Welp, Radiator leaking on a road trip

my moms cracked along the top of the top tank, and dad kept driving until the engine seized. Granted, they’re not gauge watchers.

 

Oh jeezus… yeah I’m thankful I had the sense to stop. And had I been further from
Town I’d just have towed it. But I was like 4 miles I think I can make it and I thought there was a mechanic there. It’s crazy the nearest mechanic to this town is over an hour away. Thankfully a friend talked me through watching the gauge so I do think I’m ok.

 

I think theres a warning in the megathread about browning radiator tanks. When dads cracked on his q45 (crack in the tank, not between the tank and fins) i was able to JB weld it until the replacement showed up, but i hit it with a file to lock the jb weld in place, because it doesnt ‘glue’ to the plastic.

 

Yup, you have the "brown plastic syndrome" on your OEM radiator.

I just replaced mine on my v6, was a very easy job overall. Took about 2 1/2 gallons of coolant (but I changed my thermostat as well and about 2 cups of coolant spilled out when I pulled it off) pour a pitcher of tapwater wherever the coolant spills out on the belts/plastic to rinse it off.

Lost about 1/2 quart of tranny fluid. Try to let your tranny oil cooler lines drip into a water bottle when you go to disconnect them so you can save the oil and pour it back in, then tilt the radiator once removed and drain out the transmission oil from the radiator into your water bottle (AND MAKE SURE YOU KEEP TRACK OF THE PROPER INDENTATIONS ON ALL THE HOSE CLAMPS for the hoses). I got a leak from not putting the hose clamp back into it's original indented nook on one of the transmission cooler lines.

And finally, if your Oreily radiator has recessed mounting clips (the four holes to mount the radiator) instead of integrated mounting holes with the welded on nut on the back on the OEM, then you may need longer mounting bolts as the OEM bolts wont reach the threads on the aftermarket mounting clips. It's an M8 1.25 bolt.

You can swap your OEM radiator mount onto the new radiator though to avoid this as long as the dimensions of both radiator bodies are the same. But be prepared to buy longer bolts if you can't. (This was the case with my Denso radiator, I was too lazy to swap the OEM mounts back on and the radiator was already sitting in its spot by the time I found this out so I just drove to my local hardware store with my other car to get 4 longer bolts).

If shit hits the fan and you can't find those bolts where you're at and can't swap the OEM mount to the new one for whatever reason, you can get a small threaded metal rod from the local hardware store that fits through the holes with 8 locknuts and washers and cut the rod into 4 lengths and mount it like that (locknuts/washers squeezing everything together on the rod). Put the bolts on the rod before cutting them so you can un-thread them to straighten out the threads where you cut it. Zip ties might even work as a temporary fix.

Also: Green scotchbrite pads help to remove any dried up gunk from the radiator upper hose outlet nipple and lower thermostat outlet nipple. I had lots of buildup on mine that I even had to scrape off with a screwdriver then smoothed it out with the green scotchbrite afterwards. Same for the circular thermostat hole that the thermostat gasket mates up against. Make sure the transmission oil cooler nipples on the new radiator are threaded on tight. Sometimes, they can be loose from the factory. You can use any adjustable wrench or a pair of pliers to confirm this.

 

Recommend swapping OEM radiator brackets to new radiator.

 

Damn, I'm gonna read that thread again... I did read through before I bought my truck, decided I still wanted it, did all the stuff I thought I need to (ball joints, timing belt, etc) but I def missed the brown radiator syndrome! It is a lot of information. And I'm pretty new to "truck stuff" in general but happy to be learning. And even this experience hasnt made me rethink the truck. And hey, I dont have to worry about radiator again for quite some time, and I'll be better prepared with a better kit next time I'm on a trip too. I'm super grateful this happened when and where it did and not yesterday hundreds of miles from any town when I was doing Hwy 50 in Nevada.

 

Sweet, good tip.. can do!

 

Its probably the motorcycle sprints than made a true habit of watching the gauges, but i keep trying to load my truck at low rpm and not let it downshift, and it struggled a bit, but doesnt have to downshift.at least until i get stuck behind someone running 60mph. Need to hold 65 to hold OD. Kill OD below 50mph.

 

all super helpful.. thank you so much!!

 

For road trips I'll have a 3/8" socket set under one seat and a 1/2" socket set under the other seat. Tool roll with wrenches, and some screw drivers tucked back there as well. The socket sets mostly live under the seats anymore. If I'm going into the wilderness or at least off paved roads I'll include a set of impact sockets and a cordless 1/2" impact wrench. If I'm camping I'll usually have water jugs with me. I should throw a couple quarts of oil and some spark plugs under the back seat. After you get back home, you can throw together a small "go bag" with a basic socket and wrench set, screw drivers, zip ties, etc.

