2000 Tundra radiator leak source

Hello All -

I am new to the forum and need some advice regarding a radiator issue with my 2000 tundra.

My wife took the truck on a 135 mile trip. Before she left I noticed that the overflow was completely empty. I filled it up to just over the full line. I also topped off the radiator with coolant. The coolant used was O'Reillys universal since it was all I had on hand and she was in a hurry; not my preference, and likely not a good decision. When she arrived at her destination she sent photos of what she saw under the hood. Note: the overflow level was still full. Haven't gotten word today if that changed overnight. However there was splatter on the underside of hood, and evidence that minor splatter hit the top of the engine (likely from bouncing off hood). Not sure where it is coming from but the photo I am sharing makes me think it is from the top of the radiator itself.

Is it likely that she can make if home (135 miles) as is? Thanks for any help.

 

Have her check or take pictures of the crank or water pump, it looks like it’s being flung from the fan or pulleys

 

I suspect the radiator cap at least but check the manufacturer date on that tank - if over 10 yrs its time for a new radiator too - Denso is preferred. Coolant brand won't matter so much. Check your trans fluid also to ensure nothing has leaked into it. Luck.

 

ok - if it is the water pump I am assuming she can fill it (overflow and radiator) before leaving and make it home for me to investigate. Let me know if my thinking is incorrect.

 

In case it needs to be said, you cannot (should not, unless you want problems) run yellow coolant in these trucks. Different colored coolants are formulated for different engine/internal types, using the wrong one can lead to rust, nasty buildup from precipitates, leave passages blocked, etc. The 2UZ-FE takes red (or better yet the pink long life) coolant.

You also should not mix coolants, lest they react and the combo of that and my last sentence lead to this exact type of buildup, that crap ended up jammed in everything on Tundra2's truck, in everything, like the throttle body bypass, the lines to the oil cooler, clogging everything up to the oil cooler, clogging the internals of the oil cooler, completely clogging cooling hoses, one radiator hose, another radiator hose. This was the consistency of it. His previous owner was a dumbass and didn't understand you can't mix coolants and there's no such thing as "universal" coolant.

Also, stick with Denso brand on the alternator, but don't buy from scAmazon or fleaBay unless you like potentially fake and/or damaged product. Summit Racing and Rock Auto have a great reputation for getting radiators to you quick and intact. It's easy to swap, as long as you fill the right way.

Find the correct radiator for your truck at www.densoautoparts.com since the different cab types used different radiator (DC was diff't).

 

PS, in case you or anyone else reading this down the road is ignorant of this tidbit, let today be the day you learned... :

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Get it hot & watch the top rad tank. Moms radiator crack closed up & was invisible while cool.

 

Radiator is over 20 years old. No issues noticed with performance; engine seems to run well. Various coolants have been in truck. However nothing has ever been noticed until now. My wife is going to continue keeping the radiator full with the remaining "universal" coolant since that is what is already in the rad.; just until we get her home, and I can make fixes. From now on - only the correct coolant - scouts honor.

Here are photos after truck set overnight. There appears to be coolant in overflow (not much pulled back into rad.). Rad also has fluid in it (per my wife - honeslty I could not tell from photo, but include it anyway).

I have also included a photo of the oil pan - as there appears to be dried residue. Don't know if this is from a leaking water pump.

 

These trucks have issues with "pink milkshake". The transmission fluid line passes thru the radiator via a channel in the bottom, and the seals eventually give way, allowing coolant into the transmission fluid, causing a slurry in the transmission, killing the transmission if you don't catch it soon, and at minimum even if you catch it, causing the $$$ to fully flush it and hope you didn't nuke anything. That said, maybe this leak is a blessing in disguise. It's a mistake to not proactively change the radiator, in general. Cheap part; cheap insurance.

But that said, replacement. STAT. Denso brand because it'll hold up 2x-3x as long as anything aftermarket. Maybe she'll be good to drive home 130mi ... if not, that's a costly ass mistake. With how cheap radiators are (Denso around $130 last I checked), considering the cost of head work and/or engine replacement .... I dunno. I'd almost be tempted to drive down there with the replacement and swap it. Note you will lose a tad of transmission fluid during replacement due to pass-thru.

