Radiator overheating

[larryseaman]

Hi everyone, my Land Cruiser Colorado/ Prado (95 series 1KT-TE) has finally succumbed to needing a new radiator after just passing 250,000 miles. the original one was in a state and was getting very hot on the radiator top where it eventually started to leak from. I had serviced it well over the passed few years with radiator flush, correct coolant and water etc. but it had to die at some point! I replaced it over the weekend and again used good quality coolant/ water to fill it. All is working well now but I have a concern after receiving mixed messages from two mechanics at the same garage this morning. I'd only driven the car about 50 minutes before reaching the garage and the new radiator top was hot to touch which I thought was normal. One mechanic said no radiator should get hot & the other said it was normal! The temperature gauge on the dash board is normal so no concerns there but the concerned mechanic said it might be a problem with my water pump not circulating the coolant. Obviously I don't want to start unnecessarily paying out money and lots of time replacing the water pump if not necessary and I currently live in Zambia & don't always know who to trust with these matters so thought I'd reach out on here.

Any advise would be much appreciated.

Best wishes,
Larry

 

[RichC4]

Normal temperature for the thermostat opening is 82C which is hot enough to burn you, so the fact that it felt hot is not unusual. If the water pump wasn't circulating I would expect the radiator to be cooler than expected as the heat would not be getting pumped there from the engine.

 

[nick_the_fish]

Yes - the radiator is supposed to be hot to touch.

If a mechanic said the radiator shouldn't get hot I would consider going to a different mechanic!!!!

 

[larryseaman]

Thank you to both of you for the advice - I didn't want to leave it a then discover that more damage might happen going forward due to my ignorance.

The new radiator didn't come with a cap so I temporarily bought a very cheap Chinese one to see me through (it is SO difficult to get anything than Chinese here in Zambia!) but should I consider looking for a better quality one? Could that affect things in the future?

 

[larryseaman]

Hi all, just another question which I think is really important regarding the same new radiator I fitted and the cap...

My original Toyota radiator (UK import) had a cap rating of 0.9 kgf/cm (88kpa) but it didn't fit onto the new radiator which had a different housing design. The new radiator brand is 'Rally' manufactured in Dubai, UAE and is definitely for my 1KT-TE. It's now fitted and working fine.
Where I am based in Zambia I've so far only been able to source a cap that fits the new radiator with a rating of 1.1 and I'm concerned that this will cause heating issues in the long-term.

Should I try to source a cap with the new design that has a rating of the original cap of 0.9 (according to the vehicle specs) or should I keep the new 1.1 cap that fits the new radiator?

The vehicle was designed for UK climate (as it's a UK import) but it is now in extreme heat conditions in Zambia.

Any advise would be really appreciated! Thank you

Pics attached.

 

[Tractionman]

You should check what the rating should be - someone may have swapped out the cap in the past

 

[larryseaman]

You should check what the rating should be - someone may have swapped out the cap in the past

Do I check according to the vehicle spec or the new radiator spec?

 

[nick_the_fish]

Do I check according to the vehicle spec or the new radiator spec?

The vehicle spec. The rad will be able to take the additional pressure, but the hoses that connect the rad to the engine may not be able to and might eventually blow, causing the coolant to come flooding out and the engine to overheat (worse case)

Find your vehicle model on this website:

Parts catalog for Toyota Land Cruiser

Electronic spare parts online catalog for Toyota Land Cruiser. Toyota Land Cruiser engine, chassis, body and electric parts.

toyota-general.epc-data.com

And use it to find your part number. It'll prob be under 'Engine, fuel system and tools' / 'Radiator and water outlet' but yours might be different to my 105.

This should help you to find a Toyota part, which should at the very least tell you the specs. I seem to remember there was a pretty decent Toyota dealership in Lusaka, who would be able to supply a genuine part, although it was a long time ago so I may be mistaken

 

[Tractionman]

+1

 

[larryseaman]

The vehicle spec. The rad will be able to take the additional pressure, but the hoses that connect the rad to the engine may not be able to and might eventually blow, causing the coolant to come flooding out and the engine to overheat (worse case)

Find your vehicle model on this website:

http://[URL]https://toyota-general.epc-data.com/land_cruiser/

[/URL]

And use it to find your part number. It'll prob be under 'Engine, fuel system and tools' / 'Radiator and water outlet' but yours might be different to my 105.

This should help you to find a Toyota part, which should at the very least tell you the specs. I seem to remember there was a pretty decent Toyota dealership in Lusaka, who would be able to supply a genuine part, although it was a long time ago so I may be mistaken

Thank you so much for that advice. I'll get in touch with Toyota in Lusaka, there's a few branches and see if they can supply the right cap.
Thanks also for the link to the spec website, that's really helpful!
All the best

 

[Tractionman]

Should that be the 1kz- te, not 1kt-te ?
Looking at other forums etc, only 1kz- te are listed, and they say 0.9 bar is standard, but can be uprated to 1.1bar for hotter areas.
So given its a 1kz, both are correct, but please make sure.

 

[larryseaman]

Should that be the 1kz- te, not 1kt-te ?
Looking at other forums etc, only 1kz- te are listed, and they say 0.9 bar is standard, but can be uprated to 1.1bar for hotter areas.
So given its a 1kz, both are correct, but please make sure.

It's a 1KZ-TE (3.0L diesel). That's interesting to know that it could potentially be uprated to 1.1.
This is definitely a hotter area! Average daily temperature can be between 30-35°c.
Would you recommend I keep the cap at 1.1 then or as mentioned earlier, could that potentially blow the hoses?

 

[Tractionman]

Ok it is a 1kz-te then, that's why I couldn't find 1kt-te .
As I have no experience of doing so on those engines I cant give a definitive answer, but it seems entirely feasible, and something I would do. As far as I can see, there would be no adverse effects, as long as for any system the hoses are in good condition anyway.
As said earlier, it is taken from a quick look on other areas/forums for your truck/engine, and as mentioned you need to make sure, either from an official source or another member that has actually done it. Google may be your friend ?

 

[larryseaman]

Ok it is a 1kz-te then, that's why I couldn't find 1kt-te .
As I have no experience of doing so on those engines I cant give a definitive answer, but it seems entirely feasible, and something I would do. As far as I can see, there would be no adverse effects, as long as for any system the hoses are in good condition anyway.
As said earlier, it is taken from a quick look on other areas/forums for your truck/engine, and as mentioned you need to make sure, either from an official source or another member that has actually done it. Google may be your friend ?

Really appreciate your advice, thanks so much.

 

[Tractionman]

No problem Larry, wish I could have been more specific.
That main dealer someone mentioned earlier, Pradopoint or iH8mud forum may be of more help.