Topic: Radiator Question

[biggblkyota]

I ran my truck tonight and after a few miles or so it started running hot on me, now yesterday i checked my fluids and all and my radiator needed so fluid. So i topped it off with antifreeze and left it be. Yet when i got home tonight after my gauge was reading hot i let it cool down and saw there wasnt any fluid in it so i topped it off again. Now i havnt checked it yet but if there is a hole or a bad enough leak in my radiator and i need to replace it is there an after market type radiator for this model truck or should i look for just a stock one?? im gonna be rebuilding my 3.0v6 and im just curious if there is another kind that might help with anything on the motor rebuild. I hope this post makes sense lol anyways any help would be kool thanks.

[4RunnerChevy]

They do make aftermarket radiators !  You can find them on Google.  As for your 3.0 I wouldn't bother rebuliding it!

[biggblkyota [OP]]

hmmm well i dont really have the money to swap the motor unless i find one thats just super cheap lol. I wanna drive this truck now lol but if i do a motor swap its gonna be some time lol

[79coyotefrg]

you can rebuild it fine,  everybody is scared of them because they have headgasket problems,   did you drain the coolant or something  and  maybe didnt get it completely full or  did it just start "disappearing"

[jimbo74]

if it just started disappearing, and running hot, you may have a bad headgasket

[BLACKDOG]

you can rebuild it fine,  everybody is scared of them because they have headgasket problems,   did you drain the coolant or something  and  maybe didnt get it completely full or  did it just start "disappearing"

check  your oil, see what it looks like/ if its overfull

[biggblkyota [OP]]

well the guy i got it from told me he thought it was a bad head gasket in it. i havnt torn into the motor i just checked my normal fluids cause the motor started up and all. I noticed the radiator just didnt have enough fluid so thats when i topped it off. Im still gonna check radiator and hoses for leaks but the bad gasket might be were its going. 

[Rocksurfer]

Before just getting a new radiator pressure test the system to see where it is leaking. You may just be wasting your money, if it is a blown headgasket which is pretty common for the 3.0 engine. It also could be coming back out the overflow which means it could be as simple as a cap.

[All_Set]

Won't a bad cap still pull fluid back from the reservoir. 

1) Get it hot and check for leaks. 
2) Take it to shop and pressure test the system/cap/cylinders.

You should stop driving this truck as a bad headgasket could lead to motor failure.  I had a gasket go on me, and it sucked all the coolant through the motor, then cooked the motor.

[biggblkyota [OP]]

ya iv pretty much stopped driving it, there is a local shop about a mile down the road i might drive it to it and let them do a pressure test for em cause they have everything but other than that im not driving it any

[BLACKDOG]

have you noticed any leaking under the truck?  There are some coolant lines that run under the the intake and at the back of the engine that rot through and then dump coolant down the back of the engine.  Its a stretch, but I've had that happen on 2 different 3.0s

[Rocksurfer]

Won't a bad cap still pull fluid back from the reservoir. 

1) Get it hot and check for leaks. 
2) Take it to shop and pressure test the system/cap/cylinders.

You should stop driving this truck as a bad headgasket could lead to motor failure.  I had a gasket go on me, and it sucked all the coolant through the motor, then cooked the motor.

If the cap is bad it will push more fluid out that the reservoir can handle so you will loose fluid rather quickly out the overflow tube. I will suck what's left back into the radiator but it will seem as if the fluid is disapearing.