Sloop757

Hey new member/owner here, 1986 4runner 22re,


My dilemma is that right after my truck gets to operating temp it seems that

it may be starting to overheat BUT I'm not sure because the gauges have

been acting funny; bouncing and not working intermittently. I've been turning

the heat on for a minute just to be on the safe side and it goes back to normal and doesn't happen

again with the heat turned back off. So does this

sound like it could be an mechanical problem, maybe a bad thermostat? On

the other side of the coin, what is it that causes the gauges to lose

power and/or bounce around?

iamsuperbleeder

it almost sounds like an air pocket trapped in the cooling system; might want to do a propper burp of the system

also, to rule it out, it's advisable to get a thermostat from a dealership, becuase they retail the upgraded one with a bypass valve in it that fixes some overheating issues




welcome to YotaTech!

4runner530

I have a question on changing my thermostat in my 95 runner 3.0 Is it an wxpensive task if I were to take it somewhere or is it a semi easy to do yourself??

iamsuperbleeder

$10 at most for the thermostat and gasket

$5 in antifreeze

a couple tooks in your garage

about 30 minuts of your time


no don't take it somewhere, you can do it yourself in an afternoon

search for a link to the FSM here on the site and it'll give you a step-by-step process; I wouldn't be surprised if there's even a write up of the replacement here on the forums

Sloop757

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking the same thing about the air in the coolant. I started

it up with the radiator cap off and waited for bubbles but they never came. Does anyone

have insight on the bouncing gauges?