My first breakdown

[Circinus]

Well, I finally had my first breakdown in my 93' 80. We were on our way to a family reunion and pulled into a gas station to grab some sodas real quick and when I put it in park Steam was just bellowing everywhere. 40 some miles from home and only tools I had with me was a cheap got it free when I bought something socket set. Lucky me I was at a station that had a mini-mart. As I was paying $15 for some watered down antifreeze a line starts to build behind me so now I was being rushed. As it goes I pull the hood release and guess what it doesn't want to release. Never had that problem but yup thats how it goes for me in my life. Get it open antifreeze everywhere. I pour the crap in hang the pump up and it was cool enough to get to the park 3 miles away where the family event was at. So Lucky me there was a little napa store right next to the park. So unload the wife and kids and popped the hood and started looking around and since I had about 20 min till the little napa store closed I thought, please dont let my head be cracked,please dont let it be the head gasket,please........ I couldn't see a blow out anywhere so I walked over to the napa store, walked in and it was like a 12x20 building with alot of nothing in there. So there gonna have Land Cruiser parts right. Turns out the warehouse that supplies the metro Detroit area happened to be behind this rent-a-wreck of a little Napa store. Score! Now I'm not worried about how I was going to get my family back to Ohio cause these Napa guys were having a cook out and knew my problem and they told me they weren't going anywhere so I walked across the parking lot THINKING I was all set to wrench it up for 15/20 min and everything would go on hunky dory. Well, remember that cheap socket set I had, yeah unwrap it, open it up, pull the ratchet out and turn the dial, pop it falls apart. No biggie just go over to napa and borrow some tools from the cool napa guys right. Too bad they had no tools anywhere but boxed up in the warehouse. So I gave up, filled it back up full of h2o and wished for the best and started it up. Everything seemed good till I noticed something leaking from the bottom of the radiator. Shut it down opened the cap and it wasn't low, so I crossed my fingers and hoped it was just run off from me trying to fill it with a cooler jug. We got her home and it ran pretty normal to a little warm at times going 70mph on the hwy almost getting hot a couple of times going up overpasses going 60mph, but about 1 mile from home it was hot. Hell of a first break down just glad I got him home.


So I have only had this truck since last october and unfortunately I have no idea of its past. I had a Honda passport that idled at 1200 rpm under load and nobody including honda could figure out why it was doing it. So I threw it up on craigslist telling of the problem and offered it for make offer hoping to get $500. Well, some chick emailed me and wanted to know if I wanted to trade for a Land cruiser. So we hooked up asap on my end and I took notice to the front end needed rebuilt, dents dings little bit of rust here and there steering box was leaking a bit but had a 2.5" lift, arb winch bumper, new 285's and interior was clean with the exception of front seats were looking stressed. But it ran like a top and even though I could tell someone had been in the pan before It looked well taken care of. This chick was moving and the cost of everything was too much for her and she wanted the passport with 225k and an idle problem like nobody's business. And I was beyond cool with it too. I was actually looking at a white 97lx and a blk 96yota because I always wanted one ever since 1993 when I was in high school and I read about the new 93 Toyota lineup. After the supra of course. But this route no car payments! Its got 190k and by the looks of it the headgasket looks like its never been touched. Ive already gone through the whole front end, and just got the paint and body stuff to go to town there. I'm just on the fence about jumping in and tackling the head gasket right now. My long term is a 6.2 deisel/greasel swap but I have other projects to get finished first before I even think of that, not to mention I gotta get my homework done before anything else. I'm a wrencher so its not about the hand time, its a $ thing. I see the cheapo ebay kits, haven't priced toyota out yet and theres always my parts store guy who can get me anything I want, And it always priced good, can return it if I need, But as far as I know it could be the same as the ebay kits. I should know better about the ebay junk, but sometimes it worth the roll of the dice cause its so cheap. Anyways Its gonna sit for the next few days till I can find some free time to dig in and get dirty and see what's really going on in there. I'm just lucky we have a spare car. It may be a girly little sunfire but it sure has saved my butt over the past few years.

