Overheating? Spitting Fliud Out Of Resovor Tank

[todd332]

I have a 1992 es300 with 170,000 miles on it..The car is well mantained ..I recently replaced all the radiator hoses and had the system flushed..I had a new pump and therm. put in when i had the timing belt done about 25,000 miles ago..My car is recently overheating...not bad tho..the gauge reads 3/4 .normally it would stay at 1/2 . I let the car cool down and find it is somewhat low on fluid ..I add some and it runs normal for a few weeks..recently I have noticed it has been spitting the antifreeze out the resovor once you have turned the car off ..I am not sure why this is doing it..That is apperently where my fliud was going...I check and so has a mechanic and there is no leaks anywhere..My question is why is it when I turn the car off after driving , fliud is spitting out of the resovor?Did I over fill the Car? Or is it a more serious promblem..Can I damage my engine letting the temp go to 3/4? The fan is running the way it should...recently had the power steering filter changed and flushed ...So I no its not that fan..Could my water pump went bad that fast?Any help would be greatly appreciated :whistles:

[SKperformance]

bad rad cap

no fluid movement= no cooling temp creeps up as it is hot soaking the engine and spews out the res

[Lexusfreak]

You don't have a small crack anywhere in the plastic resivior? perhaps 3/4 of the way up & it starts leaking when the car is hot? My suggestion is put a large piece of cardboard under the front end so it covers all areas & leave it overnight to collect the leaking fluid.......it might narrow down where the problem is coming from to help your mechanic solve the problem & let's hope it's not too expensive to fix.

[todd332]

I will try getting new radiator caps tommorrow , but I never understoode how that can make cars overheat..As for a pin hole in the Resovor , I checked already and there is none..I am just so confused as to what is making my car spit out radiator fluid when it is turned off ...Could maybe the mechanic left air in the system, becouse after the flush and new hoses you could hear the fluid bubbling in the dashboard in the heater core ..Thanks for the replys so far...Also I DO NOT have any white smoke , so my heads should be fine and it is not a constint overheating...temp just rises after losing flood in the system and i pretty much fill it back up soon as my temp goes a little over half..thats when I kno i am low..AS I had said earlier the Car is extreamly Well maintained..I dont kno why it is doing this now..Also would like to note there is not leaks in the power steering system...Fan operation is excellant...

[Lexusfreak]

Let us know what the problem turns out to be once you know.

[monarch]

Does not sound like a bad radiator cap. Sounds like air in the system. Could be because coolant wasn't refilled properly (i.e. idling the car for 10 minutes with the heater turned on and radiator cap removed). The air pressure and overheating could also be due to a leaking head gasket or crack in the cylinder head(s) Although you say the car was "well maintained", if an Asian car is maintained with aftermarket coolant, thermostat, water pump, hoses, etc and the servicing mechanic does not follow factory recommended servicing procedures then the long term reliability and durability of the car will be seriously degraded.

[SKperformance]

most air naturally bleeds itself out when cycled from heating and cooling when stoppped.

Had 2 of my cars with the same problem that was completly fixed once the rad caps where replaced.

[steviej]

for once I have to agree with monarch. It sounds like air trapped in the system.

There have been several post on different websites of similar characteristics.

The ES cooling system does have an involved "procedure" to refill a totally empty system. The gurgling I think is the key.

A simple pressure test on the system will tell you if there are any leaks.

Back pressure on each cylinder will tell you if the head gasket is leaking into a cylinder.

as for the todd332's comment about never understanding the bad radiator cap:

the cap can go bad in that the rubber ring underneath does not make a good seal.

The cap will not be able to maintain the pressure needed in the system to elevate the boiling point of the water/antifreeze liquid higher than the normal operating temperature of the engine. The coolant only elevates the boiling point a few degrees. The radiator cap creates a pressurized environment that creates a higher elevation of the boiling point than just the coolant.

steviej

[todd332]

thanks steviej for answering about the caps..I did go to a toyota dealer today and they did not have the caps ..The nearest lexus dealer is 75 miles away and I am not sure if i will make it there this week with work and all...What about buying caps from some place like Auto-zone or something? Another question is,if there is Air in the system how do I get it out? Thanks for all the replys guys and gals...Been most helpfull.. B)

[SKperformance]

like stevie said

search

[todd332]

Sorry for the delay on this post...I put on new radiator caps and drove about 200 miles with the A/C on and turned the car off and no more spitting fluid..Been driving it the last few days and everything seems fine...Thanks everyone for your help..I am amazed bad caps can cause so much trouble....

[SKperformance]

glad to hear it was a cheap fix