ET

sorry, i checked and couldn't seem to find anything that specifically touched on this issue. currently this past week it has been less than 30 degress F and my 95 3.0 4runner is overheating. i think i have a leak in the radiator as i put in a full jug about 2 weeks ago and it ran out and overheated tonight while idling in 16 degree weather. my dad thinks its overheating because of the thermostat because it takes between 5-10 minutes for the heater to kick in. the heater seems to work quicker when there is water in the radiator and slower when there is antifreeze in the mix. from what i can tell from watching the temp guage the thermostat still works. anybody have any ideas?

edit: i thought i might also add that there hasn't been any change in the engine noise. not sure if you can hear a difference when a headgasket blows or not. i pay pretty close attention to the engine noise as i think it is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world!

tumor21

blew my 22re's head gasket recently and I could hear a bit more valve rattle afterwards (but then again... it's a 22re). The point loss of coolant is the concern. Find out where it's coming from. I know that most shops will/can do a coolant system check to the tune of 100-200 bucks. If your HG is gone you might notice exhaust just being white smoke if you're burning water/coolant.

thedanned

A stuck open thermostat would cause the truck to run cold and make your heater slower to warm up. If its stuck closed the truck will overheat. Low coolant will also cause a cold heater. It will also cause the truck to overheat, even in 16* weather. Fix the coolant leak first and go from there. My 0.02.

Edit:x2 on looking for smoke. Look for oil in coolant/coolant in oil too.

ET

thanks guys. we're pretty sure its the water pump now. the heater works like it should when the radiator is full and you can tell when the thermo opens from watching the temperature guage.

TORTIS

iTrader: (1)

You can see water dripping?