TOOLMAN

Hello all. Since I am a new Toyota owner and you all seem to have hours of Toyota wrenching experience, I have a quick question. I have a '93 4Runner with a 3.0 and an auto. It has 142K miles and seems to run a bit on the warm side when it gets a quart low on oil. Have any of you experienced this? Is it a normal thing? Having worked on primarily on old Fords for the past 20 years a '93 Toyota is like a new car to me!! Any input would be appreciated.

rdlsz24

Why would you knowingly let her get a quart low?

Just kidding! Welcome to the boards. Unfortunately I have no answer for you.

Rob

space-junk

iTrader: (1)

welcome to yotatech... pics would be nice...
and maybe some pics of the gauges to better illustrate what you mean...

im no expert, but maybe because the motor, being a quart low, is not getting the heat dissipation that the oil provides, thus puts a higher strain on the water to efficiently(sp?) cool it down...

and rob, tho joking, was dead on... maybe you need to check your fluids every day, and cary some spare oil with you...

scuba

Some people think this is not important.

but what are 2 of the most improtant things a car needs to run.
Oil And coolant.
I have a jug of coolant and a quart of oil with me at all times.
I failed to mention i have coolant dissapeering, so this is more important for me

stagger_lee

Never heard of that really effecting temp, but it makes sense. Maybe flush the radiator out and see what it looks like in there. Try spinning the fan by hand with the motor off, obviously. If its spins really easy you should probably throw a new fan clutch on there. Check shroud is in place and good condition. Never under estimate a good fan shroud!

You never know how well the previous owner took care of her, so you might want change diff oil, tranny and t-case if its 4x4, just for good measure, not that that would effect engine temp.

Welcome!

saitotiktmdog

Welcome Tim the TOOLMAN Taylor. Coudn't resist.

rdlsz24

I used to keep coolant with me as well when my head was warped and it had an externally blown head gasket. She leaked it at a pretty good rate lol.

Rob

TOOLMAN

Thanks all for the welcome. I will post pics soon...Digital camera is down for the time being. I may have to take some pics with my phone. I was thinking about the heat dissipation angle. That may be the only way to explain it. The only leak I have found so far is a tiny one on the power steering pump and the exhaust doesn't smell or look like it is burning oil. I should probably be checking the fluids more regularly. I've only had it for a couple of months and I'm still getting used to her nuances. It took me three weeks to figure out why it wouldn't go into overdrive when it was cold!! Coolant is full and clean and the shroud is installed and in good shape. The fan seems to operate normally...you can hear those things a mile away! Any other tips or tricks would be appreciated. I'm really liking this site!!

stagger_lee

Right on brother. What weight oil are you running? Brand? I assume its 2WD? I had a 93 2WD for about 6 years, and loved it. I found that the temp gauge would fluctuate quite a bit. It would never go past about half way up, maybe a bit warmer. Usually it was when I was on my way up the mountain or steep grades, but not so much on flat ground even in the dead of summer @ 100+ degrees. I found that a real light weight synthetic oil seemed to keep her in line a bit more.

Did you change out/check your thermostat?

Make sure you post up pics of that Bronco too! I love old metal! I got a nice little Scout in my garage.

zlathim

Welcome to YotaTech dude! I would not be surprised to see an engine run warmer while a quart low on oil, but how much warmer is the question. I would think that a factory gauge would not show much difference, but i've been wrong before. keep it full of oil and it will not be a problem.

space-junk

iTrader: (1)

Yea, those fans are loud... sounds like a boeing jet spooling up... lol...
anyways, if you havent figured it out yet, and you prolly have, utilize the 2 pockets in the rear hatch area... i keep 2 quarts of 10W-30 High Mileage Royal Purple and the factory snow chains in one, and 1 Gallon of cooland/water mixture and my tow strap in the other...

abecedarian

welcome and welcome... did I say welcome yet?

well anyways... if the engine is relying on that little bit of oil to stay cool, i'd venture to say that the cooling system is being taxed quite a bit. so maybe a radiator flush would be wise thing to do.

space-junk

iTrader: (1)

while your there doing a radiator flush might as well flush the heater core so you dont have to do it later...