Overheating 89 toyota 4x4

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T

Truckin4x4

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Nov 4, 2007
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2
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So my 89 toyota 4x4 is overheating. the main visual sign is steam coming out of the radiator overflow hose like crazy. if i didn't shut off the engine the radiator would go bone dry. I've replaced the radiator cap and thermostat as those seemed to be the best place to start. Didn't help. I'm not sure what else I should really be checking. There don't appear to be any leaks anywhere. I'm not a wiz when it comes to truck repair. any help is appreciated.

Also, it doesn't matter if i drive it, let it sit and idle, drive up or down hills, etc. it always overheats and about 5 minutes after i start it. Could it be a fan prob?

I need my truck back...i feel like so much less of a man without it!
 
Yeah, most likely a head gasket. You could either try to do a compression check on the cylinders, or a pressure check on the cooling system. Is the water pump in good condition? Do you have the right pressure cap on the radiator?
Good luck!
 
It has the stock 22r 4 cylinder engine.

How do i run a pressure check on the cooling system or the cylinders.

I do have the right pressure cap on the radiator.

Is it pretty intense to replace the head gasket?
 
Truckin4x4 said:
It has the stock 22r 4 cylinder engine.

How do i run a pressure check on the cooling system or the cylinders.

I do have the right pressure cap on the radiator.

Is it pretty intense to replace the head gasket?
Click to expand...

For the cylinder compression check, basically you remove the spark plugs, and the main lead that goes from the coil to the distributor, screw the compression gauge in the spark plug hole and crank the engine a few times, and record the reading on the gauge. repeat on all cylinders. There should not be a difference of more then 10-15 PSI between the cylinders. If there is you could have a worn rings, valves, or HG problem. For the cooling system check you need a some more specialized equipment, but sears sells the pressurising kit if you want to purchase it. Basically what you do, you pressurize the cooling system, and wait a few minutes to see if the pressure goes lower than the max allowed in the recommended time.
Changing the head gasket is not too bad, you would have to get the motor on TDC and reassemble the sprockets exactly the way you took them off, plus there is the issue loosening/tightening the head bolts, resetting the timing if you screw up the reassembly, ..... and others.

I'm oversimplifying things here and I would really recommend that you get a service manual if you really plan on doing this yourself.
Good luck , and everybody starts somewhere.
 
A compression test will only tell you that you have a problem with your engine, but it won't tell you WHAT is wrong. A leak-down test will isolate the problem.
 
Tehcruiser gave you a little detail but basically you take your rad. cap off, pump a bunch of air into the cooling system, and if the guage drops off too fast or or below spec for the cooling system, you will either have antifreeze leaking onto the ground or into the cylinders..... If you don't find a visual leak your headgasket is probably toast. Take out your spark plugs and if 3 are dirty and 1 is clean, you know your HG is dead. Mine died just the other day :rolleyes:
 
beatdown83fj60 said:
Tehcruiser gave you a little detail but basically you take your rad. cap off, pump a bunch of air into the cooling system, and if the guage drops off too fast or or below spec for the cooling system, you will either have antifreeze leaking onto the ground or into the cylinders.....
Click to expand...

No, this is not a leak-down test. This is a coolant system pressure test. And a leaking HG may require a lot more than that 10-20 psi that you put on a coolant test to show up. If you put 100 psi on your cooling system, you'll rupture the radiator and a bunch of hoses.

Do a search here on MUD or Google, there are lots of descriptions of engine leak-down tests. It requires a special gauge, I bought mine from Summit Racing. Follow the instructions carefully, make sure you remove the radiator cap, intake hose, and PCV valve. If your HG is leaking, as soon as you put air to the leaking cylinder, you'll have a geyser of coolant out the radiator cap.
 
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