1994 Camry Overheating/No heat

[Instrument 41]

Son bought a 94 Camry a few months back. Had lots of receipts from the past 2 years and many new parts, including the radiator. So he calls and says its overheating. Went by and looked at it today, and after idling from a cold start the needle started heading north, got to about 75 percent of scale and turned it off. So, do you think the no heat/ overheating is related? Radiator I about 2 years old, thinking thermostat?? Any suggestions?

[John Rogers]

Check the hose coming from the thermostat to the radiator and see if it is hot or cold (should be hot). Make sure it has been fully vented of all air also. If he doesn't have a Haynes manual he should get one.

[RANDY P]

Symptoms,

It'll be impossible to bleed, lose water, hot flashes (temp gauge pegs out then all of sudden cools down - due to air in system), sporadic cabin heat (air in system), always needs water and over and over again If you can't find a leak my money is the HG.

Check the reservoir for signs of boiling and exhaust stench, see if there's coolant in oil- mayo under the oil cap.

Sorry.

[drkshdw]

No heat means the coolant isn't being circulated through the heater core. Since it's overheating it isn't circulating through the radiator. Either the thermostat is stuck closed or you've got a chunk of something blocking something.

Start with getting the car warm and feeling hoses. They should all be warm with the heat on. If not, trace the hoses back to where they stop being hot and that's where your problem lies.

[Instrument 41]

At the time was not aware that the TS was on the inlet of the lower hose. All I was feeling was the upper hose and it was warm. Actually warmer at the engine than where it ties into the radiator. Coolant in the tank didn't look or smell of oil/exhaust. So I guess replacing the TS would be the first point of attack??

[manbridge 74]

5SFE four? Or V6?

It’s low on coolant or no circulation if heats not working. T-stat is common for sticking, cheap to replace and is preventative maintenance. If no way to pressure test, fill it and see where it leaks, hopefully external. Sometimes hard to reach lower hose but checking for heat here is a good idea after about 10 minutes of idling.

[drkshdw]

If the temp was at 75% on the gauge, you wouldn't be able to touch the upper radiator hose. It would be too hot to touch (it's too hot to keep your hand on it at operating temp). I'm gonna bet the thermostat but feel the lower hose it goes into once the car is warm. It should be hot. This just based on my own thermostat problems on my own 99 Camry.

[manbridge 74]

Lower hose is one to check.

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by Instrument 41

At the time was not aware that the TS was on the inlet of the lower hose. All I was feeling was the upper hose and it was warm. Actually warmer at the engine than where it ties into the radiator. Coolant in the tank didn't look or smell of oil/exhaust. So I guess replacing the TS would be the first point of attack??

Feel a surge when you squeeze it? Should. Should be hot to the touch too.

If it hasn't lost water and looks ok otherwise go for it. Good place to start.

rjp

[SCadaddle]

Subarus (I realize we are talking Toyota here) are notorious for running hot because for some reason or another (ususally a bad head gasket) there isn't enough water in the system. So my first plan of attack would be to get the nose of the car elevated higher than the rest of the car i.e. make the radiator cap the high point of the entire cooling system and make sure it is full of water/coolant. Make sure it is full when cold, then run it until the thermostat should open then keep adding water until everything is hot.

[Heel n Toe]

You're getting good advice on the engine cooling problem.

Re: "no heat," check to see if the heater hoses are hooked up going to the firewall. It's possible that the previous owner decided he didn't want to shoulder the expense/time of fixing a leaking heater core and just bypassed it.

I did that once on a car. Not proud of it, but it kept me rolling.

[hardflex]

Another possibility. If it's a v6 it may be the same setup as my 95 ES300. In it the cooling fan is driven by Hydraulic pressure I think from power steering pump. If it's not turning as it should will overheat when idling.

[cabmandone]

My first thought is thermostat.
Second would be water pump

Easiest to check first:
My old subie ran hot with no heat due to an air bubble in the system. While driving on the road it was fine but at idle it would heat up. I burped the system and it cleared right up. I know we're talking Yotas here but it might be worth checking.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Reminds me of every 944 I ever owned.

I'd tackle the t-stat first (easy and cheap- and gives opportunity to bleed system), but it makes me wonder why someone would replace a radiator and NOT change the thermostat in the process. To me, a PO would have had overheating, changed the t-stat first, then with no luck changed the radiator in frustration (unless radiator changed due to front end accident).

A quick internet search on 94 toyota camry overheating makes mention of plastic impellers on the water pump failing. There was some disagreement on if that car had a plastic vs metal impeller, but that would also explain the heater core not working. At least one post recommended checking impeller blades to see if they spun freely of the water pump while in changing t-stat (if that is possible).

One question is if the car has always overheated since purchase, versus this being a new thing for your son. I'm almost wondering if there is a very slow leak which allowed for a slow accumulation of air in the system, which vexed the PO's and caused them to eventually give up and sell the sucker.

Finally, a google search for "94 toyota camry bleeding coolant" pulled up some hits with some obligate youtube videos and cool music. It looks like a fairly easy system to bleed compared to some cars.

Good luck

[RANDY P]

No surge but hot when you grab the upper hose = jacked impellers / wasserpump. You can almost hear the gushing when you grab it.

Looks like the Toyota and BMW collaboration goes all the way back to 94

[Instrument 41]

Lots of great info here. Thanks guys. To answer afew questions. It is a V6, no it just started overheating, and don't feel a surge in the upper hose. He will, no me!, he will replace the TS and lets hope that works. Its too cold and the ground is too wet for this old body to crawl around to do this job! Thanks

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Oh yeah- another quick and easy "while you are in there" which gave me ENDLESS trouble on my 944. May or may not apply to your situation.
Buy a new radiator cap! Especially on my older 944, the rubber gasket was bad, and it was not making a good seal, therefore system not pressurizing, causing air to collect in the system.

I did everything. radiator, pump, ts, hoses, 10,000 "purges" of air in the system, not including a lifetime of fans/relays checking/ rechecking. Bit fingernails off worrying about HG.

A stupid freaking radiator cap (actually the cap on the coolant reservoir on the 944), but you get the idea.

Infact- if I had the same symptoms on a 944 (and they were almost identical to yours), I would order the TS and the radiator cap first (both cheap)- burp the system, and install the radiator cap only and try it out to prevent even having to get under the car. If it didn't work, I wouldn't tell anyone and move onto the TS, but that's exactly what I would do. My cap (seal) was about 20 years old when it died

[manbridge 74]

Good point about cap. There are incorrect length after market caps that can cause leaking or won’t pressurize. Use a factory cap.

[911boost]

I was going to say cap too. I worked on a Jeep Liberty that had these symptoms and just needed a new cap.

[Indescikov]

Head Gasket leak due to corrosion. Common problem on 20 year old Toyota's