I always wanted a off road yota since I was a teen and finally got one! Alots been done to it already but I plan to clean it up even more. One owner for $4,600. Overheating issue at high speed (runs normal if I stay under 45 mph). Changed t-stat but still does the same. Gonna change the water pump now. Frame has surface rust so I gotta learn how to kill it and what to paint it with. Overall a clean 83 especially in salty Hawaii.

 

Good looking truck

 

Thanks! I luckily found a deal. I know there's nothing like building up yourself but just don't have the time.

 

Welcome!

Nice truck!

Overheating at high RPMs usually a sign of radiator restrictions.

 

Ugh! I gotta replace the radiator too. I'm going down the line lol. I don't see coolant movement in the radiator cap while engine is running. Figured to replace the pump first as it was a cheap part.

 

PLEASE let me know if you ever want to get rid of those Bushwacker fender flares - I will gladly pay you a premium for them! Better yet, you could do the whole community here on yotatech a favor and send them off the Corey (Slacker on here) at Toyota Fiberglass so he can make a mould to reproduce them for the rest of us. I'm pretty sure that he can do it without damaging your originals. Great looking truck though!

 

I'm figuring the fender flares aren't made anymore?

 

How you liking the thorntirds??

 

You got it, they are extinct. But I love those flares so I search weekly for somebody that may be looking to get rid of them.

 

They are common here in Hawaii as the off road yota scene is huge. All the hunting and shoreline fishing we do here. I'll keep an eye open for some for sale. Thorntirds? Lol I haven't tried them off road yet as one of my hubs is stuck in free. My friend said it's an ez fix and should be here Wednesday to fix it. I know they are old school tires and even my friend laughed at them. But they came with the truck and have plenty tread left.

 

Where are you at it Hawaii? My best friend owns a house in Haleiwa right on the North Shore. I head down there for a couple weeks to surf every fall. Last time I was down there I saw just a couple of pickups and a couple right hand drive Australian Hilux's but I mostly saw Landcruisers. There is also a great dirtbike track about 5 minutes away from his house too.

Anyway, if you find somebody that wants to get rid of some of those fender flares let me know. I can have him pick them up and ship them to me when he gets back down there (He is moves down there from October to April) or I can pick them up personally when I head down in late November.

As far as your hubs go, they are usually an easy fix. The hardest part is breaking the cone washers loose to actually remove the hubs. The only parts that you may need to replace are the o-rings around the dials, the detent balls/springs (if you loose them like I did) and the snap ring. Low Range Off Road and Marlin Crawler will have any parts that you may need. I just recently rebuilt and powdercoated mine so let me know if you need any help with them.

 

I live in Waianae on the west side of Oahu. Plenty trucks out this way. I gotta get my overheating issue solved. Is it normal to have some white waxy looking stuff inside the radiator? I could see some when I topped off my coolant after changing the t-stat. Gonna flush the radiator when I change the water pump.

 

I went down to Waianae last time I was there. The damn forest reserves turn a 25 minute drive into a 75 minute detour around them! LOL I'll see if I can hit you up when I go down there this year to scope out your truck.

As for your over heating, sounds like you could have some pretty substantial corrosion build up in your radiator causing coolant flow restrictions. You can try flushing it, but if that doesn't help would recommend trying to find a new radiator. I have found them from several sources in the neighborhood of $160. Might want to replace your thermostat as well.

 

I don't see any corrosion in the radiator, just that white waxy jelly looking stuff. It's not free floating but attached to the metal inside. Metal itself is rather clean. What's the proper way to flush the radiator?

 

Oh and I put in a new 180 t-stat

 

I flushed the radiator and did a test run. Definitely running better but still abnormally hot. Before it would flirt with red but now it's at 3/4 guage at its hottest. The radiator has a lot of the white buildup inside. Some looks like mineral crystals and some like tapioca pudding. I'm sure it's restricting the fluid as it is plugging some of the slots. It's loose as I pulled some out. Is there any product that can break this buildup down so it can be flushed out?

 

There are radiator flushes that work fairly well.. But having said that I would look at your radiator real good and if it has any damage I would consider replacing it.

What does your oil look like? The reason I ask is the "tapioca pudding". If your oil looks milky, you got more problems than your radiator....

 

Oil is dark brown. Ya, my friend said if coolant is getting in the oil it turns milky. My oil is still oil. I don't have any leaks and the radiator is still solid if it weren't for all the crud in it. I'll look into a radiator flush product and see how that goes. If I can just get the crud to dissolve and flush out I'm sure that'll do it for a while.

 

Pics of said crud???

 

Awesome truck!