Another cooling system malfunction -- any help appreciated!

[Grumvee]

New to me 2010 LX. Definitely been a rocky start. Finally sorted out and repaired this cooling system issue (valley plate leak).

Then drove a very smooth 3,000 miles across the country.

Today, out for a 40MPH short drive, got to our destination, and found coolant gushing out on to the ground. A large radiator hose had come loose, with the hose clamp and hose completely disconnected. Please see picture for which hose/clamp it was. I have no idea why this came loose. Any theories?

My mechanic replaced the hoses and all clamps during the valley plate repair. He is stumped and is asking to see the hose clamp (unfortunately I dropped it and it landed on the skid plate, and I haven't had a chance to retrieve it yet).

I used a generic clamp to re-attach the hose. But unfortunately vehicle started overheating immediately. I would have of course added fluid to replace what has lost (it was multiple quarts, by the looks of it)... but the reservoir was full.

I let it sit for several hours and the reservoir went down near the low mark. I added coolant to bring it up to full. The radiator was still full. I started the LX and let it run for about 10 minutes. The temp came up to the halfway mark, which is where it usually sits. It didn't drink down any of the coolant from the reservoir. I gave it a little gas and the temp started to tick up toward hot. I turned it off and gave up. I knew, based on the prior driving in this condition, that it would soon overheat.

Is there air in the system? What should I do?

At a minimum, I'll need to drain and refill the system with Toyota coolant since what I had to add for the side-of-the-road work was generic coolant. But at this point, it's stuck at the side of the road and not drivable.

Thanks in advance, Mud.

Grumvee

P.S. Current milage is 122k. Water pump, thermostat, and all hoses/clamps replaced at 118k. Radiator was replaced at 90k.

 

[montegofd3s]

Very odd. Do you know if they used OEM parts (t-stat specifically)? I can guarantee you there's air in the system. You are going to need to bleed it, and I would suggest getting a spill proof funnel like the one linked below to get the fluid nice and high up. Don't forget to blast the heat front and rear so the fluid is traveling through the heater cores.

Lisle Spill Free Funnel LIS24680 - The Home Depot

Append this innovative breakthrough in comfort and support to your safety with Lisle Spill Free Funnel.

www.homedepot.com

These instructions may help you through the flush and fill process.

Coolant Flush How-to: 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser 5.7L V8

How to flush the coolant antifreeze in a 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser 5.7L V8 with petcock, radiator drain flush and burp

www.carcarekiosk.com

 

[Sandroad]

I’d venture that either the hose or clamp was the wrong size, or the hose was not all the way on the pipe. They don’t just fall off. Others on here will chime in on how to burp the air out.

edit: As I look more closely at the photo, it seems like the hose is larger than the pipe, though maybe it’s just the photo angle. In any event, something was done wrong.

I hope it didn’t overheat.

edit again. Be sure to retrieve the clamp. Something doesn’t look right with the tangs on it?

 

[Grumvee]

Thanks folks.

I found the problem. My mechanic didn't CLOSE the clamp.

Please see pictures. This is the condition of the clamp when the hose came disconnected.

By using pliers, I see that the mechanism snaps closed (if you use pliers to activate the closing mechanism -- which he didn't).

I'm calling my mechanic now.

Does anyone know if this is indeed the correct Toyota part? The parts schematic I'm looking at calls for p/n 96136-54801.

Grumvee

 

[RET2]

Thanks for the follow up, they really help.

 

[montegofd3s]

THat makes sense. That looks factory, and p/n 96136-54801 seems correct according to camelbacks site.