Engine overheated and went up in smoke (1 Viewer)

[Go big blue]

I have an 85 fj60. I just had my radiator replaced and the car overheated and the engine and tailpipe began spewing white smoke. The large hose from the rad to the engine burst. Can’t tell if there is any other damage. How likely is it that I cracked the engine block? Drove it about 1/2 mile with it smoking before I could pull over.

 

[CaptClose]

Wow... assuming you replaced the radiator cap with the radiator? The cap should have been the weak link and opened up before the upper hose blew. Chances are you blew a head gasket. The head will have come off and get resurfaced. They can check it for cracks at the same time. But you’re gonna have to get your cooling system in shape before it all gets put back together.

Edit: when you say JUST had the radiator replaced... who did the work? And how soon after replacement did the truck overheat?

 

[Go big blue]

Wow... assuming you replaced the radiator cap with the radiator? The cap should have been the weak link and opened up before the upper hose blew. Chances are you blew a head gasket. The head will have come off and get resurfaced. They can check it for cracks at the same time. But you’re gonna have to get your cooling system in shape before it all gets put back together.

Edit: when you say JUST had the radiator replaced... who did the work? And how soon after replacement did the truck overheat?

The radiator was replaced about two weeks and 200 miles ago. It seemed to run fine until a few days ago when it started running a bit hot but not in the red. Last night and this morning it got pretty darn close to the red. On my way home tonight it jumped into the red really quickly and then I heard a pop and smoke started coming from everywhere. Got the radiator done at a shop in Orange County, Ca. The guy is a Toyota certified master technician but who knows whether he may have missed something.

 

[CaptClose]

I think he missed something. The thermostat should have been replaced too. My guess is that it seized in the closed position and never opened up. This would have trapped super heated coolant in the radiator. Your cap is supposed to open at around 16psi (if I recall correctly). This releases the pressure in the system. If the cap was also old and inoperable, the head gasket and (in your case) the upper radiator hose were the next escape point. No bueno. Sorry man. Go back to your guy and see what they’ll do for you. It is possible that you had some kind of clog floating around the system too, but they should have flushed the system and cleaned it all out at the same time. This is why it’s better to do your own work.

 

[ToyotaMatt]

I have an 85 fj60. I just had my radiator replaced and the car overheated and the engine and tailpipe began spewing white smoke. The large hose from the rad to the engine burst. Can’t tell if there is any other damage. How likely is it that I cracked the engine block? Drove it about 1/2 mile with it smoking before I could pull over.

I agree with @CaptClose , Replacing the thermostat & installing a New Radiator cap are text book steps with a major cooling system repair Like the Radiator Assy .

But here is another likely senerio :

U have a 33 year old truck . The installer should have installed a new Upper & Lower Radiator Hoses & 4 New Clamps bare minimum.......

If he Re-Used any of the above then hew was not qualified to be working on your truck , Im sorry but those are the facts

When U push , pull, twist , & bend Older or possibly 33 Year old Original Hoses and Re-use Rusty Old Clamps a failure of the EPDM Rubber Hose is more likely to occur

To get a solid answer as to weather your engine was damaged due a FULL steps wet & dry compression test on ALL 6 cylinders

If U are not sure how to do that or dont have the tools etc , Find a qualified shop that knows JAPAN engines & have them record
the PSI results for U on paper so U know whats what , & can make a educated decision moving forward

Good Luck @Go big blue

 

[CaptClose]

@RAGINGMATT Oh yeah... never even thought that a tech would reuse the old hoses. Makes sense though, what a total lapse in judgement that would have been.

 

[ToyotaMatt]

@RAGINGMATT Oh yeah... never even thought that a tech would reuse the old hoses. Makes sense though, what a total lapse in judgement that would have been.

the 2F engine set up has some goofy hose sizes and layout that even a lardge NAPA store won't stock them , then theres all the optional A/C configurations too , I always source SOR's 4 or 5 pc kits , they come with All 8-10 of those good Swiss Toothless hose clamps all in one box for a reasonable price & the hose quality is Very Good too

if this so called Tech, re-used even 1 rusty old pep boys clamp that might have done it .......

 

[Michael Hanson]

Hi, Personally I never reuse old hoses once they are taken off,unless I know how old they are. Belts and hoses I usually replace every 3 years. I don't like to work on a broken cruiser on the side of the road. When you pull and replace a radiator and flush the system all kind of crud gets moved around some ending up in the thermost . Good idea to flush and replace at the same time. Mike

 

[cwwfj60]

The OP's story began with the "the truck overheated....tailpipe began spewing white smoke"...this is your head gasket failing clearly. This causes combustion gases to go straight into the coolant, depending on how bad (white smoke out the tail pipe is BAD). This can cause all kinds of s*** to start blowing up, doesn't mean it was an old hose, old clamp, or the tech's fault at all.

