Ok so I have a few different symptoms and im not sure if one thing is causing them or if its multiple things. Im losing coolant which i thought was just leaking out of the bottom of the radiator where the hose connects. The hoses need to be replaced and the radiator is on its way out... or so i was told. My symptoms are heat spikes.. and it can be driving around town and sometimes on the highway. It is obviously alot worse around town due to less air flow but what baffles me is it isnt consistent. I know my radiator has a slow leak (so i am told, haven't been able to confirm it yet) but I have been checking it regularly to make sure it is full of fluid. So Im planning on replacing my radiator and hoses as soon as I can but with the symptoms im having it would lead me to question whether or not it was a bigger issue or not. I thought it might have been a blown head gasket but the motor has about 3K on it and I have never hit the red on my temp gauge so i have a hard time believing that this is the issue... Im really kinda scratching my head at this point.

ps. i have a 89 4runner 3.0 5 speed

 

Just replace the radiator & hoses along with the thermostat. The truck will tell you where to go from there.

 

You think the thermostat too?

 

Cheap part, they simply do not last forever. It might be sticking, most of mine just open too quick so the engine never warms up & stays hot, looks fine but doesn't work right. Sometime crap gets stiuck in the opening and it simply doesn't work. Three bolts RH side, cheap insurance. If you want run a flush with it out, then flush with copious amounts of water. Replace old parts with new and Zerex anti-freeze red for Toyota's.

 

X2. You can't diagnose a problem if you have known faulty parts. Fix the cheap stuff first and go from there. I've seen headgasket "repairs" on the 3.0's fail in a matter of months. However, no point in guessing when you have known suspects already.