linksg

Hi,I've finally decided to post on this forum after months of trouble. I have a 1982 22R Toyota Pickup 2wd and I've had a ton of issues with the cooling system. Months ago I blew the head gasket and I replaced it on my own. After I got it replaced I ran it lightly to get the rest of the oil out of the cooling system, and then it ran fine for a while. Please note I was too lazy to do a oil change, and so all it had was new oil, but no new filter. Anyways, it ran fine for awhile then it started to overheat. I would pull over and see the massive pressure causing the upper radiator hose to swell and constantly running pressure through to the reservoir until I turned it off and let it cool down. It was a sticking thermostat, as it would click on and off occasionally, so I replaced the thermostat with a cheap $8 murray from oreilys. It seemed to run fine after that, even running a tad under the running temperature. Then a month or two later it started to overheat again. I found out that some heater hoses were leaking and causing all coolant to leak out and then overheat the engine. I got some heater hose from oreilys and replaced the hose, but it was too big. So I just put big ol hose clamps on and it ran fine, but just leaked a tad. Again, about a month later it overheats on my way to work so I pull off the next exit and go to oreilys to get the proper hose. I put on the right hose (5/8th) and clamped it on good. Worked okay until half way to work it started to get hot. I get to work, open the hood and coolant spraying EVERYWHERE. Turns out for some reason the hose started spewing coolant out of one side, AND another hose leading from the same hose I fixed down to the engine block started to spew from a crack in the hose! So, i limped home by running on water, and having to stop 3 times to cool down and re-fill the rad. I made it home right before the red on the coolant gauge. I fully replaced both hoses again with proper hose clamps and all, and it seemed to fix it. The hose that had a crack in it, i actually replaced with fuel line hose.... but it didn't seem to make a difference. This all worked okay for awhile. Then it got hot again and started to over heat. So, I thought maybe the thermostat was bad again, and just took it out and let it run without any thermostat. This worked for a few weeks, and ran pretty low under running temp. Then the other day it overheated again on my way home from work, so I stopped at target and the water pump was leaking water out of the front. The hoses from before were intact. On every occurrence of overheating, it involves a buldging upper radiator hose, and WAAY too much pressure causing the rad cap to leak into the reservoir. I forgot to mention that when I replaced the first bad hose, I replaced the radiator cap a murray.
So TL;DR, there is a major issue causing way too much pressure to build up causing weak links in the cooling system to fail. Such as the hoses, and the seals on the water pump finally blew from the pressure I guess.
Does anybody know what could be the issue? Or maybe some tests to figure out whats wrong?
Thanks!

millball

Error

jakey poo

Man that's hard to read.

From what I took away from it, it sounds like your DIY headgasket job didn't take and its losing the compression into your cooling system. Did you have the head decked? What brand HG did you use? What did you torque the headstuds too?

It helps to break up your sentences to make it easier to read. Welcome to the forum!

linksg

Yea, sorry about that. I messed up my shoulder the other day and it's been really painful to type lol. And no, I did not have the head decked.
I bought a kit with a bunch of gaskets and parts off of yotashop.com. You can find the exact kit here: https://www.yotashop.com/22r-engine-...et-set-hgs908/
I am not sure what brand it is, it looks like it's made by DNJ? I torqued the head bolts to what it said in my chilton manual, 52-63 ft*lbs. I remember doing about 60 or so on each.
Sorry again on the bad formatting, I was running in thought and was in pain all at once, I should have proof read.
So, bad job on the HG? Not surprised honestly.

13Swords

It is possible that the head warped or developed a small crack or two when it overheated (yeah I know don't even say it! ). Even the best quality head gasket may have a hard time sealing that up, so you may have been pumping cylinder compression into the cooling system. Would account for your current swollen upper rad hose. I checked reviews on the DNJ head gasket and they are good, even recommended by people who build these engines for a living, they have to get it right or the PITA factor isn't worth it for them.

You might have originally blown the head gasket due to the sticky thermostat (overheating #1 cause of head gasket failure) and/or a bad radiator cap. Rad caps have a pressure relief valve in them & if it fails, massive coolant pressure could result (i.e. swollen/burst hose, leaks, etc.)