So all I know right now is my engine bay is covered in antifreeze and if anyone wants to tell me their story's of similer experiences to give me places to look/checkout my ears are open. Like I said I hope it just a thermostat but I'm use to thinking its one thing and turning out to be another headache. And still on the fence about the head gasket thing. It's my daily driver but I work out of the house and ride a bike in the summer unless I have to tote kids somewhere. So I'm hoping it holds out till I have everything together for my swap. But if I have to I have no choice. I just know better than thinking it'll be a $150-200 job.

 

[BrotherRob]

You have a leak and you talk to much. Hopefully you didn't mess something up by driving it. You should find the leak before driving it again. If you can't find it, top it off and warm it up, the pressure should reveal the source.

 

[bull]

1 - Get involved with a club in your area if you can.
2 - You have a coolant leak. There are only so many places that can leak coolant. With a full radiator and while the engine is idling take a flash light and use it to inspect all your hoses where coolant flows. Look for bad connections. Scan the hoses fully any cracks? Look at all the hose clamps any loose or leaking?
3 - Look at the water pump and radiator. Use a flash light to inspect them. Any leaks at the seams of the radiator? Did the drain petcock on the bottom of the radiator come loose? Leaking from the water pump?
4 - If you really are sold on the head gasket being your problem, pull the dipstick and look at the oil. What color is it?

There is a crap load of things you can check. The best thing is to find someone familiar with an 80, second take your time and inspect closely while the engine is warm and running.

You can also get a factory service manual that dealerships use. They will show you a hose diagram you can follow etc.

good luck

 

[Circinus]

I dont know how to take that last post. Comes across a little brash to me. And just after I submitted my post I told my wife how I really liked this forum because I didn't see people treating people harshly on here like I do on some of the other forums I belong too but even more, every post i've made here everyone seemed real cool because of a love for a truck. Guess I was wrong. I too hope nothing got messed up but I had no choice. You know what it cost to tow a car from Detroit MI to where I live in Ohio? More than I can swing. I'm not a jerkoff when it comes to mechanics, 2yrs auto mechanics in trade school, ase certified, my family owns an equipment company and at the age of 35, I feel pretty comp. I can fix a car or judge its capability of making it somewhere. I dont care if its a d8 dozer or a kia, an engine is an engine. They all kinda work in the same manner in my books. The truck isnt going anywhere till its fixed, hence the sunfire comment. We have all the tools to do pressure checks and so on so when I free up some time I'll be all over it. And for talking too much, man I had a crappy day, wanted to share my story to some peeps who understand why I go through the crap I do with my truck and just dont get rid of it and drive a dime a dozen production something like everyone else. To everyone I know my 80 is just another old SUV that has dents, dings and rust on it. Nothing special. They could care less about arb products or a slick way to stop my mirror from shaking. To me Its a I can take it anywhere, do anything, lets go forge thru an adventure,greatest car made ever and dont care if it nickel and dimes me cause its mine, I own it and I dont plan on ever getting rid of it. And I just wanted to share my thoughts and ideas with other people who feel the same about these beat up, out of date old suv's. Not the first guy to ramble here and wont be the last. Thought thats why these forums are here. By the way theres these little arrows on the top of your screen. They will be on the right if your on a pc or up on the left if your on a mac/apple. If you click on the left arrow it will take you back to the page you were looking at before you got to the page that has too much text on it. I use it alot when I come across text I dont feel like reading and think it looks long and boring.

 

[Circinus]

Thanks bull. The head gasket thing is one of those should do it before it does me. Ive had 2 supras and know the toyota head gasket problems all too well. I think first step is power wash all the caked on grease so I can see where things start and end. Right now its a solid texture engine if you know what I mean. It was pretty hard today doing a parking lot wrench job on an overheated engine on blacktop on a what felt like 200 degree day with no books or references to anything but what I had in memory from working on my supras. Not the same engine but things seem to be alike. By the time we got home it was getting dark. I was just happy we made it home without chaos.

