Bubbling When Open Rad Cap?

[kitingplasterer]

Hi all, i will start by saying what a great website and the fact that i am useless with cars and know nothing about motors

I was driving my 91 masterace 2l td yesterday and it began to overheat after some steep hills in Nz's highcountry(Over here on yrs visa), i thought this was because it has worked harder than around town

I stopped to let it cool and heard a bubbling so lifted the engine and the coolant pot was bubbling and had filled right up with the coolant.

I didnt know what to do so waited for a hr to cool and then emptied the coolant so in between min and max and topped rad up with water. Drove and same again after 5 mins.

Stopped and same thing, didnt allow to get to the red and only drove for a max 5 mins but was geting hot and only cold air coming out of heaters.

And when the van is on idle and the rad cap is open it bubbles slightly.

Is this the head gasket, i was reading on your guide it could be as simple as the radiator cap?? or am i incorrect there?

Any help would be massivly appreciated

There is no white smoke, it starts fine, no water mixed with oil etc.

Thanks alot,

Lee

[GIDDLEPIN]

Hi Lee and welcome to the club

Unfortunately the symptoms you describe point to it being head gasket failure, the bubbles are caused by compression from the cylinder crossing over to a water way between the block and head :(

Les

[balli hi]

It could be the thermostat , i had a similar problem with my cab last year , the initial diagnosis was as above , however , thankfully it turned out to be a sticking thermostat . fingers crossed its just that because if its what Les has described it will be costly

When you refilled your radiator after emptying it , you should have made sure that your heater controll inside the vehicle was turned up to maximum ( on the red ) otherwise you cause air pockets in the cooling system and your heater will blow cold , to rectify , you should remove the radiator cap , turn your heater dial right up on the red and then run your engine , you will observe the air bubbles popping on the surface of the rad opening , run the engine untill no more bubbles appear , you will probably have to top the rad up a bit , then replace the radiator cap . hope this helps .

[kitingplasterer]

It could be the thermostat , i had a similar problem with my cab last year , the initial diagnosis was as above , however , thankfully it turned out to be a sticking thermostat . fingers crossed its just that because if its what Les has described it will be costly

When you refilled your radiator after emptying it , you should have made sure that your heater controll inside the vehicle was turned up to maximum ( on the red ) otherwise you cause air pockets in the cooling system and your heater will blow cold , to rectify , you should remove the radiator cap , turn your heater dial right up on the red and then run your engine , you will observe the air bubbles popping on the surface of the rad opening , run the engine untill no more bubbles appear , you will probably have to top the rad up a bit , then replace the radiator cap . hope this helps .

Thanks so much for you replies, i will try that right now, in nz so morning. I was chatting to my lasses uncle (ex aa man) and he also said take out the thermostat.

Do either of you have any idea how i can do this and where it is?? Pic attatched, many thanks again. fingers crossed for thermostat, skint and trying to travel abou this country. hope your enjoying the snow

[balli hi]

It could be the thermostat , i had a similar problem with my cab last year , the initial diagnosis was as above , however , thankfully it turned out to be a sticking thermostat . fingers crossed its just that because if its what Les has described it will be costly

When you refilled your radiator after emptying it , you should have made sure that your heater controll inside the vehicle was turned up to maximum ( on the red ) otherwise you cause air pockets in the cooling system and your heater will blow cold , to rectify , you should remove the radiator cap , turn your heater dial right up on the red and then run your engine , you will observe the air bubbles popping on the surface of the rad opening , run the engine untill no more bubbles appear , you will probably have to top the rad up a bit , then replace the radiator cap . hope this helps .

Thanks so much for you replies, i will try that right now, in nz so morning. I was chatting to my lasses uncle (ex aa man) and he also said take out the thermostat.

Do either of you have any idea how i can do this and where it is?? Pic attatched, many thanks again. fingers crossed for thermostat, skint and trying to travel abou this country. hope your enjoying the snow

One of the most common reasons a car or truck engine overheats is a faulty thermostat. The thermostat closes when the engine is cold and opens as the engine warms up to allow the coolant to circulate through the engine. Follow these steps to test a cooling system thermostat.

Check the Thermostat While the Engine is Running

Step 1Locate the engine's thermostat, normally at the front of the engine, by tracing the water hoses from the radiator to the engine. One hose goes from the radiator into the thermostat housing on one side, and the other hose goes out of the housing back to the radiator on the other side.

Step 2Open the radiator cap and verify that the radiator is full. Replace the radiator cap and start the engine.

