Coolant System

[Fawbs]

Ok this is the problem i am having and i desperately need help because we are stuck for solutions. I Have a 1995 celica gt4 st205 jap import on 68,000 miles, the car was brilliant when i bought it mechanically sound just a few scrapes on the interior. Unfortunately i crashed it the crash wasnt massive but it crushed the bumper taking out most stuff up to the radiator fortunately not damaging the engine. i got an entire front end second hand same colour for 1300 quid had it built back up by some crash specialist who did a good job.

The problem i have had since the crash is the coolant system is completely round the bend. Basically what happens as far as i can tell is the coolant is boiling/spirting out the radiator expansion tank. The temperature gauge stays in the middle until the loss of coolant becomes so bad there isnt enough to cool it down and the gauge climbs towards the red. I tried putting the a/c fan on to try to cool it down but no luck. So far we have checked the oil for milky deposits, pressure test, check the plugs, changed the thermostat, changed the radiator cap, flushed out the radiator. Other people have suggested a cracked cylinder head or a broke water pump. If anyone can help me it would be great because at the moment we are really stumped and we need help.

cheers

Mike

[GTForbes]

you cancheck the water pump easily enough, with the engine cold run it with the rad cap off untill it gets up to temperature, once there it shouldn't take long for the rad fan to kick in, when it does the thermostat usually opens at the same time so you will see a rushing of water through the rad,

are you sure your fan is working? again another easy thing to test, there is a temperature sensor at the bottom of the rad, next to the hose, unclip the plug from it and the fan should run constantly if the engine is on

[dawesy]

the 205 dosnt usually suffer overheating, are you sure there are no leaks from the hoses as the std pipe clips can leak if disturbed.also may be worth changing the rad cap as they have been known to go weak and that would cause the symptoms mentioned

the heads don't crack but the blocks do, this only causes the temperature to rise under full boost though and as soon as you let off it tends to go down again.

as said check the fan is working and that he radiator is the correct one if replaced

[Fawbs]

Over the weekend he has put a vacuum into the radiator system and it held that for 10minutes and he uses a fast fill for the radiator so there cant be any air locks in the system. The water pump i just realised works because we have had rad cap off and i have seen the water flowing, the fans though i will definitely check but do you think the fans not coming on could cause this problem? We have got a new rad cap and that didnt work, with the radiator being the correct one it seems to be as far as i can tell plus i got it from a guy who breaks gt4's and ive had parts from him before unless he's given me the wrong rad, is there any way i can part no. for example? Today we are running it without the thermostat in if this doesn't work we are completely out of ideas i mean i could use it but would have to take about 20litres of coolant with me and considering i live in salisbury and my base is in peterborough it isnt a great idea. If there is anymore things to check to see if it is a cracked block or gasket please let me know as i little choice but to check the gasket and see if its just starting to go.

Cheers for the suggestions so far

Mike

[led-gt4]

Over the weekend he has put a vacuum into the radiator system and it held that for 10minutes and he uses a fast fill for the radiator so there cant be any air locks in the system. The water pump i just realised works because we have had rad cap off and i have seen the water flowing, the fans though i will definitely check but do you think the fans not coming on could cause this problem? We have got a new rad cap and that didnt work, with the radiator being the correct one it seems to be as far as i can tell plus i got it from a guy who breaks gt4's and ive had parts from him before unless he's given me the wrong rad, is there any way i can part no. for example? Today we are running it without the thermostat in if this doesn't work we are completely out of ideas i mean i could use it but would have to take about 20litres of coolant with me and considering i live in salisbury and my base is in peterborough it isnt a great idea. If there is anymore things to check to see if it is a cracked block or gasket please let me know as i little choice but to check the gasket and see if its just starting to go.

Cheers for the suggestions so far

Mike

gasket shouldnt go on a st205! unless it was damaged in ur crash but cant see how that wud happen.

[fiz-vvti]

i'm sorry to hear u have this problem, i had the same problem with my gt4 st185 a few years back,

was loosing hot water and steam through the rad expanision bottle, there was no milky stuff on the oil cap,

how ever i did have a massive hole in my rad, got that sorted, thermostat was fine, water pipes were fine, had it pressure tested, head was sent of to be tested,it was a cracked head and a fried head gasket, cost me an arm and a leg in repairs, even then after a 100 mile run the car would over heat.

nasty experience and one that no one should go through,

if i had the same problem again, i would sell the car and cut my losses (i had a really bad upsetting emotional experience, thinking about it brings a tear to my eye)

i hope dawesy is right and u have a very simple problem

i wish u the best of luck

p.s, dawesy did u have the supercharged black corolla gti

[led-gt4]

i'm sorry to hear u have this problem, i had the same problem with my gt4 st185 a few years back,

was loosing hot water and steam through the rad expanision bottle, there was no milky stuff on the oil cap,

how ever i did have a massive hole in my rad, got that sorted, thermostat was fine, water pipes were fine, had it pressure tested, head was sent of to be tested,it was a cracked head and a fried head gasket, cost me an arm and a leg in repairs, even then after a 100 mile run the car would over heat.

nasty experience and one that no one should go through,

if i had the same problem again, i would sell the car and cut my losses (i had a really bad upsetting emotional experience, thinking about it brings a tear to my eye)

i hope dawesy is right and u have a very simple problem

i wish u the best of luck

p.s, dawesy did u have the supercharged black corolla gti

the st205 tend to have a very stong head and gasket. i know it was weak in the 185. wud b shocked if it was the head or gasket to be honest

[GTForbes]

if your wanting to test the thermostat just chuck it in a bowl of hot water, above the 82oC that it opens at, straight from the kettle worked for me.

[dawesy]

only real way to check for a cracked block is a bore scope of head off. but on a steady drive it should be fine. its only the high cylinder pressures on boost that open it up. st 205 rad is about 30-35mm thick the other is about 15-20. make sure the top of the rad cap opening is smooth and has no marks.

try driving off boost and see if it lasts longer or dosnt blow water off, if it doesnt then try driving hard and see if it happens, if it does then could well be a cracked block. they tend to go on cyl 2 or 3 on the dividing wall (the one next to 2 or 3) about 1" down from the top (see pic below)

[Fawbs]

Right well we have eliminated everything up to a head gasket or cracked block. At a guess id say its a head gasket because the car was fine until i crashed it, when i crashed it was still running and drove it about a mile and a half to base so im thinking its cooked the gasket unless the impact has some how damaged the block but like i said it wasnt a huge crash. I was hoping it would be one of the cheaper options i have said before but no go im afraid. I have taken the charge cooler, throttle body etc off but i seem to have got stuck to be honest i dont have the experience to do a head gasket with this engine unless someone can give me a step by step guide and it would probably be easier to drop the engine out and work on it then but i just dont have the equipment. If anyone can do a head gasket on a celica gt4 st205 in the salisbury or even the peterborough area then let me know would be a great help. Also checked the rad cap it seemed to be fine but i got a new one just in case.

Cheers

Mike

P.S i will get through this problem i love the car too much just wish i had one before so i knew more stuff about it

[Fawbs]

I will try it with and without boost once i have it back together.

Cheers mate

[led-gt4]

I will try it with and without boost once i have it back together.

Cheers mate

mate join the gt four owners club! some1 on there will be able to help you. im sure there is a few about in ur area. good luck

[dawesy]

if you can get the car recoverd then get it to ian at TR&D in nottingham (0115 9680666) he is a top bloke and has reasonable labour rates.

if the car has overheated then it is possible the head has warped so you will need it skimming as well.