 

[95Fantasma80]

Check your water pump. and hoses around the radiator...

 

[Gumby]

Not the first guy to ramble here and wont be the last. Thought thats why these forums are here. By the way theres these little arrows on the top of your screen. They will be on the right if your on a pc or up on the left if your on a mac/apple. If you click on the left arrow it will take you back to the page you were looking at before you got to the page that has too much text on it. I use it alot when I come across text I dont feel like reading and think it looks long and boring.

You'll get a lot more answers to your problem if you leave out the chat and give us the pertinent info. My guess is that a few knowledgeable people looked at your post and skipped it, as you suggested. That's not very effective.


After distilling your op I think I have that you drove from OH to Detroit and the truck overheated. You put some coolant in. It drove fine until you got close to back home and then it started getting hot again.

If it didn't overheat again, you probably didn't hurt a thing.

If it did not boil over the second time - check the antifreeze level. If it is down a ways check for a leak. Check at connections and the radiator. Check the weep hole on the bottom of the water pump. Check the hoses that go to the rear heater. look for wetness and crusty white/pink deposits. It's tough to see, but check the back of the head. Do a search on PHH, get a pic of where to look and check it out. Look at the gasket on the underside of the cap for wear.

If a visual inspection fails put a piece of cardboard under the truck and let it run for a bit until the t-stat opens. check for drips on the cardboard and try to determine where it might be coming from.

If that fails take it to a shop for a pressure test.


If the fluid level is not low - could be a plugged radiator. Does it overheat on the highway or after getting off and getting into traffic? ON the highway suggests a poorly circulating system - radiator or water pump. Off the highway suggests maybe a bad fan clutch, not uncommon.

 

[CJF]

You know what it cost to tow a car from Detroit MI to where I live in Ohio?

That's less than 100 miles. So, free if you have AAA plus membership. (Which you should.)

 

[reconranger]

Circinus,

Welcome and good luck finding the coolant leak.

This is an excellent forum for info and chat.

What these folks are trying to tell ya, nicely, is give us facts.

Skip the chatter.

Fact: you overheated and had a coolant leak.

There are things to look at and eliminate: radiator fins, radiator cap (gasket), thermostat, hose connections, rear heater hoses, PHH, engine itself, water pump, etc...

The repliers have given you multiple hints.

Be systematic. Minimize the rambling. Have thicker skin.

Good luck!

 

[Gumby]

I'm not buying a t-stat. It would have overheated within 5-10 miles at the most.

 

[BrotherRob]

Circinus,

Welcome and good luck finding the coolant leak.

This is an excellent forum for info and chat.

What these folks are trying to tell ya, nicely, is give us facts.

Skip the chatter.

Fact: you overheated and had a coolant leak.

There are things to look at and eliminate: radiator fins, radiator cap (gasket), thermostat, hose connections, rear heater hoses, PHH, engine itself, water pump, etc...

The repliers have given you multiple hints.

Be systematic. Minimize the rambling. Have thicker skin.

Good luck!

X2. We mess with each other quite a bit but we also provide a lot of support. You are getting some good advise. Good luck with the repair.

 

[nuclearlemon]

i didn't read it all for the same reasons everyone is bringing up, but just because you don't see any "blowouts" doesn't mean it's not your head gasket. it could be blown internally and leaking into the piston chambers

 

[Brentbba]

Not mentioned yet, but what does the inside of your oil fill cap look like? If caked with a light brown goo, you may indeed have blown the head gasket and you've got oil and coolant not playing nice with each other instead of staying the hell away from each other like they are supposed to.

Coolant reservoir stay full thru all this or did the radiator keep sucking it dry?

