Radiator hose popped off, engine overheat

D

draymondgreen69

New member
This past weekend I changed my radiator (with OEM denso), hoses (OEM), and coolant (Zerex asian red). I added in 8.5 quarts, per the timmy toolman videos. It's possible I did not do a good job with the burping of the air, or the clamps.

I then drove for over 100 miles. I checked the coolant levels, it was low but not too bad so I elected to top it off when I got home. The temp gauge was always around middle/slightly below the whole time so I never thought it was a problem, and I have a lead foot and always have ECT power on (and use OD off probably once a day to pass someone on the highway for a few seconds).

Just now, 2 miles before getting home, I'm gunning it going 90, ECT power on and overdrive off, and the CEL comes on. Specifically I noticed it came on a second after I turned off overdrive to pass someone.

I ease off the pedal immediately and try to go 60 to coast home. Everytime I give the pedal a little throttle, I hear clicking/knocking in the engine. so I stop doing it. I'm in a very bad spot on the freeway though so I'm forced to give it a little more gas.

Then, my engine dies and the thermostat shoots up. I get towed home.

I get home and I see coolant leaking and my lower radiator hose is completely popped off. Error code P0115 (Engine Coolant Temperature Circuit Malfunction)

My guess is I did not put the clamps on properly, and when turning off OD and going 90, the high pressure caused the hose to pop off since it wasn't on securely in the first place. Or, I didn't do a good job burping it, and an air pocket caused the hose to pop off. Or both.


Did I just **** up? Did I warp my head gaskets? I'm so scared. My oil levels are also really low right now (they were normal a few weeks ago and I have no reason to believe it was low prior to this incident).

Tomorrow first thing I am going to replace the clamps and put the hose back on. I will put in coolant and engine oil and then drive it around.
Is there anything else I should do?
 

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A garage sent me out with no coolant in my T4R and the experience was similar - metallic pinging sound followed by dashboard lights followed by the engine shutting off and white smoke pouring out. I was towed home only to find that my head was warped and that coolant filled one of my cylinders. This is why i ended up having to get a JDM replacement engine.

Hoping you find a better situation! These engines are tough but the aluminum heads on a cast iron block isn’t a good recipe during an overheating situation.
 
These engines cannot handle being over heated, especially that bad.

I would be shocked if you didn't at the least blow a head gasket. At worst, you warped/cracked a head or even seized the engine.

The first sign that there is was problem, you should have pulled over immediately.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.....
 
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Did you apply coolant or an oil when sliding the OEM hoses onto the radiator? OEM hoses are so sticky to plastic it is hard to get it on and I use a drop or two of water but never an oil or coolant.
Coolant/oil makes the hoses to slide outwards at pressure even with OEM hose clamps.

Best is turn the engine with a wrench and see whether it spins. If it spins, check the condition of the engine oil (should not be milky). If all is good, add coolant and engine oil and try to start the truck.

I blew the headgaskets on my 92 toyota sprinter (at 222K miles) due to a broken drive belt (drive belt drives the water pump). I saw smoke/vapor coming from the hood and had the top radiator MELTED! Yes, it was melted. I installed a new radiator and started back up and drove home! Yes, I got the head done by myself (first time in my life ) but the OP's condition is not a bad as mine.
My car does not burn oil even at 272K miles and after 50K miles with the new head, it runs strong!
 
that stinks
as said, I would see if it turns over. then I would check fluid levels and top off, then start and see what happens.
If your not loosing water and no water is showing in the oil ( milky) I would then proceed to a leak down test.
You might be lucky and caught it in time.
But like said, cast iron blocks and aluminum heads don't play nice when over heated.
My x wife grossly overheated a volvo and it survived for many years until she traded it in, it was still going good

good luck
 
Wedgy said:
If you are "that guy" going 90mph you need some time off the road.
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90 mph is not too far fetched for some of the freeways here in the Bay Area imo.. avg speed is 80mph on 280 south from sf to Palo Alto area. Not justifying it but just saying it’s not only him lol. I drive 80mph on a daily basis.
 
