Head Issues - Pls tell me I am wrong

LMcD · Post by **LMcD** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 5:53 am

Hi folks.
While driving my 93 L300 the other day in stop and go slow traffic my temp. suddenly climbed to the roof and I lost all heat in the cab - blower was blowing cold air. Then when I would speed up the temp. would come down and I would get heat back in the cab. This happened constantly while I turned around and drove her home.

Once she cooled down I took the rad cap off, and holly shit, I cannot see any coolant above the fins in the rad. When I start it with the cap off there is instant "smoke" coming from out the rad. I think it smells like exhaust coming from the rad, but the wife thinks not...she says it smells sort of sweet.. There is no white smoke coming from the exhaust.

If I leave it run for a min or two, there is very "smoke" coming from the rad.

I would assume I have lost my head gasket? I sure hope I am wrong....

Here is a little video of my headache.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v100uqczho7a6 ... 8.mp4?dl=0

Thoughts?

macro · Post by **macro** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 7:29 am

wouldn't there be coolant in the oil with a HG failure?

jelbon · Post by **jelbon** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 7:56 am

I'd have to say it's the head gasket, or cracked head.
In any case you'll have to pull the head off to inspect.

bosc · Post by **bosc** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 6:15 pm

Not an authority, however in my experience that is not smoke but steam and you have a coolant leak.

almac · Post by **almac** » Sun Sep 28, 2014 1:56 am

if your head was gone, you'd have antifreeze in your oil.

check your oil. if it is milky white after a minute or two of running, its' your head.
if you've had a dramatic loss in power, it could also be your head.

how long have you owned your delica?
if your bus overheats when stopped, this tells me that the engine isn't getting enough coolant flowing freely through the system... top up your coolant RIGHT AWAY. drive it close to home and watch the temps carefully. hopefully you were just low on coolant. if the problem goes away, drive it a day or two checking the coolant levels DAILY. if it drops again, you have a leak somewhere. check hoses first(cheapest fix), if there is a SERIOUS leak, you will see it easily, as stains will be apparent under the engine. you can also park it, place a piece of cardboard underneath and check for leaks.

one of the most common issues when you first get one from overseas, is overheating.
if your rad is plugged up you won't be able to see a blockage from 'the cap'.
get your rad and coolant system flushed ASAP. if you don't, you WILL end up with a cracked head.

to make sure its' done right the first time, make sure you get it done by a professional. while you're at it, get them to change all your fluids(oil/coolant/diffs/brakes), and grease all your fittings/joints.

trust me, I know. I've replaced my head, rad, waterpump, turbo, and all my hoses. its' not a very pleasant experience.

666 posts? I must be evil or something...

jelbon · Post by **jelbon** » Sun Sep 28, 2014 4:59 am

There doesn't have to be anti freeze in the oil from a blown head gasket or cracked head. The gasket can crack between the water jacket and cylinder.
However you can't go wrong by refilling the radiator and hoping it'll work. Unfortunately once these engines overheat the head suffers by warping and looking at the way the steam pumps out of the radiator cap with the engine running and not when off I think you can depend on a head/gasket issue.
Tough times.

Post by **FalcoColumbarius** » Sun Sep 28, 2014 1:33 pm

When was the last time you changed out your coolant and what do you use?

Falco.

LMcD · Post by **LMcD** » Wed Oct 01, 2014 12:56 pm

Thanks for the info everyone and sorry for the delay in getting back with an (kinda) update.

I changed the thermostat about 9ish months ago and flushed out the system as best I could myself and then filled her right back up again.

With this little problem, when I added coolant, it took about 2 liters - not as much a I dreaded.

I only drained a bit of oil, and there did not seem to be anything but oil in the oil.

I let it run with the rad cap off once I topped the coolant up and when it came up to temp I could see the coolant flowing. When I rev'ed it up a bit I could see more coolant flowing. I never saw any bubbles in the coolant either - someone once told me that if there was bubbles it could mean a head gasket was gone.

So...I took my chances and put the rad cap back on and took her for a drive. Now there is nothing wrong any longer...temp. holds just like it used to before. There has been no drips under the old girl, so no obvious big leaks.

Couple more questions if you don't mind?
1. Is it possible to have a coolant leak and it only find its way out when the vehicle is running and / or if the heat is on?
2. Is there a 100% positive test i can do to determine if the HG is gone or not? Besides taking it apart.
3. why do I have to like a vehicle so much that is so hard on my head? :)

Firesong · Post by **Firesong** » Thu Oct 02, 2014 7:28 am

1: yes. A hairline crack might not be evident until the metal expands in the heat.
2: a crack in the HG might vent out into the exhaust. The exhaust will smell sweet (ish) and be blowing white. HG crack into the oil turns the oil milky and crappy. However you may have got lucky. Keep an eye on your fluid levels and don't plan any big trips till your feeling better.
3: we all suffer

Firesong · Post by **Firesong** » Thu Oct 02, 2014 7:36 am

And if you have a crack or warp or issue with the gasket there is a solution other than rebuild. I've posted before about thermagasket at https://www.rxauto.com/index.htm

And it works. I've used it on a diesel Toyota surf and a member in the Aussie forum has reported success as well. I think he's going on 3 years plus. The surf is on 4 years? Or so. It's been a long time. So to spite the naysayers it's an option. Costs about $200. But first try your vehicle out.

LMcD · Post by **LMcD** » Thu Oct 02, 2014 5:13 pm

Thank again for the input.
I will be gentle and check fluids more regularly then I do.
I am almost due for the timing belt....but I sure do not want the extra cost(s) of the head work.

glenn · Post by **glenn** » Thu Oct 02, 2014 5:50 pm

Watch the coolant level like a hawk. This is exactly how my head went - the only symptom was the loss of coolant through the overflow reservoir. Basically, all the cracked head did was to over pressurize the cooling system forcing coolant out. There were NO other symptoms.

I was able to drive the van for weeks afterwards though by keeping the cap off the rad and really, really driving slow and watching the temperature. No pressure build up = no coolant loss.

Good luck - hope for the best.

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