Step 3Turn the vehicle's heater on high. Allow the engine to warm up for a few minutes. Be careful not to let the engine overheat.

Step 4Feel each of the hoses leading to and from the thermostat housing. If both hoses are hot and the heater is pushing out hot air, the thermostat is functioning properly. If not, the thermostat may be stuck, and you'll need to remove the thermostat from the engine to perform the next test.

Remove and Test the Thermostat

Step 1Turn off the engine and allow the engine to cool.

Step 2Remove the bolts holding the thermostat cap in place.

Step 3Lift off the housing cap to expose the thermostat. Pull the thermostat out of the housing with your fingers. Take careful note of which way it sits so that you can reinstall it or its replacement in the same position.

Step 4Put the thermostat in a pan of water on the stove, and turn the burner on high.

Step 5Monitor the water temperature with an oven thermometer. The thermostat should open at about 195 degrees F if it is functioning properly.

Step 6Replace a faulty thermostat. Reinstall it if it opens and closes properly, and look for another problem in the cooling system.

or take a look hear : http://www.2carpros.com/how_does_it_work/h...mostat_work.htm

[kitingplasterer]

thanks mate, might sound like a stupid questions but i dont know so here goes. the vans rad seems to be pretty close to the floor and theres not much room under there, does it need to be jacked up or are these areas accesable without that being done, only have a small jack and dont fancy lying underneath it

[balli hi]

thanks mate, might sound like a stupid questions but i dont know so here goes. the vans rad seems to be pretty close to the floor and theres not much room under there, does it need to be jacked up or are these areas accesable without that being done, only have a small jack and dont fancy lying underneath it

You should'nt need to jack the vehicle up for the thermostat , it should be located somewhere just behind the radiator cap at top of the engine

here's the link again which shows illustrated pictures http://www.2carpros.com/dia/test_thermostat.htm

[kitingplasterer]

cant even really see the rad as the centre console is in the way and the fan casing covers it, pain in the *****. might take drivers seat and centre console out to see if i have more room. cant see anything that looks like that and cant seem to load a pic up, ha

[balli hi]

cant even really see the rad as the centre console is in the way and the fan casing covers it, pain in the *****. might take drivers seat and centre console out to see if i have more room. cant see anything that looks like that and cant seem to load a pic up, ha

I'm starting to think this is a wind up

[kitingplasterer]

not a wind up at all, asi sais i know nothing about motors, i have found what i think is the housing but it is located pretty much unders the seating for the autotransmission and centre console so i cant really get to it. going to have a go after lunch.

Its easy when ya know how i suppose, i certainly dont. Unscrewed something but it was just a connection for two pipes so will have a go with this other bit.

Thanks

[kitingplasterer]

pulled off everything i could find and there was no housing in any of the hoses etc, im not looking at a career change.

[balli hi]

not a wind up at all, asi sais i know nothing about motors, i have found what i think is the housing but it is located pretty much unders the seating for the autotransmission and centre console so i cant really get to it. going to have a go after lunch.

Its easy when ya know how i suppose, i certainly dont. Unscrewed something but it was just a connection for two pipes so will have a go with this other bit.

Thanks

May i suggest you consult your " lasses uncle " ex AA man [ quote ] Thanks so much for you replies, i will try that right now, in nz so morning. I was chatting to my lasses uncle (ex aa man) and he also said take out the thermostat. [ End Quote ] , i should have twigged then as to why you were asking the forum for help , this is a wind up all day long , funny how you knew where the rad was in order to drain out the fluid when it first overheated , i'm sure your seeing how far you can go with this .....

[t-sportIRL]

I had the exact same problem but on my corolla, turned out to be the water pump was gone

Only difference is i didnt have the bubbles out of the radiator while ticking over which does sound like head gasket.

I went through all the thermostat changes etc done notting, hope you get it sorted

[kitingplasterer]

not a wind up at all, asi sais i know nothing about motors, i have found what i think is the housing but it is located pretty much unders the seating for the autotransmission and centre console so i cant really get to it. going to have a go after lunch.

Its easy when ya know how i suppose, i certainly dont. Unscrewed something but it was just a connection for two pipes so will have a go with this other bit.

Thanks

May i suggest you consult your " lasses uncle " ex AA man [ quote ] Thanks so much for you replies, i will try that right now, in nz so morning. I was chatting to my lasses uncle (ex aa man) and he also said take out the thermostat. [ End Quote ] , i should have twigged then as to why you were asking the forum for help , this is a wind up all day long , funny how you knew where the rad was in order to drain out the fluid when it first overheated , i'm sure your seeing how far you can go with this .....

