overheating problems...

[sky88s]

my dad wanted me to ask the forum in hopes of solving his over heating issue..

2000 sport edition 3.4l 2wd with 320,xxx

the problem he says started after he noticed his radiator cap wasnt functioning properly..from what he tells me he went to pep boys to replace it with an aftermarket one..rated @ 13lbs..(LET ME KNOW IF THE PSI IS TOO LOW)..

he then went on and switched the thermostat..he also did some other stuff that he told me but i cant remember..

my dads 4runner is in immaculate condition..oil changes at 3000 miles every time and transmission every other time he changes his oil..

he says that the 4runner only overheats during climbs..

what i wanted to know is that can this be a sign of early "pink milkshake"..or a sign that the dreaded gasket is beginning to decay after all these miles..

thanks in advance for any information received..

 

[brian2sun]

A few questions for your Dad..
Is it loosing coolant? Power loss? Does it stumble/hesitate/miss? Rough idle after start up? How does the engine oil look? Is it smoking bad at startup?

There's no precursor to the pink milkshake, one day it just happens. What does the tranny fluid and coolant look like?

My stock rad cap is 16 lbs.

 

[sky88s]

ok..so..

i told him that it might be the radiator cap..he went out to toyota and bought a brand new one..after what he thought mightve fixed it..he took it out for a drive to notice that its still having problems..

one of the things he did..that i forgot to mention was he replaced all 3 belts after reading somewhere that the belts can be at fault..

the car doesnt lose power at all on climbs but the temp just goes red hot..

sorry for all the writing..my dad lives 41/2 hours away..just trying to help him

 

[awpsome]

at first i was thinking to heat up a little bit going up hill is common..

but if we talking red hot..
but yea hows his coolant?
also check the common stuff, trans oil level and engine oil level..

one red flag i see that could be the culprit is that you guys changed out the thermostat..
have that checked out that its not faulty and that its the correct temp level..

id have to say that the thermostat sounds like the problem here..