madmax98

Hello everyone.

I recently swapped engines after my bro toasted his. I made sure the fluids are up to specified levels; coolant, ps, engine, transmission. and when i finally started the car, it idled fine for a while then the temp guage started climbing and the coolant was overflowing. I read a lot of threads about people changiing everything without diagnosing or limiting the causes. So i decided not to start changing anything till i find the problem.
I started with the cooling system "hopefully it stops there" tested the fan and it was fine. the water pump was new. radiator cap checked out ok. Went to the water outlet over the engine and checked the cap, it was worn so i changed it. My next step was to check out the thermostat which is a pain in the ***, so i chose to fill with water and test again before moving to the thermo. Before, i filled the radiator only. This time i figured it was important to fill from both ports, i think it's almost impossible to get all the air out using one port. The car idled fine for 45 minutes and drove fine, problems no more.

I wanted to share my experience here for other members to avoid the huge frustration. So in summary, check everything you can get your hands on than relates to the problem, Don't change anything unless it doesn't work properly. Also logic is very important in narrowing down the causes: if coolant overflowing, check your caps first; if overheating at idle, check your fan, and coolant and make sure to fill from both ports to avoid air bubbles; thermostat is working and lower hose temp is changing; No visual leaks from the water pump. Now i'm off to flush the cooling system. I hope i was helpful to some.

Lexucan

Good tips
I've heard from mechanics who have worked on these engines and from fellow ES owners who have said that getting all the air out of the cooling system of these cars can be a PITA! So, I think your tip about using both ports to fill the system is a good one. When you pour coolant into one of the ports this will allow air to escape from the other port, and vice-versa. And when diagnosing an overheating issue, it's just good common sense logic to start with the easiest, and hopefully the least expensive possibilities first.

madmax98

Thnx Lexucan.

from this experience, i don't think all the air will be able to escape from the other port because it's trapped somewhere where it can't escape, and that's why i tried pouring water into both ports while the engine is on to help move the air pockets to better positions. It's also more of what's more likely to cause the problem as opposed to what's easier, that's why i mentiond the example of hot idle==>fan, overflowing coolant==> caps, cool hose==> thermo.

rtk7

i just recently bought the long lasting red coolant toyota makes was like 20+ bucks a gallon. im really low in engine coolant, so i should pour it full in the resevoir and open the radiator cap and pour some in there? and what if i get air bubbles what does it do?

madmax98

You need to fill the radiator port and the water outlet port first b4 the overflow tank, follow directions on the container. Coolant is there to absorb heat from the engine, air can't do it efficiently, so that's why you need to get the air out, hope this helps.