I have got idea why you would think this is a wind up, i am in new zealand to travel not sit on an internet forum on the wind up i can assure you i am genuibe asking for help. I am not a complete numpty, i know what a rad is and where coolant goes etc.

If the ex aa man, was in nz i would have him over to sort it but with a 11 hr time diff and work i cant get him on the phone only passing emails.

I have had all the pipes off, and have had to pull out drivers seat and undo the section that covers other half of motor to be able to get to what i presume if the housing.

From the top right hand side of the rad there is a thick rubber pipe which connects to a metal one and then a gasket which goes onto a 'housing' it has two screws in the top (no idea what for as they are just holes when you take em out) then this housing attatches to the main section of the motor. it also has a thin pipe running off to the back of the motor (no idea where too.)

I had come to a complete dead end when a friend of a friend (only been here a while and dont know many people to ask for help) offers to come over and have a look.

He reckons it should sit in the section of the housing between the housing and motor as there is a kind of ridge that there is nothing in.

Sooooooo, thermostat aint there. So if i was to buy one and stick a new one and drain the cooling system (learnt how to get coolant out, pull off bottom pipe and it goes all over your drive) then hose it all out and refil do we think it might work???

Prob not???....

Thanks again

Lee

The section in the pic on the left????? is where we think it should be

[balli hi]

Please accept my sincere apologies , i could'nt understand why you would be taking out drivers seat , and still can't , anyway that said , follow the top hose from the radiator to where it connects to on the engine , the thermostat housing should be just there held in place with bolts not screws , once removed you should be able to see the thermostat , remove it and test it as explained in my previous post , if faulty replace , you must also remove the old gasket clean up the area and replace with new gasket and sealant , also as said previously , make sure your heater control is turned right up to maximum before refilling the rad , don't forget to add the right mix of correct antifreeze for your vehicle .

If as you say you have removed the thermostat housing and the thermostat is not there then there's every chance the engine may have been damaged , the thermostat is not only there in order to open and close to control the engine temperature , the thermostat is designed to control the correct flow of coolant through the cooling system while the engine is warming up to operating temperature.

Look it could be that your head gasket has failed , it could be the water pump , it might even be a combination of things maybe the rad is all furred up as well and the water can't flow through it correctly , i personally would start with the thermostat first ( the cheapest part ) , and most common cause of overheating and then go from there , sorry again for assuming a " wind up " all the best , hope you get it sorted .

[balli hi]

The Toyota Van Official service manual

I have found this for you , please click on link http://toyotavans.org/community/tips/manua...LING_SYSTEM.PDF scroll up till you come to C-O6

judging from the diagram the thermostat housing is on the end of the water outlet hose , the bottom hose from the rad and not the top

The Toyota Van community Site

http://toyotavans.org/community/tips/toyo_manual.html

[balli hi]

The Toyota Van Official service manual

I have found this for you , please click on link http://toyotavans.org/community/tips/manua...LING_SYSTEM.PDF scroll up till you come to C-O6

judging from the diagram the thermostat housing is on the end of the water outlet hose , the bottom hose from the rad and not the top

The Toyota Van community Site

http://toyotavans.org/community/tips/toyo_manual.html

LOL , i see you are already familiar with the Toyota Community Van Site , as you have posted the same question on there with zero response http://forum.shugpro.com/cgi-bin/simpleforum_pro.cgi?fid=02 3rd topic down from top

[kitingplasterer]

Yeah fuond that one too, lol.

i reckon it prob is the head as the bubbles and the only other thing that cause that is the thermo aparently as per all my internet searches

I reckon i have def found the housing as in the pic on my last msg, it was held on by 3 wingnuts at the end of the water inlet pipe.

So i am going to buy a thermostat an stick it in and going to get some rad flush and get a hose in there and clean it out and see what comes out

Then start again i suppose before i go to a garage.

Have you heard of or used CHEM I WELD, you pour in the rad and it fills in holes aparently and repairs (well) cracked heads etc

I know it would be a kinda bodge job but it may give me a bit more driving time as i cant really afford to get the head repaired at the moment.

!Removed! CARS!!

Cheers mate

[kitingplasterer]

i have found ittttt, yeahhhhh. It was off the bottom radiator pipe going under the engine not off the top one for some reason. But anyway i have found it, boiled it and it did open but i had been pushing it before hand so it might be that or it might not be but i found it so !Removed! happy.

had a hose in the rad to try and flsuh it out will get some rad cleaner stuff tomorrow and try and get it running