Real Time... Radiator Exploded... Causes? (1 Viewer)

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BILT4ME

BILT4ME

Joined
Nov 9, 2012
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Location
Olathe, KS, USA
Yes, the radiator exploded after getting on the interstate. Have not had any cooling issues whatsoever. HG was done at 145k. Currently at 221k.

I did a WOT on to the interstate with a/c on. After backing out of it I noticed the a/c wasn't cooling. About 1 mile later I thought I blew a tire it was so loud except I didn't feel the front end pull. Then it started blowing coolant out the front and over the windshield.

I see all the belts are tangled up but I don't know what happened first. Did the belts come off and seize the water pump and overheat instantly? Thoughts????? 96 LC 1FZE

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1404260309428.jpg
 
When is the last time the water pump was replaced?
 
First thought was the thermostat, but I thought the "fail-safe" feature was for it to be stuck in the open position...

Next in line is the water pump. (x2 on the water pump.)
in order for the Rad to actually explode, you would have to build pressure.
For pressure to build, you had to be running pretty hot to get steam to build up.
Makes it seem like the water wasn't circulating.

Also, with the 3FE and perhaps @jonheld can correct me, I believe the temp sender/gauge are questionable at best.
Considering the sender/gauge designs were changed in 92, i'm willing to bet you wouldn't have noticed the problem on the dash.

OK, so lets say the water wasn't circulating due to the water pump not working.
Which came first? Belt failure or pump failure?
If you can turn the pump by hand, it probably isn't the pump.
But if the belt went first and got tangled up in the others, you might have had trouble steering or a charging light would have come on.

Can you add anything else to what you noticed?
Is it cooled down enough to try to turn the pump?

What else can you tell us?

HTH
 
If you search, this seems to happen to folks from time to time. I'd replace the radiator cap, but my guess is that you were boiling coolant and the cap couldn't vent the pressure to the overflow bottle fast enough. Couple that with an old plastic top tank on your radiator that has been through 18 years of heat & pressure cycles, and perhaps this is the result.

That's just one man's guess.
 
s***e dude... That tank top split real good. Was that the original rad? Looks like a plastic top. That had to have been some serious pressure. With the coolant rushing over the windshield something had to be pumping it out. Was the Cap still in place or was it like the picture?
 
Looks like a radiator with 220k miles on it finally let loose. Mine made it to about 197k before developing a crack in the top tank. It's plastic and after umpteen thousand heat cycles they fail. Call cruiserdan for a new one from Toyota. His price is very reasonable. It comes with a new radiator cap.
 
I'm thinking I threw the ac belt at WOT then that took out the water pump belt. Temps skyrocket, head gasket fails, over pressures the cooling system and blew the radiator. Obviously the radiator cap did not relieve. The cap was in exactly the position you see in the pics.

Then I had to get towed by our son's 95 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Of course, I'm thinking worst case scenario.

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1404269342694.jpg
 
The radiator may have been original. The PO did NO maintenance on this truck and it had green antifreeze in it. I'll do more checking tomorrow.
 
Check for CELs. If something went awry and caused the radiator to fail, I can't imagine that it wouldn't throw a code. Obviously you need a least a radiator and new belts, the while you are in there list should cover any other likely failures.
 
BILT4ME said:
The radiator may have been original. The PO did NO maintenance on this truck and it had green antifreeze in it. I'll do more checking tomorrow.
Click to expand...


If it's green then it was flushed properly before converting. There's nothing wrong with switching if done correctly. I wouldn't be inclined to change it back to red, green works, it's cheap and readily available.
 
The red light is in just the right spot for me to behind the bar if the steering wheel. It was on for sure AFTER the radiator blew. Don't know about before.

That boiled antifreeze is some tasty stuff!
 
More like brown-greenish. Not milky at all but more like dirty thin green antifreeze. I will be taking it back to red.
 
BILT4ME said:
More like brown-greenish. Not milky at all but more like dirty thin green antifreeze. I will be taking it back to red.
Click to expand...


You'll need to flush is thoroughly either way.
 
I checked things out this morning. Here's what I saw: All 3 belts were wrapped tight around the water pump, two belts had actually snapped (one for A/C and one for PS) The second belt for PS had been rolled and burned on, but finally came off the pulley and wrapped around the water pump.

The water pump turns freely and does not wobble.
The fan clutch turns freely and does not wobble (has slight resistance due to clutch).
The overflow tank is completely full.
The engine oil is clear and clean.
The engine starts and runs smoothly, no hard start or rough idle.

Here's what I think happened:
Dizzy O-ring drips oil on belts
WOT with A/C on causes belt to slip and snap
Snapped belt winds around water pump, causing other belts to snap and roll and come off
Stopped water pump causes sudden increase in temp and pressure on cooling system
Radiator cap cannot relieve full pressure of sudden increase
Radiator cannot withstand sudden pressure increase and explodes

Moral of the story: Don't eat wild berries and chase imaginary butterflies and walk into something highly illegal.
Change your dizzy o-ring before it causes catastrophic failure and costs you a huge amount in money and down-time.
 
Golgo13 said:
But if the belt went first and got tangled up in the others, you might have had trouble steering or a charging light would have come on.
HTH
Click to expand...

Just how do you figure that trouble steering could be an issue? The PS pump is gear driven as it is a 1FZFE.
 
I've got a 3F-E, I didn't notice the year of the OP's vehicle, I just went with what I knew from my vehicle...
Really? the PS pump is gear driven on the 1FZ-FE? I just learned something new. Sounds better than belt-driven for sure.

Oh, I almost forgot... GO BLUE!
 
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