Running a little hot

[Mainer7]

Does anyone know why a stock 78 FJ40 would run a little hot on the freeway, aside from needing a new radiator? If it is just the radiator, should the hoses also be replaced even if they appear fine? Thinking of a purchase but not if it's running hot for some other nasty reason. Just wanted to check because I'm pretty "Green" here.

Thanks a lot

 

[thorvald]

check your hoses first, make sure you dont have a leak anywhere.
how hot is a little?
on hot days slightly over the middle seems normal for freeway driving
if you do replace the radiator, id replace all the hoses while your at it.
if you dont see a leak and its three quarters of the way up the needle on the guage, id be checking the oil as the antifreeze might be going into the engine through the headgasket (happened on my nissan, cost $2500 as i didnt catch it in time)

 

[Mainer7]

thorvald,
the owner said it ran "a little warm on the freeway." It didn't sound like it was alarmingly hot, though. I'll ask if he'll check the hoses for leaks and to check all the fluid levels. Hope he won't mind. Thanks for your answer!

Mainer7

 

[thorvald]

is it far from you? id either check it myself or have someone on here check it for you if theyre closer to see how "warm" hes talking about.
also you said its stock, is the 2F still in it? have heard that some people have overheating issues with chevy conversions (think its when theyre done wrong).
if its a headgasket issue and gone too long, the cylinders can be burnt.
as far as I know that means a new engine. having a shop replace the headgasket is around 300-400 from what ive heard on other vehicles.

 

[Rice]

"A little hot" can come from several other places ...

Timing too retarded and needs advancing
Junk in radiator needs to be boiled out (rodding an old radiator could kill it so you may not wish to go that far)
clutch fan froze up and "getting in the way" (not too likely)
Head gasket (but you should have some other signs)
low coolant (don't mean to insult here ... it can happen to anyone)
Running carb too lean (again, not likely unless there has been a change)
Beginning to fail water pump but there should be some other signs.
T-stat

 

[Mainer7]

Thanks Thorvald and Rice

The vehicle is in Sacramento, CA while I'm in Portland, Maine.
Owner said it has the original 2F with 116K miles that starts up great, runs great, and "purrs." He said he noticed it "runs a little warm on the freeway."
If I can't find anyone to look at it for me, would it be a good idea to have a mechanic local to him do a thorough inspection of the truck? The owner seems very honest and is willing to even go through a 3rd party payment deal (Escrow service) to make sure I'm pleased with it. He also mentioned it has all the smog equipment but he wanted to put it on his other FJ40. This would mean he'd swap the factory smog stuff and carb for headers and a weber carb. Is it true that the factory carbs are actually better and sturdier if they're tuned well?

Thanks again for your knowledge

 

[dd113]

FWIW: I would be suspect of anything a PO says. Maybe it heats up a little when he drives it but is he talking a 70 mi drive in 80' temp or a 5 mi drive in 60' temp? One of the first things I do on a new cruiser is to replace the entire cooling system. Not hard and not real expensive. Very good insurance. I would worry a little about him pulling all the smog off. Installing a Webber and headder can be a 1K job if done correctly. It opens a door for a poor job as he will just want to get it on and get it running so he can sell it. Even if you have a local mech. on his end do the work what will you do if it is not right? I would buy it and have it shipped then remove the smog and send it back to him, do the work yourself or with a local mech. The stock set up is better than a Webber for most people. I would go with a NON USA carb and stock exhaust. much cheaper!

 

[Rice]

Do you have the compression numbers for this rig? It's not a true measure but can give a lot of information. Your mention of this being a "smogged" rig brings up another posibility for the heating ... I guess it has a cat on it which could be clogged not to mention that fully smogged engines were set up to run a little hotter (leaner) to help with emissions. If nothing else is wrong internally I'll go back to my first guess which is a radiator in need of boiling.

 

[RBHME]

I know this is late , but did you get that cruiser looked? If not let me know, my best friend lives in Sac, CA. I used to visit every weekend. He is actually in the car business there.

Rick
rharnum36@hotmail.com

 

[Mainer7]

Thanks for everyone's responses. I purchased a different cruiser thta runs nice and cool