the1998sr5
New member
So my truck is getting hot. I've had it for 3 years, 1998 sr5 180k on the clock.
I'm never sure how much info to provide because I want to provide enough info to help the community diagnose this, but I do not want to provide too much because some of the info might be irrelevant.
The short story is I drive a 1/2 hr home from work in NJ (80s temps outside lately). The first 3/4 is highway and the last few miles is traffic and lights.
About a month ago I was in traffic (end of trip home) and my coolant started to bubble over, I shut the car off for 10 minutes and rove it home no problem with AC off. Drove 2 weeks (never using Ac and had no problems). Replaced fan clutch and drove it home full blast AC to test it and it just started to get hot when I pulled into a parking spot. If I put the heat on it goes right down to normal. The car has gotten hot once on the way home without the AC on a really hot day last week. I never let it get in the red, once it starts I stop.
The coolant does not look like it has oil in it./ The oil looks clear as well. There is no Ominous cloud of white smoke either.
Yesterday, I flushed the coolant , new toyota radiator cap, changed thermostat (set to 6 oclock), radiator hoses and drove it home with AC blasting. Literally right as I was parking it started getting hot again.
Since I bought the car, I have replaced the radiator (preventative), plugs NGK dual ground, all new coil packs, wires, air filter as well, valve cover gaskets as well.
The long story, which again may be irrelevant starts about 2 years ago. I was off-roading in the Pines and a rock broke the coolant lines to the rear heater core. I pulled over when I realized the car was getting hot, there was no coolant in it and the needle was pretty far toward the red. I made it to the trail head and bypassed the rear heater core by looping the hoses together (and forgetting about back core heater). I filled it up with water ( to be honest, river water was all I had) and drove it home. Flushed when I got back and had no problems. Since then and Until the events of last month( overheating in traffic) I have gone off roading on this mountain trail by my house. The truck gets hot at this one steep section every time I get to it. I let her cool and she runs fine for the rest of the day.
After the initial broken coolant line event in the pines, I had the compression tested and it was good….
My questions are now- does this sound like a head gasket?
What’s the best way to test for a Head gasket?
Are there other variables I should consider? (I do know it needs a pinion bearing, could this effect it?)
I want to get a temp gauge so I can be more accurate than the stock one, what is my best option for getting a true engine temp?
I know most people run in the 190-210 degree range? What temp can I run to before it would be best to pull over? What is dangerous?
Thanks!
Ive searched and searched and the closest story I found to mine online was:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/39702-overheating-issues.html
Unfortunately, looks like it was never resolved.
I'm never sure how much info to provide because I want to provide enough info to help the community diagnose this, but I do not want to provide too much because some of the info might be irrelevant.
The short story is I drive a 1/2 hr home from work in NJ (80s temps outside lately). The first 3/4 is highway and the last few miles is traffic and lights.
About a month ago I was in traffic (end of trip home) and my coolant started to bubble over, I shut the car off for 10 minutes and rove it home no problem with AC off. Drove 2 weeks (never using Ac and had no problems). Replaced fan clutch and drove it home full blast AC to test it and it just started to get hot when I pulled into a parking spot. If I put the heat on it goes right down to normal. The car has gotten hot once on the way home without the AC on a really hot day last week. I never let it get in the red, once it starts I stop.
The coolant does not look like it has oil in it./ The oil looks clear as well. There is no Ominous cloud of white smoke either.
Yesterday, I flushed the coolant , new toyota radiator cap, changed thermostat (set to 6 oclock), radiator hoses and drove it home with AC blasting. Literally right as I was parking it started getting hot again.
Since I bought the car, I have replaced the radiator (preventative), plugs NGK dual ground, all new coil packs, wires, air filter as well, valve cover gaskets as well.
The long story, which again may be irrelevant starts about 2 years ago. I was off-roading in the Pines and a rock broke the coolant lines to the rear heater core. I pulled over when I realized the car was getting hot, there was no coolant in it and the needle was pretty far toward the red. I made it to the trail head and bypassed the rear heater core by looping the hoses together (and forgetting about back core heater). I filled it up with water ( to be honest, river water was all I had) and drove it home. Flushed when I got back and had no problems. Since then and Until the events of last month( overheating in traffic) I have gone off roading on this mountain trail by my house. The truck gets hot at this one steep section every time I get to it. I let her cool and she runs fine for the rest of the day.
After the initial broken coolant line event in the pines, I had the compression tested and it was good….
My questions are now- does this sound like a head gasket?
What’s the best way to test for a Head gasket?
Are there other variables I should consider? (I do know it needs a pinion bearing, could this effect it?)
I want to get a temp gauge so I can be more accurate than the stock one, what is my best option for getting a true engine temp?
I know most people run in the 190-210 degree range? What temp can I run to before it would be best to pull over? What is dangerous?
Thanks!
Ive searched and searched and the closest story I found to mine online was:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/39702-overheating-issues.html
Unfortunately, looks like it was never resolved.
