Real-Time Help with Road Trip to Florida

[Von Hayek]

Hey Guys,

I think this is my first post in 80-Series Tech, so hola.

We recently purchased a 95 for my wife's daily driver and our tow vehicle for a 2,000 lb. camper. Truck is overheating right now.

On Thursday afternoon we drove from Northern Virginia to just north of the Georgia-South Carolina border towing the camper with no problems. The next day, we drove for 3-4 hours to Jacksonville with no issues. But after we got off the highway into some traffic lights, the truck started heating up.

We managed to make it another 70 miles to a campground, but it almost spiked in the red through a string of lights. It ran cooler when we got going non-stop, but it never cooled to where it normally runs. Running the heater full blast really cooled it down a lot.

After the camping, we had 260 miles down to the Fort Lauderdale area, and the same thing. Stop and go had it running almost to the red. We ran the whole way with the heater going, but turn off the heater and it ran hot again.

The truck runs absolutely fine with no trailer hooked up.

I suspect the fan clutch, though I always thought that the truck should run normally at speed if the fan clutch is bad. The reason I suspect it is that it spins freely when the engine is mega hot. Bad fan clutch right?

The only other thing I would guess at would be a stuck thermostat.

I'm in South Florida and need to get this remedied before next weekend when we return, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[96beast]

Whats the coolant level like? It could also be a clogged radiator or sludge. Could also be the water pump. Just throwing some ideas out there. You really shouldn't be running the engine the the T-stat above the "middle". You are probably going to permanently damage something if you haven't already.

 

[94SRUNNER]

You need to do a bit more trouble shooting..fan clutch could be a possiblity but as 96beast you really should look at the coolant level and check out as much of the coolant system as possible. I would not recommend driving it until you have done additional trouble shooting. More data is needed!

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[warpdriv]

How can he tell the clutch is bad?

 

[Von Hayek]

Coolant level is perfect. It has not moved an inch. And nice clear Toyota red. Doesn't seem to be a hint of contamination.

 

[Offroads4x4]

I hope your head gasket holds with the up and down temps your hitting.
Sounds like your on the right track with the fan clutch. It could be on its way out since it runs great with out a load.
Its hard when on the road to make spot repairs to get back home but here is some ideas if you have the time. You could rig up an electric fan in front of the radiator to help out the fan clutch with the stop and go traffic (wrecking yard or new). Likewise you could try to clean out the radiator from the rear side forward to clean the road dirt out of it in case some of the fins are clogged. A coolant flush and new thermostat with new antifreeze. There is always a new factory fan clutch as well.

Hope it all works as an easy fix for you and your family.

 

[96beast]

I think I would go with radiator before fan clutch but both are a possibility. You could hook up a OBDII scanner to rule out a faulty T-stat....

 

[gjh]

Check out this link:

Fan Clutch Diagnosis - Engine Cooling System

good luck, keep us posted.

 

[Blackdog]

Try all the simple stuff first. It usually is the answer. Have you checked to be sure the the T-stat is opening at the right time. Sometimes they stick. Might as well have a new one ready to go in when you open it up. Very cheap and very dangerous if it fails.

 

[Von Hayek]

I was just out and got the Cruiser up to operating temperature and that fan spins like the wheel of fortune when I stop the engine. This HAS to be the problem. The part is in this afternoon and I'll put in today. Imperial brand--hope she works. I am going to change the oil too as it looks like toast.

I'll report back tonight. Thanks for the good help folks.

 

[96r50]

Don't throw out the old fan clutch! It is "unofficially" serviceable, and once fixed will usually perform better than most of the cheap aftermarket ones out there (assuming it's OEM). Use your new one to get you home and fix the OEM clutch at your leisure.

 

[warpdriv]

I have a fan clutch assembly of my 95 that had 186k miles on it if your interested. I'll take $40 shipped. PM me if you want it.