The problem here is you let your truck overheat, now you need to figure out what caused it.

Little too soon to start bashing this tech fellas....

 

[morganism]

Sounds like the rear heater wasnt burped, and you had an insulating bubble trapped in thermostat. You gotta burb these trucks on a STEEP incline...

 

[NMfjCruiser]

I second the air bubble theory. My experience is that great care needs to taken to clear the system of air.
Sure the head gasket probably blew but was it cause or effect?

 

[morganism]

PS. Drain your oil NOW! if you have water floating on top of the pan, it will eat the crank bushings quickly...

I would disconnect coil, and while turning over, not starting, dump in another quart, and maybe some Seafoam too...

 

[Go big blue]

Unfortunately I know very little about working on cars. I love this truck. I just bought it in October. All original, one PO, garaged in California, 168,000 miles, super clean inside and out (for a 33 old truck). How much am I looking at to fix the head gasket (understanding that I also need to figure out the cooling issue)? Would this be a good time to look at a full engine rebuilt or a swap? My mechanic isn’t back until Monday so I won’t have a full diagnosis until then.

 

[ToyotaMatt]

Unfortunately I know very little about working on cars. I love this truck. I just bought it in October. All original, one PO, garaged in California, 168,000 miles, super clean inside and out (for a 33 old truck). How much am I looking at to fix the head gasket (understanding that I also need to figure out the cooling issue)? Would this be a good time to look at a full engine rebuilt or a swap? My mechanic isn’t back until Monday so I won’t have a full diagnosis until then.

What all else Parts did the mechanic replace besides the radiator ?

It should be spelled out in some way on your invoice or receipt

 

[Spike Strip]

Head Gasket is expensive. Lots of labor involved. Could be around $1000 depending on what you need, and assuming the head isn't cracked. And it would be foolish not to have the Int/Exhaust manifold checked/serviced at the same time -- And ALL hoses replaced, thermostat, etc ...

You could be looking at $1500 ?? But admittedly, it's been some time since I've had a car worked on so I'm not really that familiar with current shop rates.

I'd personally find someone more familiar with FJ60s and 2Fs.

You've got Mark A. of Mark's Off Road, in Burbank -- www.marksoffroad.net

 

[roscoFJ73]

I have an 85 fj60. I just had my radiator replaced and the car overheated and the engine and tailpipe began spewing white smoke. The large hose from the rad to the engine burst. Can’t tell if there is any other damage. How likely is it that I cracked the engine block? Drove it about 1/2 mile with it smoking before I could pull over.

You could be lucky. They are tough old engines. I'm also thinking it was the thermostat. What kind of problems were you having to make you need a new radiator? Have you looked at the oil or the underside of the oil filler cap?

 

[workingdog]

DON'T PANIC!

How familiar is your mechanic with old LandCruisers. If he's not an expert, find one and have it towed there. There are a few in So Cal, hopefully there's one close to you. I would not let a neighborhood mechanic help you through this.

 

[FJ40Jim]

FWIW, there's a work order for a just completed HG job on my desk. About $1500, and I work cheap.

It's very unlikely that the block is cracked. Very likely that the head is cracked.

 

[Go big blue]

DON'T PANIC!

How familiar is your mechanic with old LandCruisers. If he's not an expert, find one and have it towed there. There are a few in So Cal, hopefully there's one close to you. I would not let a neighborhood mechanic help you through this.

He told me he just did a full rebuild on an fj40 that the owners drove to Yosemite and back without issue right after the rebuild. He says that he’s worked on land cruisers many times and that fj40s are his favorite. He was recommended to a private dealer I know well by a local Toyota dealership. He seems to know his stuff but hard for me to really tell. He’s been very conservative. Addressing only critical issues and encouraging me to drive it more so that he could better diagnose some of the leaks. He replaced the radiator because the car was consistently running hot and he believed the radiator was plugged. After replacing the rad he told me that he was a bit concerned that I would have additional issues given that a coolant pipe had been previously cut off because it rusted through. He mentioned that it’s not uncommon to crack a head but that I should drive it and report back any issues. I’d already spoken with him about bringing it back in because it was still running warm/hot but was planning to drive it another day or so before taking it in. I should have pulled over as soon as it jumped into the red but it had previously been cooling down at freeway speeds and only getting hot while sitting or idling. This time not so much. I switched from my old mechanic because I wanted someone that knew Land Cruisers well. Now I’m concerned.

 

[Joe T]

You have insurance?

I bet they forgot to take the plugs out of the radiator.