[0xfded]

I'm about to stick a cooler 170 degree Stant 14077 on mine before I put the SC on, so I've been reading up on this a bit lately.

The jiggle valve is a weird subject. The FSM says 6:00, and there's plenty of posts on the first page of the search (and ditto on YT too) that straight up say "I rotated my t-stat to 6:00 and my temps went from ~200 to ~190", yet it's still considered vague and anecdotal.

Maybe I'm being selective in my read, but it seems pretty consistent.

 

[pluton]

I see that your local dealer has the "lost touch with reality disease" that mine caught a couple years ago.
If they can't put a T-stat in correctly...twice..., then they cannot be completely trusted with anything.
It might help if you reported this on Yelp, calmly and without hyperbole....just to warn others that there is an incompetence issue.

 

[StreetCreeper]

I bumped this because after 20 days, I was still not satisfied with the temps I was seeing on the scan gauge, 202 to 207. The dealership assured me that they had checked and ensured the jiggle valve was in the correct orientation so I pulled the thermostat to check. Well, it was at 12 so they lied. I pulled it, Put a new gasket on and repositioned it correctly. I also spent some time doing a complete flush, both heaters, radiator and block cause I wanted to ensure I had the correct antifreeze in it. After the fill and burp, my temps are now 188 to 193.

I still don't understand why the jiggle valve position could makes such a difference but it does. I also checked the routing of the transmission cooler lines and I was told the fluid travelled from the trans to radiator to cooler and back, well it was backward from what they said so I swapped those lines. The realization for me is the dealership was dishonest or incompetent or both and I need to go ahead and start challenging myself do the work instead.

When I first got my Runner, I never took it to the mechanic because I couldn't afford to. I came here and learned to do the work instead.

Now I don't take my Runner to the mechanics because I'm afraid they are mostly incompetent or simply don't give a shit....and I can neither stand nor afford that.

 

[LittleCaesar]

That is why they are called stealerships for a reason. They knew what they were doing, or not doing, from day one.

Look around for a good qualified independent mechanic nearby for repairs in the future.

 

[cek77]

To further the data, I also was reading low 200s but stable. Changed radiator and fan clutch this past week....still the same. Changed thermostat, one in there was at 12, put new one in at 6. Now runs 10-12 degrees cooler. Coincidence? Now the gauge never went above dead middle so average person probably would not tell anything was happening. I've owned enough cars, older cars, to know the hot smell. I plugged in a bluetooth obd2 and used torque to get the real readings. I wanted a new rad for insurance against pink milkshake anyway.

 

[cp99sr5]

Thanks all, I am simmering about the advisor telling me the tech did not want to change the orientation but he forced them to do it. Lessons learned, my first job at 18 was at a gas station where I learned some basics, I am 56 now and cars have changed some but not the basic principles. Just a lot slower now, took me four and a half hours from dropping the skids, determining the cooler lines we're backwards, fix them, drain radiator, disconnect heater hose, pop thermostat, flush until clear, reassemble, fill and check, without a jack or creeper. Need to get some jack stands and other goodies to make it easier!

 

[ThorInc]

Thanks all, I am simmering about the advisor telling me the tech did not want to change the orientation but he forced them to do it. Lessons learned, my first job at 18 was at a gas station where I learned some basics, I am 56 now and cars have changed some but not the basic principles. Just a lot slower now, took me four and a half hours from dropping the skids, determining the cooler lines we're backwards, fix them, drain radiator, disconnect heater hose, pop thermostat, flush until clear, reassemble, fill and check, without a jack or creeper. Need to get some jack stands and other goodies to make it easier!

Make sure to let them know that you appreciate their honest and that you will most certainly thank Toyota head office for the fleecing that you received. Don't let them get away with it........one customer, at a time, adds up over time.

 

[4gunner01]

Last weekend I had the timing belt done, new water pump, Thermostat (part 90916-03075), Belts, Cam Seal, crank seal, etc., along with a brand new radiator, cap, upper and lower hoses and red coolant. Scanguage II temp now is at 205F on average versus the 190F it used to sit at before.

Read about the jiggle valve and the FSM saying install at 6 o'clock, can't determine if its reality/true fact or urban legend/voodoo! The 205F is when outside temps are in the 60's and doing a commute of 29 miles with speeds up to 70 MPH down to freeway, then about half the time in stop and go along with a few miles of street driving taking anywhere from 45 minutes to a hour and a half.

My concern is what happens when temps go into the 90's and 100's and I am running AC full blast or lugging the small boat and camping gear up into the mountains or running a trail? Will I overheat :flame:

Should I worry about this, make the dealership check to see if the thermo is in the correct orientation? I read a lot about optimum Oil Temps, Coolant temps and there is a lot of conflicting information (welcome to the WWW!) Will the 50/50 coolant mix boil at 220 under the 16PSI cap and ruin a trip? I am probably freaking out about nothing but its my runner and I want to take poper care of it. Input appreciated - Chris

I also had my timing belt, water pump, and T-stat changed along with all other belts. Noticed my 4Runner was running 15 degrees hotter on average. After searching these forums found that the jiggle valve needs to be in 6 o’clock position. I removed the thermostat my self and sure enough the jiggle valve was in the 12 o’clock position. After switching it to the recommend 6 o’clock my 4Runner was back to running the cool 185 - 190 degrees.