ok. i was driving in my 86 4x4 22re, when i heard my engine make a weird noise. I turned my music down, then POP!!! Something under the hood cries out and i pull off. The engine smokes at the gas station a little bit while i realized the main radiator hose (from radiator to thermostat) had burst. i asked the valero tech for a quote and he gave me 250+ for the hose, the t-stat, the two wires below the t-stat (of which i know nothing about), and to fix a minor gas leak. i turned that crap down.

I replaced the hose from a toyota dealer nearby, filled it up, and drove off. no problem for the hour and halfish i drove intermittedly the rest of today.

How hard is the t-stat change? what are those wires? should i be good for a weekend trip to the mountains for snowboarding? i need to know fast because im leaving saturday morning! HELP ME!!!

we have 48 hours to be ship shape and a low budget to work with.

btw, first time posting yota tech. thanks for your help and hospitality.

 

the t-stat is cake on a 22r 2 bolts and a gasket. done. if your even a lil sketchy about the t stat change it. not sure about two wires though? most of mine are cut anyway

 

sweet thanks. yeah... right below the t-stat is two plug in wire sets. i think the shock from the hose broke them off. besides a rough idle the only difference is the check engine light is on. i hope those wires arent much... anyone??

 

I found this write up for the T-Stat:

Where is the thermostat located and how do you change it?

It is under the thermostat housing (or neck) beside the valve cover. A sure fire method to locate the thermostat on most engines is to follow the upper radiator hose from the radiator back to where it connects to the engine. Usually the t-stat is located right there:



In the above image, the t-stat housing is between the EFI intake plenum and the valve cover. It is painted red in the above image, buried beneath a few vacuum lines. With a cool engine mark and remove the lines to access the cover and drain a quart or two of coolant from the radiator drain valve. Disconnect the temperature sender(s) wires, the upper radiator hose and remove the two retaining bolts (12mm head). Lift off the housing, take note of the old t-stat orientation (i.e. which side is up) and then remove the old t-stat and gasket.

Check that the gasket surface is clean and smooth, install the gasket around the t-stat, drop it in place with the "slug(s)" down. Replace the housing and apply some anti-sieze compound to the bolt threads and insert them. Tighten them down snugly, replace the vacuum lines and electircal connectors and refill the cooling system. Run the engine to temperature with the radiator cap off to allow any trapped air to vent, then put the cap on and check for leaks.

Also a good idea to test a new t-stat prior to installation. Drop it in a pot of water on the stove and use a thermometer to see at what temperature it opens and that it opens fully. I will usually test the old t-stat as well, to see if it was defective or not.

The wires you say are cut are probably your temp sending unit for your temp gauge. Does you gauge still work? I hope this helps. Welcome aboard!

 

yeah i think my temp gauge still works. it responded pretty normally with a minute down before moving to lower midlin. i managed to reattach the left one but the right one (which might be green) is toast. they're bundles too with pretty standard two piece plug attachers. anyone know what they do?