Overheating corolla :(

[raddies]

hey dudes

Bought a 1985 nana corolla to use as a dayly driver about 3 months ago.
Was a dream for the first month then developed this overheating problem. Whenever i drive it, even short distances, it seems to get to 3/4 hot on the temp gauge, sometimes even hotter.

It has a 1.5L carberated 3a series motor with the two radiator fans running fine. I did a compression test on her an it seemed ok"

It is using a little water though and am trying to think of ideas to the problem before I rip it apart an do a headgasket, which i cant really be stuffed doing.

Anyone know of anymore dead give away sign of a headgasket being shot? Or Could this be because of a really old crappy (inside) looking radiator etc?

Any help id be stoaked

Cheers, Nick

[Leon]

I'd check for a blocked radiator, or stuck closed thermostat.

[MAGN1T]

All toyotas blow headgaskets sooner or later. Your time looks like it's up now.
Radiators only block because the owners keep putting water in there. That's the effect, not the cause. Check for bubbles coming out while it's idling.

Steve

[~SlideWays~]

All toyotas blow headgaskets sooner or later. Your time looks like it's up now.

Steve

Lol "all toyota's", thats a weird statement.

But anyway, I'd pull the radiator out and backflush it with a garden hose. Chuck it back in and see what happens.

Oh and as Leon suggested, take the Thermostat out and put it in boiling water to see if its actually opening.

[sergei]

All toyotas blow headgaskets sooner or later. Your time looks like it's up now.
Radiators only block because the owners keep putting water in there. That's the effect, not the cause. Check for bubbles coming out while it's idling.

Steve

Load of crap.
Just like saying all mitsubishi blow head gasket sooner or later.

[sik_gt_starly]

take oil cap off and see if the top of it is milky looking

if it is, will be blown headgasket

when its overheating, touch the radiator and see if you can feel cool spots

if you can its blocked radiator.

as mentioned take thermostat out and put in boiling water and seee if it opens.

those things should help you diagnose problem

[Leon]

The first poster specifically states the radiator is crappy looking inside. Not always an indicator that it is poked, but certainly it is not a good sign.

[Mr Revhead]

All toyotas blow headgaskets sooner or later. Your time looks like it's up now.
Radiators only block because the owners keep putting water in there. That's the effect, not the cause. Check for bubbles coming out while it's idling.

Steve

yep, anything will blow a head gasket sooner or later
excpet maybe mitsi's as they will just blow up before the gaskets get old enough to blow


as has been mentioned, check radiator and thermostat before you do anything else. easy to check, and most likely your problem.
A series motors are not prone to blown gaskets, unless there's been other faults. ie lack of anti freeze, or old age, and lets face it, thay are all old with high kays now.

[raddies]

hey guys

Thanks heaps for the help, i did replace the thermostat a month ago as thought it would be the issue but no good came of it. Checked to see if any air bubbles where appearing in the radiator while it was idoling the other day, no bubbles were apparent.

Ill take the rocker off tomorow to see if its milky

Also noticed that once its overheated, if i put it in neutral (dirty automatic corolla here) an rev the engine thus spinning the water pump it soon reduces to a normal temp, thinking this would illistrate there is no blockage as it must be flowing through radiator?

Thanks dudes

Nick

[Leon]

thinking this would illistrate there is no blockage as it must be flowing through radiator?

I wouldn't bet on that. It might be an indication that the radiator is flowing just enough to cool an unladen engine at idle.

I had a Starlet that you could do 50k in, but as soon as you went to 100 it just got hotter and hotter, then spat the coolant. It was indeed a mostly blocked radiator.

[raddies]

thinking this would illistrate there is no blockage as it must be flowing through radiator?

I wouldn't bet on that. It might be an indication that the radiator is flowing just enough to cool an unladen engine at idle.

Yeah good thinking Leon.

Maybe the radiator is slightly blocked thus only letting minimal flow through, thus when I rev the engine the flow it is increased an just sufficient to cool the engine, (which is occuring)

Checked uder oil cap looks fine..

Time to rip out the radiator an flush it out i reakon.

