04 Reg. 1.4 D4D Overheating & Coolant Loss

[Yarishead]

Hi, this is my first post & it looks like I am going straight in at the deep end!

My daughter has an 04 1.4 D4D Yaris T- Spirit with 68K miles on it. Engine type is 1ND-TV &, horror of horrors it looks like the head gasket has gone. Towards the end of the 250 mile trip from London she noticed the red temperature light flashing briefly [only for about 30 seconds] but being late at night she did the last twenty miles to get home as she assumed it was a false alarm.

Next day I checked the car over & noticed that the coolant head tank level was a bit low so I topped it up. Main reason I was looking at her car was to replace the rear wiper motor and whilst driving her car to source a replacement unit I noticed that the heater was only delivering cold air.

Whilst driving the 10 miles back from the wiper supplier I also noticed the red temp light flashing for less than a minute. The heater then started blowing warm/hot air & I naively hoped that the problem was solved.

It was only after asking my daughter if the heater was working the day before that she mentioned seeing the red temperature light coming on.

On checking the head tank again the level had dropped & there were signs of coolant on the hoses connected to the thermostat housing & on engine around it – very hard to pinpoint exactly where it was leaking from & [with hindsight] the most likely explanation is that the coolant had sprayed out of either the head tank vent pipe or from the water pump pulley.

When I looked under the car I noticed coolant dripping down so it was definitely getting out of the system somehow. So I put the car up on ramps & removed the engine under tray to try to pinpoint the source of the leak.

Still no conclusive diagnosis & after sleeping on it I decided to replace the water pump as I already had a spare ……….. by way of explanation @ 53K miles a “whirring” noise from the front offside of the engine was thought to be an alternator bearing but having had this overhauled & with the noise still present I bought a water pump from Toyota as a contingency spare – however soon after the noise subsided so no further action thought to be needed!

Having replaced the water pump & refilled with Toyota coolant still could not get heater to blow warm air – tried easing back each heater hose from engine bulkhead connections whilst system hot & pressurised & some air/steam/coolant vented off but still no joy with heater function.

After another short run [+/- 5 miles] I noticed that the coolant level had risen by 50 mm. in the head tank so I decided to let it stand overnight to cool down completely. After a nice cold snowy night the level had not dropped & when I loosened the head tank cap the system was still pressurised & the level rose further & some coolant was blown out.

At this point it seems reasonable to assume that the “air” lock in the system has actually got worse & the most probable explanation is leakage of combustion gases into the coolant system via a cylinder head &/or gasket problem………………………. And that’s when I signed on to this forum to find similar reports of heater system faults & apparently spurious temperature warning light indications.

Engine stills runs well & there is no sign of water in oil, i.e. no sludge or emulsion inside filler cap.

On a previous post there was mention of a .pdf file containing chassis numbers where dud heads/gaskets might be expected. Please can anyone help to supply this via email to aalton@live.co.uk

Any other help/advice/comments would be gratefully received – in line with others comments this is likely to be a four figure £ fix if handled by Toyota agents! Ouch !!!

[Jamesbelfast]

Most decent garages can do a chemical test of the coolant to check if it has been contaminated by combustion gases. So it may well be worth checking that aspect.

Also a pressure test gauge on the headr bottle may show rapid flucyuations in pressure - a sign of a blowing gasket.:)

[andycam06]

iav have the same engine model in my corolla and have 92k with no worries (touch wood) havent heard any head gasket reports

hope you get this sorted, let us know what it is

[muddy90]

Hi , yes mine did that and the garage said it was a blocked heater matrix. It might be worth checking it. (mind you my cool light stayed on the red one didn't come on at all.)

[paris the yaris]

Sorry to hear your story, I had a similar experience a few months back,(daughters car) my posts are on this forum (August), it is a dead cert that the head gasket has gone. I did the work myself but the costs spiraled due to having a number of unexpected problems, the gasket is about £40 and it is essential to have the head skimmed, but that is the bear minimum. It is a common fault on these engines it also occurs on the BMW mini diesel which also uses the same engine. I'm happy to offer any further advice.