Since the thermostat & cap are new & presumably working as they should, it's most likely you have a leak between 1 or more cylinders & the coolant passages in the head. Hopefully you didn't crack or damage your block or head from all this overheating. Only way to really know for sure is tear it all down again & inspect the be-jeebers out of it. Even very small cracks can cause the problem you're having. If the block & head aren't cracked & if the head is warped but not out of spec***, get it decked at a good machine shop & put it all back together with all new gaskets (DON'T reuse the head gasket, use a new one!) Make sure the block deck mating surface is super clean before re-assembly. I'd also take the opportunity to completely flush out the coolant passages in the block while it's apart. There should be a coolant passage drain plug on the driver's side of the block, below the exhaust manifold. De-carbonizing the cylinders & piston tops wouldn't be a bad idea either.

***You have to check for head warpage using a steel ruler & feeler gauges, putting the edge of the ruler on the flat surface & looking for any gaps between the ruler & the head's mating surface. If there are gaps, measure them with the feeler gauges. A good machine shop can also do this for you, as well as Magnaflux or dye test for cracks. If it's cracked you need a new (or good used but new to you) head).The warpage specs are:

Head Surface Warpage Limit: 0.15mm (0.0059")
Manifold Surface Warpage Limit (Intake or Exhaust): 0.20mm (0.0079")

Gaps larger than those specs the head isn't salvageable, even if there are no cracks.

Best of luck with it & keep us posted on any new info & progress. Hope your shoulder gets better soon.

jakey poo

^^^^This guys got it!

Unfortunately its not a simple throw a part at it to fix it situation.

13Swords

Thanks jakey, just some hard earned knowledge that might help someone else (hopefully!) They can't all be "throw a part at it & fix it" but the more complicated stuff at least you learn from. DON'T ask me how I know!

jakey poo

<<<Same boat

13Swords

'83 Pickup 3rz swap in progress? Ambitious; also nuts. I think I'm starting to like you even more...

linksg

Thank you for all the help. Any possible way that I can use gasket sealer to maybe get some more out of it? It's my only vehicle and I have long work hours. But if not, I can accept it as dead.

13Swords

Gasket sealer? On the head? You can use it but it's not going to very last long, or possibly make any difference IMO. Each cylinder (if good) should be pushing at least 140 PSI (or more), plus the coolant pressure so I doubt gasket sealer will take that without blowing out in short order. You could try a supposedly good (straight, not warped) "junkyard" head for a quicker turnaround, but it's dicey. Ya never know. Sorry to be a downer about it. Hope it works out for you somehow.

linksg

I don't have the time to do any job like that, nor the money. I was going to take it in to get it done professionally, but it's way too much to afford. I'm just going to have to get a new truck... it seriously breaks my heart though, I've put a lot of work into that thing, and I love it. It was my grandfathers, and I was able to get it running again after he passed away. It just really sucks. The one thing that will make a grown man cry is losing his truck
Anyways, you've all been a great help, and I seriously appreciate it all.

Discombobulated

linksg

I really hope I don't lose it. However, I don't get paid much and I cannot afford to get it fixed + fix whatever else breaks after that. Just seems like a black hole to me. I'd like to keep it, and get a new truck but I might have to sell it. I'm going to try not to sell it as much as I can though.
My thought is that I get a cheapish truck for around 10k and have that get me where I need to go for as long as it can (and carry around the quad) reliably, instead of paying 3k+ to get my truck fixed and then not be able to rely on it, because it's just never been very reliable. But hey, my thoughts will probably change.
I'm gonna have to borrow and drive a family members car or a friends car for awhile. It'll be a long time before I'll have enough to even get my truck fixed.

13Swords

Understood. Ya gotta be mobile to work & make $. Practical life considerations always come 1st. But if there is any way you can store the truck safely you should IMO. You can get some reliable transport 1st, then you can work on the truck in stages. Heck, you've had the head apart before so you know how to do it, & it would take less time now, due to your experience. Don't discount yourself on this; you tore it down, did a head gasket replacement, got everything back together, AND actually had it running well afterwards. That's not to be sneezed at so give yourself some credit for it.

