Losing Coolant In 1994 Es300

[82DMC12]

Hi Group,

I am taking my car into the shop on Friday but I was hoping someone on here could point me in the right direction.

My car has been losing coolant and I have no idea where it is going.

I have replaced the thermostat and radiator cap. After a few days my coolant is low and needs a couple of quarts, which is a lot as I used to work on cars a lot at a quick lube.

I have looked under the car and there is no trace of coolant hanging from the frame or engine. I have used a flashlight to look all around the engine from the top and I see no coolant leaks. The petcock on the radiator is tight and not leaking, the radiator is not leaking. Carpets aren't wet and I don't smell coolant. There is only a slight puff of smoke on start up which I suspect is the valve stem guides but it doesn't continue while the car is running. No smoke on acceleration and no indications of coolant in the oil or on the oil cap. I have no clue where it is going yet I am always adding coolant.

Another side note is my hydraulic cooling fan has made an annoying hum ever since I changed my power steering pump last year. It only does it when the engine is good and hot.

I will have the shop check the fan, check for combustion gasses in the coolant, and do a pressure test.

BTW I only use Toyota Red coolant with distilled water.

Any ideas?

Andy

[mburnickas]

Have you look at the engine oil?

[SKperformance]

Headgasket leak letting it get burned so no traces in the oil.

The PS pump is the pump for the hydraulic fan as well. Sounds like you have either a blockage or air.

[82DMC12]

Looks like I spoke a little too soon. This time I parked my car in a different spot and put cardboard under it. This morning, there was two distinct puddles - one was water from the A/C and the other was definitely red coolant. It was coming from the P/S middle of the engine. The weird thing is the coolant isnt leaking while the car is running. It only seems to leak while the car is shut off and cooling down overnight.

I still can't see any wetness at all from the top of the engine, so I will just have the shop do a pressure check and I am sure they will find what is leaking. Probably a heater hose. I will post back tomorrow so you all know what the deal is.

Andy

[Toysrme]

Hose. Or the drain on the back of the block is a nudge open.

[82DMC12]

Well,

I just got back from the shop with the estimate. They did a pressure test on the cooling system and found the intake manifold gasket is leaking. I assume they mean the lower gasket between the manifold and heads. They quoted me $320 parts and labor to fix it.

I am not afraid to tear the top end down on this engine during an afternoon next week. I only have two questions:

1. I have the FSM downloaded from this site and it appears to be pretty straight-forward - just a lot of little stuff that has to be removed. are there any special tools or warnings? any reason why I shouldn't do it myself? Luckily I have two cars.

2. Can anyone tell me exactly what the part numbers are for all of the gaskets that need to be replaced are? Or do I just call up a parts house and ask for an 'intake manifold gasket kit'

Thanks for the help -

Andy

[Toysrme]

Nope. No special tools.

If you leave the fuel rail & such on the lower manifold, you can actually wiggle the lower manifold off sometimes. If you do take the fuel rails off. I would suggest having a torque wrench on hand.

ooooo you getting off lucky!

[82DMC12]

Nope. No special tools.

If you leave the fuel rail & such on the lower manifold, you can actually wiggle the lower manifold off sometimes. If you do take the fuel rails off. I would suggest having a torque wrench on hand.

ooooo you getting off lucky!

OK sounds good to me. I can handle that.

I see from Autozone there is a Felpro intake manifold gasket kit (includes lowers) for like $79. Is there anything else I need? Any silicone or gasket sealant? Should I order this stuff from Lexus or is Felpro just as good? I have had good luck with Felpro parts in the past.

Also - Does engine oil go up into the manifold? The last engine I did this on, I didn't have to drain the oil. How about on the 1MZ-FE? The shop I went to said I would an oil change after the job, but I still have a couple thousand to go on Mobil 1. I just flushed the coolant with new Toyota red so I plan on saving the coolant by using the block drain and petcock and pushing a hose onto the spouts so I can catch it in a clean bucket.

Andy