Four things plague these trucks: Rusty frames. Pink milkshake. Being ignorant of timing belt changes (if it snaps in motion over 1k RPM, you're fucked). Using anything other than OEM lower ball joints (aftermarket failure rate is astronomical) and/or failure to proactively change LBJ every 100k-150k miles.

If you've mixed coolant, unless you want what Tundra2 found in those links above, you'll want to fully flush with distilled water to get old shit out before replacing with (ideally) pink coolant.

 

I appreciate your responses, Shifty. I appreciate everyone's responses. I will do as recommended - new radiator and flush.

I grew up watching my dad work on everything. He however wasn't much of a talker, or teacher. I have been learning as i go along. Yeah - I am probably a dumbass, but firmly believe this can been remedied...at least will die trying. Thanks again.

 

"Dumbass", probably not. Dumbass move would be ignoring it, treating the symptoms (refill periodically) until bad things happen, or trusting a chain store to fix the issue for you. Or not bothering to ask. @Tundra2's previous owner was a crackhead, and did all kinds of stupid crap on his truck, but he got it sorted, a lot of us chimed in on that. Good group of guys and gals here on the forum, ready to help and give you some warnings here or there where it's warranted - typically on issues that've caused others significant pain, recurring issues we've seen, and big "no-no" items to avoid.

I use the word "ignorant" above for a reason. Ignorant isn't a bad word. I think the word has been stigmatized, many interpret it as synonymous with "stupid" these days. Not by definition, which is, "lacking knowledge, information, or awareness about a particular thing" - does that sound bad to you? It doesn't to me, it sounds like what I've been on a number of topics in my lifetime, and where we all once were in our younger years!

Ignorance is not usually a permanent condition, and any time you muster up the courage to ask, you're humbly admitting, "I'm not 100% certain about this" and posturing yourself to learn. That's the opposite of dumbassery. That's a clear sign you've got a light on upstairs, and you're ready to use it to your advantage. The dumbass thing to do? Not asking the question. Being too proud to inquire, or thinking you're not capable enough of solving this issue, which isn't a huge issue at all, and is something anyone can probably handle, some with direction, some without.

Anyway, enough soapbox from me. I for one am proud you stopped to ask. The points fellas brought above with many more are lodged into a thead about these trucks OVER HERE. We started assembling all the info we could on these trucks and I formatted it, then copied/pasted it into that thread, and took ownership to keep it updated. Consider it "all the shit we've learned on this forum about 1st Generation Tundras, via ourselves and through others..."

Keep us posted, I'm sure we'd all love to hear how you pan out.

 

I genuinely appreciate the feedback! I am ignorant on many subjects. But I absolutely love learning - and in particular - how to keep the cars/trucks/motorcycles going. I would prefer keep my house in order rather than handing the "keys" over to someone else. But alas - I do make mistakes.

My wife is on her way home. She is stopping along the way and checking the fluid levels... last stop, about halfway home, she reported that the splattering appears to have stopped and the overflow is still full. of course I am not sure this is good news, but maybe the level of radiator fluid is below where the leaking/spraying is occurring. Engine seems to be running fine, and temp indicator is not showing any signs of an issue. However I understand that none of the indicators (dash board indicators) can be trusted to guarantee a good situ.

 

It may not be good news - sometimes when the tank looses coolant fast enough it looses contact with the fluid in the overflow and cannot suck it in - making it appear all is good yet in reality the radiator continues draining - of course must let it cool enough to safely remove the cap for a True look at its level - Luck.

 

I agree with every thing Shifty says and will pile on. I hope your wife is mechanically inclined. If not I would advise you to go to you truck and check it out. Did it over heat? Did your wife even look at the temp gauge? I would fill the radiator and reservoir, put the cap on and start it looking for the source of the leak.

