Overheating problem

[Akin4Runner]

I have a 1995 Toyota 4Runner SR5 with the V6 and 236k miles on the body. I bought the car last week and the guy said that the motor was rebuilt and it had 40k miles (rebuilt because he ran it hot) but now I'm highly doubting it because yesterday, it ran hot. There is water and maybe coolant leaking like a son of a gun from the back of the motor, but Im not sure where, and it also leaks oil. Also, when it idols, there is no oil pressure in the motor and theres very little oil pressure when you drive it. Can someone please help me diagnose the problem???

 

[mikesmith140]

Did the previous owner (PO) show you the receipts from the rebuild? If not, he likely lied to you and did some quick fix Band-Aid that only masked the problem just long enough to sell it. All the issues you describe are not representative of a recent rebuild.

On another note, is the fluid leaking from the back of the engine coolant or just water from using the airconditioner? Because the air conditioner will dribble water after you turn it off and park it. If it's coolant, you'll have to get under it and figure out where it's leaking.

Where is the oil leaking? It's probably hard to tell if the engine is coated in oil. Clean the engine (top, bottom AND sides) then start looking for oil leaks. Is it leaking from the engine or from the transmission, or from the differential, or from the transfer case. You'll need to be waaaaaay more specific.

If it's overheating, start cheap first: replace the Thermostat, check hoses (are they leaking?), then maybe start looking to see if the head gasket is blown. Do a compression check and see if you get bubbling in the radiator (do this when the engine is cold).

There's a lot more things to check and explain, but you weren't very specific.

Good Luck,
Mike

 

[Akin4Runner]

Okay so I did a closer examination and its leaking oil from the driver side of the motor towards the back.... not exactly sure of the terminology of the car parts but that is where the smoke is coming from. Also, the coolant/water leak is not because of the A/C. With the A/C off, I turned on the car, filled the radiator with water and it proceeded to leak out of the back right below the two hoses that feed into the firewall of the car (those two hoses being the heating and A/C). So I'm not sure what the issue is at this point.

 

[mikesmith140]

Coolant: Good thing - it's not the head gasket. Bad thing - the heater parts are a pain to access. It could be a leaky heater coil, leaky hose, poorly attached hose clamp. Google this site and the internet to see how other guys have worked on this area. (How To: 1985 4Runner Heater Core Removal - YotaTech Forums) This is for an '85 model, but you'll get the idea of what I'm talking about.

Oil leak: depending on where the leak starts ... at the top by the valve cover, or lower. Valve cover gasket is easy to replace, lower ... not so much. If the leak is dripping onto the muffler/header that could be the smoke maker, but you'd still need to address the leak, if it's significant. Pressure wash the engine and see where it's leaking, unless you can already tell exactly where it's leaking. Generally speaking, an engine can leak a lot of oil and still run okay. It usually depends on how OCD you are or how much oil you're having to add to keep the level satisfactory.