 

[tirewater]

Take a moment to check for any debris that may be blocking the air from coming through the AC condenser and radiator. Freeway driving should have lowered your temp to the normal position on the gauge even if your fan clutch is not engaging properly.

 

[BrotherRob]

I agree, your fan clutch needs help. When you're on the highway, you have great airflow, when stopped, the system relies on the fan. From your discription, I would bet you're getting little to no airflow at idle.

A new one is a waste of $. Search fan clutch mod. The fluid is available at hobby stores and the mod can easily be done at your campsite. I wouldn't drive home without resolving it, you're risking damaging the motor.

I hope that helps, good luck.

 

[Impreza]

I agree, your fan clutch needs help. When you're on the highway, you have great airflow, when stopped, the system relies on the fan. From your discription, I would bet you're getting little to no airflow at idle.

A new one is a waste of $. Search fan clutch mod. The fluid is available at hobby stores and the mod can easily be done at your campsite. I wouldn't drive home without resolving it, you're risking damaging the motor.

I hope that helps, good luck.

I wouldn't say it's a waste when it can basically save the engine from expensive repairs. It's an expensive band-aid to get your family + truck home safely.

If he bought it from a big retailer, you can always return it too.

 

[BrotherRob]

I wouldn't say it's a waste when it can basically save the engine from expensive repairs. It's an expensive band-aid to get your family + truck home safely.

If he bought it from a big retailer, you can always return it too.

You're right, I would do one or the other before heading home. The fluid change is cheaper, work better, and the job only has to be done once.

I went through the same thing, spent the money on a blue hub and a pusher fan before realizing that rebuilding the old one would been more effective. I could have saved a bunch of work and about $200.

 

[BrotherRob]

Any updates Von?

 

[Von Hayek]

Alright, changed the fan clutch and got the trailer on the Sawgrass Exrpessway down here -- no dice. Still overheating. One heck of a vacation going on here.

Any suggestions on the next course of action? I'm thinking thermostat, then water pump.

Another thing to consider is that I put Toyota Red in the cooling system to top it off before we left on the trip. The coolant is from the previous owner and of unknown origin. I know that mixing the coolants gives you gum in the system, but the coolant in the system is as red as cough syrup. Is there any regular ethylene glycol that is red? If so, I could have created this mess by mixing incompatible coolants.

The thought also crossed my mind that the perhaps the factory temperature gauge is way off, but I think the fact that running the heater cools the engine down immediately negates this hypothesis.

I've got four days to get this right guys. All thoughts and suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[tirewater]

Did you verify that nothing was blocking the airflow through the AC condenser and radiator?

Your heater works, it requires the water pump to circulate hot water through the heater core. So your water pump is probably fine.

The thermostat is a pretty easy item to check and replace if needed. Remove it, toss it in boiling water and it should open up. You can "kind of" test it by feeling the top and bottom of your radiator and ensuring that it's hot on both the return hose and the outtake hose. Regardless, the thermostat is pretty inexpensive. Make sure you get a new gasket and install with bleed hole on top.

Alright, changed the fan clutch and got the trailer on the Sawgrass Exrpessway down here -- no dice. Still overheating. One heck of a vacation going on here.

Any suggestions on the next course of action? I'm thinking thermostat, then water pump.

Another thing to consider is that I put Toyota Red in the cooling system to top it off before we left on the trip. The coolant is from the previous owner and of unknown origin. I know that mixing the coolants gives you gum in the system, but the coolant in the system is as red as cough syrup. Is there any regular ethylene glycol that is red? If so, I could have created this mess by mixing incompatible coolants.

The thought also crossed my mind that the perhaps the factory temperature gauge is way off, but I think the fact that running the heater cools the engine down immediately negates this hypothesis.

I've got four days to get this right guys. All thoughts and suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[Von Hayek]

The A/C condenser and the radiator seem to be pretty clean. I can see the cooling fan through the both of them.