First off, I'm a noob, so if this is the wrong place for this, please point me in the right direction. Thank you in advance.
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Purchased a 2009 Lexus IS250 from a used dealership in 2013 and it looked like it was in immaculate condition. Simply beautiful. I'm now experiencing buyer's remorse. I started having overheating problems with it 2 months ago. Did a diagnostic check, which said bad thermostat. Changed the thermostat. Still overheated. Changed the waterpump today and found something very disheartening. I've pulled a CarFax history on it and there's a long list of overheating issues spanning almost the entire life of the car. Does it look like someone tried to JB weld this block?

Check out this picture. Behind the waterpump.

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Looks that way doesn't it. I'm curious if you couldn't weld that?

But this is what you have to figure out. Do a head gasket test to see if your leaking coolant. Check your oil to see if there is a white film on the inside of the cap. Look on youtube for instructions. Both Scotty Killmer and Chris Fix have vids on how to do this.

You need to figure out why it's over heating? Is it a fan not coming on, is it a bad Radiator? Is it a bad thermostat? Is it an air pocket?

Once you figure that out you can determine whether to sell the car or not.

 

Trade it in to a dealer! Let him worry about it.

 

The coolant always spills out of the overflow reservoir. Two thermostat replacements. Haven't done these head gasket tests but I will tomorrow. Thank you.

 

Haha, I have to get it there first. That's the challenge! I can't even get to Autozone with out the darn temp gauge jumping into the red.

 

Radiator cap isn't holding pressure. Change out the Radiator cap first before anything else and see if it helps.

 

I hate to state the obvious here but.....Pull the carfax BEFORE you buy. It sure does look like someone tried to fix that in a not so professional manner. Im sorry youre dealing with those issues my friend. Maybe you can find a Lexus online that someone is parting out and buy a used part in good working condition and help remedy your issue.

 

 

Sure looks like some work was done there. I'm more interested in why someone put green coolant in. I hope they did a complete flush of the original pink coolant versus mixing the green with the stock pink coolant, otherwise that may exhibit the cooling issues you're having due to a clogged radiator (it sort of "gels" up). It sort of looks like it was mixed though, the water pump area looks like there's some sitting pink coolant.

 

So it looks like your over heating problem could have caused these cracks your seeing.

Here is some info on the subject.

http://www.enginebuildermag.com/2015...d-head-repair/

Something else to keep in mind about cracks is that they are often the result of too much heat. A leaky head gasket, water pump, radiator or coolant hose may have allowed a loss of coolant that eventually caused the engine to run hot and overheat. An exhaust restriction caused by a partially plugged catalytic converter (or particulate filter on a diesel engine) can also back up heat in an engine. So it’s important to identify and eliminate anything that might have caused the engine to overheat before it is put back in service – otherwise your crack repairs may be short lived.

I would definitely find the reason it is over heating. You might want to get it all together and either drive it until failure (when or if that happens) or trade it in.

 

Though all motors have some degree of casting flaws, that does indeed look like a genuine crack where pressure has seeped out. Can you physically scrap off anything off the block area that discolored area? I have seen some cracks like that permanently welded up by a professional. You just might want to go that route.

Keep us updated on what you end up doing.

 

Flushed the whole system, filled to spec with Toyota coolant. Car has been on for an hour with no issues. Temperature holding steady. Taking it for a couple of spins around town to see what happens.

 

you've done the 2 main things here that would be the culprit, the last one I can think of would be radiator..

It might be blocked or might have an airlock.

 

Let me get this straight... You purchased a 2009 model year car in 2013 and now it has overheating issues 4 years later?
You think the issue is someone elses fault? You have had the car for 4 years. Its your problem.
Buyers remorse 4 years later?

 

Yeah, I read right past that originally. I figured he'd only had the car for a few months. Seems strange to have a problem like this and call it "Buyers Remorse" 4 years later. Either way, I hope you're on the right track with finding a cure.