My radiator is about the same color as yours. Need to order up the replacement and get it changed with my timing belt in the coming weeks.

 

She’s running! Started right up. Thank you thank you thank you for all the help and suggestions. I’m going to drive her around town to test her out and then head to Yosemite tomorrow!

 

Oh I’m def putting a better recovery kit together when I get home.
and yeah speaking from recent experience I’d say just change it now haha. At least you can control when it’s changed and not be stranded somewhere

 

reading all this after my thermostat got stuck a few times last month...

 

I mean… I’d spend the $300 and just change it. And it’s totally a diy job if you can rustle up a helper.

 

Yeah...I already bought the new one, but then it started working again so...lol
I think the idea of spilling fluid in my yard turns me off of making it DIY

How hard is it to replace the radiator though? I should just replace both at the same time on mine. If they're both easy I can get some beer and a weekend to convince me

edit: oh by $300 you *were* referring to the radiator. ok I'll see if Sue has a video on replacing it

 

Yeah the radiator was like $330 I think but then I also got new thermostat, hoses and fluid so it was def in the $400 range all said and done. It did make kind of a big mess. We tried to catch things in a bucket but still messy. We clamped the transmission tubes and didnt lose any tranny fluid. It was all way easier than I thought it would be. Radiator was just a few bolts and the hoses is all. I probably would have taken it to a mechanic if I had a choice, but it would have been an hour and a half tow from where I'm at now so necessity kinda forced the DIY job. And honestly, pleasantly surprised. It was a 2 beer job. I'm a slow drinker, though.

 

I kinda regret not doing the radiator myself but it was going into the shop anyway for all those other things......

 

I did have plenty of water and oil but no tools haha. I'm def gonna add spark plugs and idk some other shit to a kit too. I always see extra sockets and tools for so cheap at the swap meet in town.. just gonna start collecting a nice truck collection so I'm always ready. I like to be out on the road often.

 

Just saw this thread, glad you got it worked out. I wouldn't necessary bring spark plugs with you but I always carry an extra denso brand ignition coil with me just in case.

Were you able to put in the correct pink coolant or will it need to be flushed out when you get back home?

 

Thank you! Oh shoot I got this “universal” yellow one. You know, I had thought it was supposed to be pink but what exploded out and dripped all over was definitely yellow so then I second guessed and thought maybe they changed the color. Do I need to flush this when I get home? I suppose I should have done more research, but I was kinda stressed out and had to order for pickup.
https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...ellow-pre-mixed-antifreeze-coolant/afz6/87221

That all said, I’m about to drive around town just until the engine warms up then head down to Lee vining and over to Yosemite. Probably stick to pavement just until im feeling better about everything being ok.

 

Yeah I had noticed no one mentioned it, however you were in quite the situation so any coolant is fine for a bit, but it would be best for you to do a full flush of the system and refill with pink coolant. The peak OET brand coolant is good. Sometimes during the Toyota sales you can get OEM Toyota pink for a good deal. Some people like the Zerex coolant as well. Up to you really.

Do some research on coolant flushes and find a method that works for you. A cooling system funnel works great for bleeding out air from the system afterwords.

$22 EPAuto Spill Proof Radiator Coolant Filling Funnel Kit

LINK

 

Thank you so much! I will absolutely research when I get home and after this experience I think I’m pretty confident in my ability to flush it haha. It’s been using yellow something since god knows how long before I had it so I suppose 2 more days of yellow with a new radiator will be alright.
Definitely quite a situation. Wasn’t expecting to bring home a new radiator as a souvenir but hey at least I don’t have to worry about it again for the foreseeable future.

 

I have had a couple Toyotas with yellow in them and they were just fine, but pink is recommended and it is formulated differently. The biggest thing you don't want to do is mix the two colors as that absolutely will cause big issues.

 

Good to know!

 

I got a 215 piece hart toolset when they were cheap, it packs into the pass. footwell perfectly, you can add some small tools to the bottom drawer, and its what i use 95% of the time. But since i’m a designated mechanic, i’ve had to add ratcheting wrenches and a 1/2” drive socket set, and a bunch of little tools to an aux toolbox that fits in front of the hart in the passenger footwell, but keep a breaker bar and a hammer under my dogs platform.

but this tool/electrical kit has come in handy for all kinds of stuff, think i got it from walmart. I feel better having it than not. Especially since most of my calls from my neighbors are electrical problems.