At the very least you could tear it down to really see where you're at with it, then go from there. Nothing sez you have to do this all at once & all it would cost you is time & effort. You can't really make a good decision until you see what's really going on in there. If it turns out it's too extensive or expensive & decide to sell it instead, it won't make much of a difference to anyone interested in buying it. In fact it could be a plus with the head off; they will be able to see what's what, if you know what I mean. Fewer mysteries when buying a "non-running" vehicle always helps.

Best case scenario: Valves, seats & seals all OK, no other problems. If the head is warped like I suspect, and it's not out of spec as I said previously, you could have a machine shop deck it .010 to get it straight. That should only cost $100 at the most (it's usually less than that, $40 to $80 average, depending on your location). They can also pressure test it for cracks & to check valve sealing effectiveness; that's usually $30 to $40. Add another gasket set & you're looking at worst at $200 or less.

Of course this all depends on nothing else being wrong with the head & yes I know, it's a lot of work (you DID need another hobby, didn't you? ). You also could just pull the head & take it to a machine shop for them to inspect & evaluate so you know for sure. That's $50 or less, usually, and again, you'd know for sure what you're dealing with. Nothing beats accurate info when dealing with repairs.

If the head is cracked you'll have to go the complete (new to you) rebuilt head route. This one seems to be available from most parts houses:

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/ATK2851

$400 plus tax, you send them your old head for core charge credit. Even comes with a new stock camshaft, springs, valves & seals. You'd have to transfer your rocker arm assembly, timing chain set & EGR exhaust gas cover plate (back of the head), & reset your valve clearances once it's in. I'd figure another $50 to $60 for a quality gasket set, so around $500 total.

I just wanted to do the research for you (this took me an hour to write up this morning, nice of me, ain't it? ) & lay all this out to help you know where you stand (& anyone else that comes along later to this thread).

Again, I understand real life has to come first, but hopefully this info will help you out. I'd just hate to see you lose the truck when it might not take all that much in $ to make it right again. And if I had time to do this in stages I'd definitely want to consider it. Whichever way you go I can respect that. Let us know what happens.

linksg

I seriously cannot explain to you how much I appreciate your post, it seriously has helped me out. Thank you very much. The water pump finally blew up and snapped the axle from the pump to the fan lol.

Here is my plan.
In a year or maybe two I'm gonna get it running again, get a new head, the whole shebang. But for now, it will remain parked. I might sell the bed for some extra cash for a new vehicle, it's a utility bed, I could get around 500 for it.
And guess what I found! A 1991 4x4 3vze 4runner, with aftermarket wheels, okay tires (offroad/road tread) 180k miles, a skid plate, bed liner covered side steps, and a missing quarter window lol.
I'm taking a test drive this Saturday, i'll let y'all know how it goes!
Thanks again 13Swords.

13Swords

That's OK boss, I'm here to help if I can. Mebbe the water pump on it's way out was causing the overheating problem? Hmmm....

Advice: Sooner rather than later completely drain all of the gas from the fuel system, including the tank & carb. There should be a drain plug on the bottom of the tank. There's also a bolt on the front of the carb, beneath the sight glass, that's a drain for the fuel bowl. Storing it with a dry fuel system will cause you a lot less headaches later on from gunked up gas varnish in everything. I'd leave the oil & oil filter in it & cover/seal up any openings to the coolant system to keep the critters out.

Not a bad idea about the bed. As for the 4Runner sounds ok as long as it's in decent running order. The 3VZE is a pretty durable motor. 2 door or 4 door? The quarter window shouldn't be too much hassle for a good glass guy to put in for you. I'd suggest checking with your local junkyards or even Ebay for the glass. It's a ton cheaper than buying the part new. Looks like you'll need one from a 1990 to 1995 to fit. Just plannin ahead...

linksg

Yea, I was planning on cleaning out the fuel lines with air so I wouldn't have to spend a week cleaning out the varnish! Thanks for the advice!

It's a 4 door 4runner, and I was planning on going down to my local U-Pull it junkyard and checking for a window, if not, going on ebay. '90 to '95? Good to know! Thanks!

13Swords

So you were already ahead of me, good going! I'll be standing by for updates when you have them. Good luck with the test drive.

SENOR NOODLES

Head is bad. The cooling ports are probably chewed into where the metal ring area of the head gaskets seal between head and block, allowing compression into the cooling system.