Nick

[Mr Revhead]

it's also possible that the blades on the water pump have corroded away.

if the rad is full of rusty shit, and clearing it out doesn't solve it, checking the water pump would be a good idea

[1hypo3]

All toyotas blow headgaskets sooner or later. Your time looks like it's up now.
Radiators only block because the owners keep putting water in there. That's the effect, not the cause. Check for bubbles coming out while it's idling.

Steve

Based on what experience? you have no idea mate

[Loudtoy]

1 Blocked radiator
2 Stuffed water pump
3 Combination of the above
4 Blown head gasket, but not so likely

My guess would be no 3

[Akane]

+1 on blocked radiator, it happened as soon as I drained the coolant and started adding just water, touch the raid it's most probably be cold down the bottom.

Use a clean oil dipstick and shove it down one of the channels carefully, check again, then you might have a warmer channel down where you shoved the dipstick down, indicating a blocked radiator.

And it uses a bit of water because the water boils and then the rad cap will lift off with the steam, so it keeps on using bit of water every now and then.

[rollaholic]

radiators do block up pretty easily when coolant mixture gets too weak. does it get hot when you are moving too? older radiators often lose alot of their fins, particularly around the fans which make them a bit average at cooling.

if you want to spend money on it, get the radiator checked by a specialist - cuts out all the guess work. (auto radiators in grey lynn are good if you are in the area) dont forget to do a solid flush on the engine before putting your shiny recon radiator back in too, all the stuff that built up to block it in the first place has come from corrosion in the engine block. if you dont want to spend money on it, you could hit up pickas or similar for a 'cross your fingers and hope it fixes it' solution.

PS putting a thermostat in boiling water is a good way to $&#$% it, they are designed to open at ~80 degrees and boiling water is closer to 100. even mostly screwed thermostats will often open at that temp. better to put it in cold water then heat it, it should be opening well before it boils.

DO use coolant half and half with water
DO replace the radiator cap

[MAGN1T]

All toyotas blow headgaskets sooner or later. Your time looks like it's up now.
Radiators only block because the owners keep putting water in there. That's the effect, not the cause. Check for bubbles coming out while it's idling.

Steve

Based on what experience? you have no idea mate

Based on over 30 years playing with cars and putting over 250,000 Ks on the same Toyota daily driver.
Most young guys got no idea......should have studied Chmistry and physics at school instead of only attending school in order to eat your lunch.
Any motor with an alloy head.......as soon as you start putting water into the cooling system, it's pretty much all over. Proper coolant only.

Steve

[~SlideWays~]

All toyotas blow headgaskets sooner or later. Your time looks like it's up now.
Radiators only block because the owners keep putting water in there. That's the effect, not the cause. Check for bubbles coming out while it's idling.

Steve

Based on what experience? you have no idea mate

Based on over 30 years playing with cars and putting over 250,000 Ks on the same Toyota daily driver.
Most young guys got no idea......should have studied Chmistry and physics at school instead of only attending school in order to eat your lunch.
Any motor with an alloy head.......as soon as you start putting water into the cooling system, it's pretty much all over. Proper coolant only.

Steve

Where did the 'young people' thing stem from saying 'all toyotas' will blow headgaskets?

Just because you have experience, doesn't mean you can assume everything and make baiting comments all over the place.

[Mr Revhead]

All toyotas blow headgaskets sooner or later. Your time looks like it's up now.
Radiators only block because the owners keep putting water in there. That's the effect, not the cause. Check for bubbles coming out while it's idling.

Steve

Based on what experience? you have no idea mate

Based on over 30 years playing with cars and putting over 250,000 Ks on the same Toyota daily driver.
Most young guys got no idea......should have studied Chmistry and physics at school instead of only attending school in order to eat your lunch.
Any motor with an alloy head.......as soon as you start putting water into the cooling system, it's pretty much all over. Proper coolant only.

Steve

so in other words... based on nothing at all.



If you don't know, don't post.

[rwd_mayhem]

it's also possible that the blades on the water pump have corroded away.

this exact thing happened to my old 3a, took me ages to figure it out too.