Boiling Coolant reserve tank

flaa1a · 07-26-09, 10:04 PM

After driving my 1972 55 for about 20 or more minutes and shuting it off, the coolant in the Reserve Tank is boiling furiously! The radiator cap from the PO was shot so I bought one at Autozone...it did not seal good, so I got an OEM one from the Toyota dealership here in town. It seems to seal a little better. The PO said he changed the water pump, but not the thermostat. I changed the thermostat last week (broke the bolts off while taking it off...probabaly why the PO did not change it). Does anyone have any experiences with this? The reserve tank is prolly not an original, and i have had to add Coolant a couple of times because it get so hot it blows stuff out the overfill hose. maybe I just have over filled it? I have visions of the two rear heater hoses blowing up and spewing hot molten lava all over me and my son.

FLA A1A

cruiser_guy · 07-27-09, 06:57 AM

Check the compression or do a leak down test. Sounds to me like a head gasket. What does the temp gauge show when this is going on?

flaa1a · 07-27-09, 09:03 AM

It stays within the two white lines....a little closer to the top end though.

cruiser_guy · 07-27-09, 12:17 PM

Yep, check compression and do a leak down test then. My bet is a head gasket gone bad.

flaa1a · 07-27-09, 01:21 PM

Is that a pricey repair? I know......

cruiser_guy · 07-27-09, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flaa1a

Is that a pricey repair? I know......

Not necessarily but it's not a $20 repair either.

RHINO · 07-27-09, 10:12 PM

the price of the repair would really depend if you do it or not, parts are cheap labor for this is not.

fjdaveinoz · 07-29-09, 06:38 AM

This may be left field, but I had a similar problem - radiator pushing boiling water into overflow tank, and couldnt track it down. Replaced everything inc radiator to no avail. Someone suggested ignition timing. Checked and it was out, not a lot, car was running ok. Adjusted timing, car ran a lot better, way cooler, and never boiled again. Hope this works for you, beats doing a HG. Have you checked to see if there are heaps of bubbles in radaitor with cap off and car running?

Dave

flaa1a · 07-29-09, 08:24 AM

No I have not yet... I am going to check the compression and the timing and I will let everyone know....Thanks for the help everybody!

flaa1a · 07-29-09, 09:31 AM

What would the bubbles in the radiator while the pig is running imply?

Ming89FJ62 · 07-29-09, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flaa1a

What would the bubbles in the radiator while the pig is running imply?

Could be as simple as some air trapped in the cooling system but more than likely than not a blown head gasket or cracked head. It really all depends...

PabloCruise · 07-29-09, 10:41 AM

Does coolant smell like gas?

Is there coolant in the oil (oil look milky)?

Does exhaust smell like coolant?

These would all be subtle clues that the head gasket has indeed been comprimised.

If it is headgasket, this is a reasonable repair for you to accomplish. THe good news is that it is a great time to send out the head for a valve job.

flaa1a · 07-29-09, 11:07 AM

No oil in the radiator, no water in the oil either. Both look fine. A buddy told us to check the spark plugs for white discoloration as this is an indication of a blown head gasket. Unfortunatley the PO changed the plugs not too long ago. One did seem a little white, but not too bad. On one hand I want to change the HG just so I can clean everything up. On the other hand, I will be pissed if I change it and spend all the time on it and it still boils!!

cruiser_guy · 07-29-09, 10:33 PM

A leak down test should be fairly conclusive. Do that first and report back. You can have a cracked head or blown head gasket without getting coolant in the oil or oil in the coolant. White plugs would be a tell tale but if they are new...

fjdaveinoz · 07-29-09, 10:43 PM

Do all the simple stuff first
Flush cooling system inc heater
Pull radiator, flush it
back flush everything again and fill with good anti freeze anti boil coolant (can you get castrol stuff there? they do an excellent one which is well priced)
check plugs are correct ones
set points etc, new rotor arms, points and dissy caps are cheap, just replace them if they are even slightly questionable.
reset timing and tune to the grade of fuel you are using.
go for a drive and hope it dont boil again

on a side note, It's not as common for a landcruiser to do a HG here in oz, I have worked for a toyota dealer for years and have rarely done one even on an 80 series. I see its a common problem over there. My 80 is running on LPG (propane) for the last 340,000 klms and has never had the head off. I have done quite a few 3F's never a 2F, unless part of a rebuild, or a burnt valve (very common here - esp 3f's) and they have all been abused and have high milage. I wonder what makes our hg's better down here? surely they were the same world wide.

Dave

southerncruiser62 · 07-30-09, 11:48 AM

Just went through all of this and concluded head gasket, all the symptons you mentioned.

Not a bad job just time consuming slightly, but take your time.

PabloCruise · 07-30-09, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flaa1a

No oil in the radiator...

But does coolant smell like gasoline?

Do a compression check, and/or leak-down test.

Let us know.

flaa1a · 07-30-09, 01:37 PM

I can get a compression checker thing...and my dad has a timing light......but I am embarrassed to say I do not know what a "leak down" test is. Can I get a quick run down....

Ming89FJ62 · 07-30-09, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flaa1a

I can get a compression checker thing...and my dad has a timing light......but I am embarrassed to say I do not know what a "leak down" test is. Can I get a quick run down....

Don't be embarassed. Here's link w/ a good description
What is a "leak down" test? — Yahoo! Autos

southerncruiser62 · 08-02-09, 06:04 AM

Thought I would post up, heres a link to what I found when having the same problem. Coolant was boiling.....

http://forum.ih8mud.com/nc-olde-nort...ment-fj55.html