[Yarishead]

Just to complete the saga from my first post [25/11/2010]

Although I am an experienced DIY mechanic, the weather was freezing & with no prospect of working under cover plus other contributors comments about unforseen snags with seized injectors, stripped threads, spiralling costs etc. I decided to contact RMB Toyota Northallerton who were very helpful. They never actually confirmed that there was a recognised design fault with the 1.4 D4D head gasket or that they had often seen such failures, however I had a number of conversations with their service manager who agreed [from my observations]that the most likely cause was the cylinder head gasket and that the head would need to be removed to confirm this.

I was quoted a minimum price of just under £600 inclusive of parts & VAT & this sounded like a "generous" offer that I decided to accept.

To be fair RMB Northallerton were excellent & kept me updated at every stage of the repair - not just courtesy calls but an in depth discussion with the service manager & the mechanic carrying out the work when the service manager was away for a few days.

They advised that the head studs would need to be checked for elongation & if found necessary a replacement set would cost ~ £100 - fortunately not required.

Removal of the head confirmed that the gasket at the front offside of No. 1 cylinder had failed - not a complete break of the gasket material but more like the breakdown of a surface film/paint giving a "gap" of 2-3 mm.leading to a coolant port . This film was originally about 5mm wide running round the full circumference of the gasket on each cylinder.

We mutually agreed that it made sense to get the head checked by a local machine shop & they gave it a light skim to clean up a few minor pitting areas & clean up some of the threads in the aluminium head - not sure if these were for injectors or heater plugs - in either case this seemed to be the best cost V benefit option.

Head then replaced with the "current" gasket - details of this below and clearly modified from the original. Oil & filter change + recharged with Toyota pink coolant.

Final cost was close to £800 with 12 months warranty on the job - I suppose I was initially expecting it to be worse so, although I could have done without experiencing this failure, as the car is six years old & clearly out of warranty & as I had carried out servicing myself I had no recent Toyota service history I did not have too many other options.

Replacement head gasket part No. T11115-33022-CO used, together with head replacement kit [assume this contains all other joints/seals required] part No. T04112-0N010.

After some local testing my daughter has now driven the car back to London via South Wales & so far all OK - at least I have the peace of mind of the repair warranty - my only concern now is that my son has a 54 plate Yaris D4D with about 55K miles on it - he has been advised what to look out for but hopefully "lightning" will not strike twice in the same place !! ??

[Cyker]

That's a bit worrying indeed!

I'd read about a known problem with the Yaris D4D head gasket on honestjohn.co.uk but it supposedly only affects pre-2003 models and was supposed to have been rectified in newer models!

[Madasafish]

There was a gasket mod in 2002 which supposedly sorted the early 1.4 diesel HG problems..

When buying mine, I saw 3-4 with over 100k miles obviously never touched hg wise.

Mine is 2003- no problems so far - touch wood!

I suspect it may be intolerant of weak antifreeze/low coolant and some other issue started the problem..

(son had HG go on a 106 and after it was repalced, discovered the radiator was leaking).

Your description suggests maybe the water pump could have been leaking slowly...and of course your daughter never checks anything?

[Sam_Boswell]

Hi, could anyone please help. It has been confirmed by Toyota dealer that my head gasket needs replacing. I have bought all the parts but Toyota want at least £700 just for labour which is a bit too extensive. Does anybody know of any reputable Toyota engine specialists that can do the job? Preferably in the west mids area albeit I don't mind traveling further if necessary. As well as the gasket, cyclinder, head bolts, tensioner etc I've also bought a new water pump, thermostat, timing chain etc to be on the safe side. I appreciate/welcome your advice. Many thanks, Sam

[Ormicron]

Hi

Can anyone tell me if the engine has to come out for this repair? It has been suggesed it come out because of difficulty getting the cam chain off.

Ormicron

[Madasafish]

I have changed the chain on a 1.0 petrol .. remove the engine mounting supporting the engine under the sump.

Looking at my D4D, same thing..

Given a proper garage lift , raise car in air so you can work under it, jack under sump.. Easy.

I did the 1.0 by jacking the front wheels off the ground and placing the car on axle stands (strong ones) to give more under car access.

