96ToyotaWoes

Hi,

I have an issue was my car lately. It's been in the shop 3 times this week and the problem has not been solved. The temp guage creeps up beyond the 1/2 way point after about 1/2 hour of driving whether on local roads/bumper to bumper traffic or 60+ mph on highway. After pulling over for 10 minutes, the car is fine to go. The temp drops back down to normal. If the car is indeed overheating, how can I possibly drive it after pulling over for 10 minutes? I had the temp guage replaced twice, radiator flushed and cleaned out. My next move will be to replace the sensor. I don't know what else to do.

Rick F.

What about the obvious stuff like replacing the thermostat, power flushing the system (not just the radiator), fan clutch, checking for hoses collapsing...

PoBoy

When it starts to over heat...Turn on the heater on full blast and see if it goes down...it should. If it doesnt, then it could just be the sensor. It it does go down...then yeah, you're overheating.

Steveh29

I had a similar problem and it ended up being the radiator. The faster I went the hotter it would get. Then at rest, the car would cool down fairly quickly. The radiator was clogged and not able to dump the heat. Be sure there's nothing blocking the radiator vanes or clogging airflow. Also check to see no weatherstripping or shrouds used to duct air into the radiator are missing.

fromjeeptotoyota

try replacing the radiator,water pump, and thermostat
most common problems.

96ToyotaWoes

Well I ended up changing the radiator. It was 80% clogged. Not happy about the $$ I've spent to fix this problem. Now, the thermostat is always at the half way mark but doesn't go beyond that. That's a good thing but I do not recall my car running that hot, ever. The thermostat is usually a little below the half way mark. Does it sound like my problem has been fixed once in for all? Or should I bring it back and have it re-checked? Thanks for all your help.

lee

mine is almost always at the half, not really above or below.

MTL_4runner

If your radiator was that plugged you might consider changing the thermostat and waterpump as well if you really want to be absolutely sure everything is functioning 100% (also check for any blocked hoses and such too). Mine stays just below the halfway mark but it will depend on what part of the country you live in too.