 

[knorrena]

You really need to work on the concepts of a paragraph, and how to be concise. I stopped reading after the first few sentences, and could not bring myself to read your other post.

 

[Circinus]

Hey Rob, I'm sorry bro. I took that the wrong way and I was the one in the wrong here. I do need tougher skin. In my defense though I wrote my post about a half hour after getting home from all this happening and the first line you wrote got me, not to mention you hit me up asap while I was still on cracked out breakdown adrenaline, so After reading it myself after a few days later here I agree with everyone. Diarrhea of the keys here and I forgot how to use paragraphs, but man I was all jacked up.

update- I know the head gasket isnt blown, I checked my oil so I know its good. It has been starting to smoke more at the tail pipe in the last few mths though. I'm just basing it off my previous exp with my supras. I'm almost at 200k on the original hg. I could be wrong but if these engines are like the 7m or 2j its on borrowed time. not to mention i have no idea what the po had done. As for the leak or blowout, no clue yet due to the grease buildup. I'm going to dig in later today when my twins are down for a nap. I think I'm going to suck it up and drive our sunfire around for a few weeks and pull my 80 in the garage and start the bodywork/paint and figure the engine sitso out. Wish construction was booming and I could make some money cause I really want a 6.2 swap but good things come to those who wait right? Did my HG searches and have my homework done so now its down to, do I just fix what's wrong for now or suck it up and new hg and gaskets through out and just be done with it for now. Would be nice to seal it back up tight.

So the lesson I learned with all this- I need to buy some AAA. Doesnt matter that I had trucks and trailers to haul it home, If i'm broke down far away from home it doesnt matter what you have. Your still stuck.

 

[bwr9300]

So the lesson I learned with all this- I need to buy some AAA.

x2

I'm sitting just under 200k miles. PO did not have service records. Pretty sure I've got original HG and PHH in my rig. Done all other baselining minus those 2 things.

Had a dream last night that my thermostat started climbing and had some sort of coolant leak (not much of a mechanic but seems like in the dream it was the PHH), so I think I need to jump on a AAA membership too!

and good luck!

 

[BrotherRob]

Hey Rob, I'm sorry bro. I took that the wrong way and I was the one in the wrong here. I do need tougher skin. In my defense though I wrote my post about a half hour after getting home from all this happening and the first line you wrote got me, not to mention you hit me up asap while I was still on cracked out breakdown adrenaline, so After reading it myself after a few days later here I agree with everyone. Diarrhea of the keys here and I forgot how to use paragraphs, but man I was all jacked up.

update- I know the head gasket isnt blown, I checked my oil so I know its good. It has been starting to smoke more at the tail pipe in the last few mths though. I'm just basing it off my previous exp with my supras. I'm almost at 200k on the original hg. I could be wrong but if these engines are like the 7m or 2j its on borrowed time. not to mention i have no idea what the po had done. As for the leak or blowout, no clue yet due to the grease buildup. I'm going to dig in later today when my twins are down for a nap. I think I'm going to suck it up and drive our sunfire around for a few weeks and pull my 80 in the garage and start the bodywork/paint and figure the engine sitso out. Wish construction was booming and I could make some money cause I really want a 6.2 swap but good things come to those who wait right? Did my HG searches and have my homework done so now its down to, do I just fix what's wrong for now or suck it up and new hg and gaskets through out and just be done with it for now. Would be nice to seal it back up tight.

So the lesson I learned with all this- I need to buy some AAA. Doesnt matter that I had trucks and trailers to haul it home, If i'm broke down far away from home it doesnt matter what you have. Your still stuck.

No worries, I was being a smart ass. I would say find your leak and drive it. If you're losing a hg, you'll know soon enough. A coolant leak can cause a hg to fail, a hg failure can cause you to lose fluid but rarely causes an external leak. Assuming that the leak is due to hg failure can become self fulfilling. Let us know how it comes out.