Make sure you still have the OEM clamps, those screwdriver type ones you get from the parts store are not all that great.
 
gamefreakgc said:
Make sure you still have the OEM clamps, those screwdriver type ones you get from the parts store are not all that great.
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So its funny, the other 3 clamps were the screwdriver type ones from when my mechanic did a coolant flush for me a couple years ago.

The one that slipped off is the OEM clamp...
 
3bears said:
that stinks
as said, I would see if it turns over. then I would check fluid levels and top off, then start and see what happens.
If your not loosing water and no water is showing in the oil ( milky) I would then proceed to a leak down test.
You might be lucky and caught it in time.
But like said, cast iron blocks and aluminum heads don't play nice when over heated.
My x wife grossly overheated a volvo and it survived for many years until she traded it in, it was still going good

good luck
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I topped the fluid levels off and tried to start the car. Its very tough to start, and the coolant shoots out like jizz. When it finally starts, after keeping the key turned about 5 seconds, the coolant shoots out even harder like a geyser. This is completely unlike the bubbling/boiling over when you are burping the system

I'm taking it in to a mechanic, this is beyond me. The mechanic (who specializes in toyota trucks) said he wouldn't go as far to say that the engine head gasket or blocks are warped/broken just yet, so I'm still keeping hope
 
draymondgreen69 said:
I topped the fluid levels off and tried to start the car. Its very tough to start, and the coolant shoots out like jizz. When it finally starts, after keeping the key turned about 5 seconds, the coolant shoots out even harder like a geyser. This is completely unlike the bubbling/boiling over when you are burping the system

I'm taking it in to a mechanic, this is beyond me. The mechanic (who specializes in toyota trucks) said he wouldn't go as far to say that the engine head gasket or blocks are warped/broken just yet, so I'm still keeping hope
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Where is the coolant shooting out of?
 
Hepar said:
Where is the coolant shooting out of?
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I'm assuming he is talking about the radiator since he referenced burping the coolant.

If coolant is shooting out of the radiator when you start it, you have a major head gasket/head failure. You'll probably spend more money trying to rebuild that engine than just swapping in a new/used engine.

So......I would just swap in a new/used engine.

Good luck either way
 
Yeah the Pistons are pushing coolant out the top of the radiator, so head gasket is toast 99%. As far as warping, that's a 50/50. A head job isn't that bad on these. I keep saying this is one of the easiest overall engine to work on besides a Honda 4 cylinder so if you can't do a head gasket ok this, you probably can't on anything else.

Gotta weigh your options: head gasket job is a fair amount of coin including a machine shop now to check and/or flatten head back out. Maybe get away with a few weekends of work and a couple grand. Paying a shop is more obviously.

New engine is the same but then you don't know the history of it and will be replacing a bunch of stuff as preventative anyhow. Plus engine changes require a lot more space and equipment than a head job. Still an overall straightforward job. And still a couple grand.

Too bad this one had to die a death like it did. Totally preventable in a lot of ways.

Good luck
 
thegipper said:
I'm assuming he is talking about the radiator since he referenced burping the coolant.

If coolant is shooting out of the radiator when you start it, you have a major head gasket/head failure. You'll probably spend more money trying to rebuild that engine than just swapping in a new/used engine.

So......I would just swap in a new/used engine.

Good luck either way
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No bueno.
 
FYI with the Toyota style hose clamps; if you're reusing the hoses, make sure the clamp fits the indentation in the hose securely. If not, the clamp likely isn't making good contact all around the hose, and is likely to come off easier.

And yes, flooring it like that is what caused the hose to come off. Flooring it spins your water pump faster, which causes an onrush of coolant pressure.

I split my radiator by flooring it up a freeway on-ramp. Of course the radiator was old and brittle in the first place.



I really feel like anyone messing with their coolant system AT ALL should consider a BlueTooth OBDII dongle and the TorquePro app as part of their supplies. It'll add an extra $15-$20 on to the total price, and will enable you to monitor for any irregularities during your test drives, plus a whole lot more.
I always monitor my temps with Torque Pro and it likely saved my engine when my radiator split.
 
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