I have a 1993 XLE with the 3.0 V6 engine. I absolutely love the thing, but I'm having a horrible time with overheating. Let me start by saying there is no white smoke at startup, no white gunk in the oil, or any oil in the coolant. I first noticed a small leak a few months back, and it did run hotter than normal for awhile. At this point there was no fluid left in the overflow tank, and I would just add more coolant in. I nursed it along for awhile, adding more coolant and trying a stop-leak additive. I replaced both pressure caps on the system as well. The only issue was that one cap was supposed to be at 1.0 (Not sure how the pressure markings work), but the replacement was 1.1. Eventually I narrowed down the leak to the water pump and had it, the thermostat, and the timing belt replaced. The car ran great for a day or two, but then I started overheating again. I noticed that the coolant reservoir was full regardless of whether the engine was hot or cold. I then emptied the reservoir, cleaned out the remaining stop-leak, added a very small amount of coolant, and marked the level that it should be with the coolant system totally full (I ran the car, added coolant until everything was full and air was out of the system). A couple short trips later, and the level remained exactly the same. A few trips on the freeway later and the coolant reservoir is over the full mark. After letting the engine cool it only lowers by about 20 percent, and is about halfway higher up than it was before. I cannot figure out why the radiator is not drawing the coolant back in. My mechanic pressure tested the system after the water pump replacement and said it was fine. Any ideas?
Reply 1 : Overheating problems 93 Camry XLE
stop leak clogged your system.
also are the fan running? how is your power steering, that year your fan is driven off your power stearing system
Reply 2 : Overheating problems 93 Camry XLE
i wrote a big post about this fan system when i was ready to blow my car up with some dynamite. might have some useful info for you =)
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=350970
Reply 3 : Overheating problems 93 Camry XLE
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Originally Posted by chronoti 
stop leak clogged your system.
also are the fan running? how is your power steering, that year your fan is driven off your power stearing system |
My fan does run, although I haven't done much looking into as far as how fast it is running. Power steering works fine.
Reply 4 : Overheating problems 93 Camry XLE
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Originally Posted by rusty9
i wrote a big post about this fan system when i was ready to blow my car up with some dynamite. might have some useful info for you =)
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=350970 |
Reply 5 : Overheating problems 93 Camry XLE
Your mechanic found absolutely no leaks when he pressure tested? When the engine is cold, remove the filler cap and look, is the coolant level right up to the top? What caps do you have? OEM or aftermarket? Sometimes problems like these are as simple as a bad pressure cap. BTW, the filler cap (on the engine) is rated 1.0, the radiator cap is 1.1. It's very important these two parts correct and working.
Also you may have a clogged radiator causing the overheating. Or a blown head gasket.
edit - on my 1993 (same car as yours) I have the overflow level at the top line. When the engine is hot, the coolant is about 2 inches above the line. After a cool down overnight, it goes right back to the line. The level will change slightly depending on temperature. When it is very cold (like -25) the cold engine level will be maybe 1/4" below the line.
Reply 6 : Overheating problems 93 Camry XLE
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Originally Posted by 71Corolla
Your mechanic found absolutely no leaks when he pressure tested? When the engine is cold, remove the filler cap and look, is the coolant level right up to the top? What caps do you have? OEM or aftermarket? Sometimes problems like these are as simple as a bad pressure cap. BTW, the filler cap (on the engine) is rated 1.0, the radiator cap is 1.1. It's very important these two parts correct and working.
Also you may have a clogged radiator causing the overheating. Or a blown head gasket. edit - on my 1993 (same car as yours) I have the overflow level at the top line. When the engine is hot, the coolant is about 2 inches above the line. After a cool down overnight, it goes right back to the line. The level will change slightly depending on temperature. When it is very cold (like -25) the cold engine level will be maybe 1/4" below the line. |
Thanks for the info everyone, I'll try these suggestions and get back to you all.
Reply 7 : Overheating problems 93 Camry XLE
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Originally Posted by DarkSideMoon
The filler cap the Toyota dealer gave me the parts number for ended up being 1.1, so I'll see if I can dig up the old cap to put back on.
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Reply 8 : Overheating problems 93 Camry XLE
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Originally Posted by 71Corolla
Because these cars have two caps (why I have no idea) the filler cap is rated at a lightly lower pressure than the radiator cap. I'm 100% sure I have the right ones, I checked online and also at the dealer. But having the wrong rated cap will not cause a car to overheat, well it could in hot weather but normally no.
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Reply 9 : Overheating problems 93 Camry XLE
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Originally Posted by DarkSideMoon
Right now what really concerns me is that it pushes coolant into the reservoir but never sucks it back in.
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A pressure test will reveal the above very quickly, within 30 seconds.
Reply 10 : Overheating problems 93 Camry XLE
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Originally Posted by 71Corolla
Two thing that can cause that. A bad cap, or a leak. If there is a leak, the system won't be able to create a vacuum when the coolant in the engine contracts, so no negative pressure to draw the coolant in from the overflow.
A pressure test will reveal the above very quickly, within 30 seconds. |
Also, on an unrelated note, what kind of mileage do you normally get on your Camry? Mine always seemed a bit low but I've never met anyone with the v6 before to ask.
Reply 11 : Overheating problems 93 Camry XLE
I'm getting between 20-22 mpg U.S. gallon, which is okay not great. But it is winter stop and go driving. I used to get about 25mpg same conditions with my 5S-FE engine, which is not that much better. Freeway miles don't know have not driven any yet.
I drive conservatively most of the time. BTW, the airflow meter/timing mod did help the mileage a bit
Reply 12 : Overheating problems 93 Camry XLE
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Originally Posted by 71Corolla
I'm getting between 20-22 mpg U.S. gallon, which is okay not great. But it is winter stop and go driving. I used to get about 25mpg same conditions with my 5S-FE engine, which is not that much better. Freeway miles don't know have not driven any yet.
I drive conservatively most of the time. BTW, the airflow meter/timing mod did help the mileage a bit |
Reply 13 : Overheating problems 93 Camry XLE
Is the thermostat installed correctly? It should have a jiggle valve on it and pointed in the right direction otherwise you may get some air in. And I would highly discourage using a 'stop-leak'. It doesn't do anything but make things worse. I tried doing that on my camry when I bought it and then did the head gaskets...there was a lot of gunk in alllll of the water passages and it turned out to be the 'stop-leak' stuff all gummed up.
Reply 14 : Overheating problems 93 Camry XLE
Well, I tried the old pressure caps and that didn't work. I'm starting to think it might be a head gasket issue. What would be the best way to try to confirm this? There is nothing in the oil, no white smoke in the exhaust. The only thing I can find is bubbles in the filler neck but I'm not positive I've bled all the air out yet.
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