Based on your photos the radiator is likely bad. Either way get a new Denso (everything else is shit) and new hoses from Rock Auto. Also look at the coolant crossover pipes. They have 4 rectangular gaskets with rubber seals that eventually leak. Then look under the intake at the big metal pipes - one of the o-rings may have failed. Then look at your water pump with attention to the weap hole under the pulley. Also get 3 gallons of Xerex Asian Pink and a bunch of distilled water. You’ll need to flush the green crap out drain everything including the block and replace with correct.

You might be able to limp home with the radiator cap loosened so the system doesn’t pressurize (pressure raises boiling point) but you’ll have to keep an eye on temp gauge and periodically check coolant level. Not something I would trust to someone else.

also be aware shops out of town might not be aware of FGT nuances, use shit parts and wrong antifreeze.

 

Wife made it home with no (known) issues. Will wait until tomorrow morning for truck to totally cool and reach equilibrium. Want to see how much coolant was lost. Will let you know.

 

Ah, where's your sense of adventure?! You don't want to take the radiator cap off while the truck is boiling hot?!

(All jokes aside, please don't do that)

 

Any update here?

 

Yes! Ordered new denso radiator, thermostat, hoses, etc... waiting for them to arrive. Wife has watched youtube videos, and has said that she doesn't think it will be difficult. So, i am going to be on call in case she needs some help. We are going to tackle in the few days.

 

Make sure the lower radiator hose is in the correct direction. It's hard to tell sometimes but if it's wrong the belt will eat a hole in it. It's a pretty easy task all things considered, the flushing process may be the worst/most time consuming part of it. Just remember you may need to add a bit of trans fluid as well.

 

get new radiator cap as well.....
might want to drain the system and flush with water to get the bad stuff out, and I would do it b4 the new radiator is installed so no yuck is getting in new one.

 

that wins so hard.

 

This ^^

You can get a 6pk of the Prestone flush pretty damn cheap on scAmazon. It'll help pull out any residual sediment you may already have from loading up with the wrong coolant.

I'd also pick up a cheap radiator filling funnel, the ones that ensure you don't end up with air bubbles, it can save you considerable grief. I'd also keep the heat on full blast while flushing and refilling to ensure you've got water passing thru the heater core to get it all out.

Remember to orient the jiggle valve on the t-stat as close to the 12 o'clock position as possible.

 

I agree those funnels help get the air bubbles out, use on my 3rd gen 4runner too. Funny you say to have the joggle valve as near 12 oclock...on the 4runners its 6

 

You know as I ride around my neighborhood I always see the wives mowing the lawns, and I think "damn, how do I get THAT to happen!". But I'll keep mowing my own lawn if only my wife would fix my truck!

 

I can't find any concentrate coolant nearby... I don't like the idea of flushing with distilled water only to blend in a large amount of 50/50 red zerex to get the correct ratios. If I have to do this why not just buy 8 gallons of zerex and flush with it? I guess I am looking for advice, or the best place to get red concentrated coolant. I looked on RA but am not sure they sell concentrate that works for 2000 toyota tundra. Maybe I am overlooking something?

UPDATE: I have located this at Autozone nearby:
PEAK Original Equipment Technology Asian Vehicles Red, Pink Antifreeze and Coolant Concentrate

 

I couldn’t find the concentrate either. After flushing and rinsing with distilled water, I removed lower radiator hose and opened block drains. I’ve not checked the SG but we don’t get much freeze in SC.

 

You have me at a disadvantage - what is "SG"?

 

Zerex and Peak will be fine. A lot of guys on here use the Zerex that's at most LAPS (local auto parts stores)

 

This is what I run in all my Toyotas, seems good to me.

 

SG specific gravity, you don't have to check it if you're getting 50/50. The red stuff is what they recommend, it is just so damned expensive. I've used the green stuff before without issue. I've heard it is harder on the water pump, somehow. I'm not convinced there is a huge difference, I mean I wouldn't use Dexcool or anything like that, but I would thing the multi vehicle stuff would be fine.

If you're going to replace the radiator and start from new, the red stuff is probably the way to go.