Given the right tools and especially a long lever to undo the crankshaft pulley nut* it was not difficult. With only 1 cam the D4D should be easier. Make sure you note all timing marks.

* and a homemade pulley locking tool.

[Ioannia]

Hello

I have similar problems

Can anybody who has a d4d 1.4 engine confirm if there is pressure inside the cooling system even if the car is completely cold?

Whenever I open the plastic expansion cap there is a little pressure inside!

Thanks

[Madasafish]

Yes: always some residual pressure - unless your system leaks...

[mecheng46]

My 2003 d4d yaris started having similar issues couple of months ago and since then i still haven’t manage to find the problem. The only difference with OP’s first message is that my car didnt show any signs of overheating. I go on motorway most of my commute with some speed and this issue never caused me any problems with overheating so far.

I do a 100mile commute everyday with my yaris and the syptoms i have at the moment is loss of coolant and with a warm engine heater blows cold air if i go round a tight bend with some speed. This only happens just after engine warms up and it only takes 2-3 minutes and then it goes back to normal and it blows warm air for the rest of my commute.

The car has 160k on the clock and if this is a head gasket problem then is not worth doing much about it apart from managing the symptoms.

Any suggestions that’s worth looking at guys?

[Madasafish]

If it was my own car, I would drain the coolant,flush the cooling system and refill with new antifreeze  -of the correct OAT type - and change the thermostat and radiator cap. It is possible you have a build up of corrosion in the engine which moves around on cornering and which blocks the heater pipes or thermostat temporarily.

[mecheng46]

This will possibly solve any issues with the heater and the cold air issue but I cannot see this having an impact on the loss of coolant issue. A blockage or corrosion is unlikely to be causing the loss of coolant, especially on a system that is made out of aluminium (block and head).

 

Loss of coolant is my main worry as I don't want to overheat the engine.

[ianmak]

Hi all, nothing quite like dragging up an old thread! However my poor car (2003 D4D) is getting to the stage where lots of things are starting to go wrong!

There is some what looks like oil seeping slowly around the front of the engine. I will check where, but I'd imagine from the gasket.

Loud whirring noise coming I thought from the alternator, however it could be the water pump. Gets louder the higher the revs.

If I turn off the ignition within 5 mins of starting the car I hear a gurgle from the engine.

Coolant level getting lower recently.

Although blue temp light goes out within 5-10 mins of driving, it's taking a good 15-20 mins for the  heater to start working.

I am hoping that all of this is leading to a faulty thermostat, and a water pump, however the risk of a blown gasket worries me as aren't the gaskets expensive to replace? And if it is, then should I just get a replacement car. There isn't any creamy substance in the engine yet...

Anyway, judging from the above, does it sound like a pump/thermostat issue?

 

[Cyker]

Possibly the water pump; I had to replace the one in my D4D as it was starting to weep. Had it done when I had the aux belt changed due to it making tortured chalk-on-a-blackboard sounds on cold mornings until the engine warmed up!

Head gaskets not usually a problem on the D4Ds, at least I don't think I've heard of one needing replacement.

madasafish is one of the last remaining masters of the 1.4D4D here so hopefully he'll chime in!

The problem is at that age everything on the car tends to have corrosion, esp. things on the underside of the car.

[Max_Headroom]

Are you getting a lot of steam at the exhaust when it's up to temperature?

I know a lot of members will frown at this but watch all of the video the mechanic does a sniffer  test on the coolant then fixes the head gasket   using steel seal it's for a lot of good reviews and cpared to the price of doing the gasket could save you a lot of money.

 

 

[ianmak]

Thanks both. I'll respond later to your comments as I need to check where the oil leak is and to check water levels etc. Madasafish is a legend, well away of his D4D escapades!

[ianmak]

Thanks for the steel seal link. I was imagining a steel gasket! I don't think the garage will even do the gasket if it is going (and £800 plus), so it's gotta be worth a punt for £40. Will see if I can get a cheap sniffer test too. 

Taking to garage tomorrow to diagnose pump/alternator and thermostat so fingers crossed!