6G Celicas Forums

Right you were VavAlephVav; it was a blown head gasket. Only just now is the oil and coolant mixing when I took off the cap to do the block test. Also checked the plugs and what not... definite coolant mixture. I want one of the metal head gaskets for the 5sfe in the 99 Camry, right? (And can I get the whole gasket set for the Camry, or does only the HG from it fit)?

I couldn't find any fault in the wiring/relay/fuses for why that one fan wasn't working before (went through the troubleshooting from the manual)... I'll check things over again after replacing the head gasket (and probably water pump/timing belt I guess).

With AC on and the bottom coolant sensor unplugged I still get only the driver side fan on. I did move the car to a steeper angle and slowly massaged all the tubes (both heater and both radiator hoses) and was able to get a bit more fluid in. The bottom hose finally feels like it's completely full of water instead of air. Almost seems well enough to test it on a drive longer than around the block... or should I figure out why the AC fan on the radiator isn't turning on first (seems like as long as I don't use the AC, it shouldn't matter if that fan works for now)?

*Edit: the fuse for the condenser cooling fan (fuse 14, 30amp assuming it's the right one) is intact, though there is green/corrosion on the metal inside it. Is it possible the temp sensor that goes to the temp gauge is faulty since it never goes above normal temp even when overheating?

*Edit 2: Just drove around for several minutes with the coolant sensor unplugged. Got back, popped the hood and noticed both fans are going now (whether the ac was on or off), instead of just the one.

*Edit 3: Drove to work and back and it started to overheat on the way back. For the first time, the temp gauge started to climb fairly quickly above normal. I turned on the heat, pulled over, turned the car off (but turned the ignition back on so the fans would keep going). The top radiator hose did look like it had expanded a bit from the heat and pressure (never noticed it expanding like that before). Both fans do continue to run at the same time regardless of AC (with the coolant sensor unplugged). Waiting for it to cool off and will drive it the rest of the .9miles home later tonight. The bottom hose was pretty warm for the first time.

Only one fan (on driver side) comes on when I unplug that sensor. I have been making sure the heat is in when I've been trying to fill it.




The one in the picture is the old one; I haven't broken the new one just yet. =P

Greetings.

Car: 1997 Celica GT 2.2 5sfe, 125k miles.

Problem: Overheating; The temperature gauge has never gone above the halfway mark the entire time I've own the vehicle (and does slowly climb to 45% as it warms up from a cold start, then sits there, even as the coolant gets hotter and starts to boil away).

A few weeks ago I thought the engine compartment seemed a lot hotter than it should be. The metal short ram air intake tube (in process of converting to CAI) was far too hot to touch.

Soon after I checked the coolant and noticed what appeared to be rust, so I decided to do a coolant flush (probably should've just replaced the radiator at this time). I flushed both the engine and radiator with a hose until clear liquid came out (going both directions through the engine). Ran the car for a bit without the thermostat installed. Then I installed a new thermostat: 180F with jiggle valve, and topped off the coolant (didn't bother to test the old thermostat since it was cheap and easy).

I continued to drive for about a week after that (mostly not more than 7minute trips to work and back) until one day I got home from a 30min drive, opened the hood, and noticed the overflow reservoir was boiling. After it cooled down I removed the radiator cap and noticed it was broken so I bought a new one, and installed it. During that week I do remember the hearing the fan(s) come on. Sometime shortly after this I noticed when I turned the AC on, there was a bit of a louder noise while it operated (which I only heard with the windows down and at low speeds or while stopped).

Drove to work and back a couple more times, then after another 30min drive, I got home, and there was steam coming out of my hood. The radiator (which looked like it could've been the original) had multiple cracks along the top where the coolant/steam was ejecting. So I drained the coolant, did another flush and replaced the radiator with a new one. I also removed the reservoir to properly clean all the rust and what not out of it. [I have changed the oil once before all this happened, and again recently, and never has there been any coolant or discoloration of the oil.]

I filled up the radiator (and poured some water in the overflow) and started the car with the cap off. I was only able to get about what seemed like 3 liters or so into the system. The top hose began to get very hot and then it started steaming/boiling out of the top of the radiator. The fan did not turn on. The temp gauge showed normal. My initial thought was that the new thermostat wasn't opening, since that bottom hose was still cool, and thus, the hot coolant wasn't reaching the sensor down there to turn the fan on. (I did detach the plug to the sensor and turn the ignition on and the driver side fan turned on and stayed on [is that right that only one turns on unless the AC is on?]).

I removed the thermostat and did the water boil test with a thermometer in the water and it opened at about 183F. Just for kicks I bought another one without a jiggle valve for $5 and it opened at 180F exactly. I could run water through the radiator and the engine so I knew there wasn't any blockage going on there. I have tried reinstalling both of the new thermostats and filling the system, but the same thing keeps happening: bottom hose stays cool, top hose gets hot, temp gauge normal, and steam/boiling starts. I have not found any rust since replacing the radiator so I assume that was all caused by the old radiator.

Today I tried one more time, thinking maybe there's just a big air pocket. The car was already at a slight incline facing up hill, so I then removed the thermostat (to make sure it wasn't blocking the coolant), reattached the hose and filled the system with water. Then I installed the thermostat again and started it up with the rad cap off. It did the same thing (heated to boil in the top, but the bottom hose stayed cool and temp normal), but it seemed like I was able to get more fluid in there than all previous attempts. I have not tried this process with the coolant sensor plug detached at the bottom of the radiator, but would not having the fan on really have anything to do with that bottom hose staying cool? (I'm assuming the sensor works, but the hot coolant is simply not circulating far enough to reach there through that bottom hose).

When the coolant ejects after it heats up with the cap off, it comes out in pulses every second or two, not a constant stream.

What more diagnostic tests can I do and what further information can I provide to you?

I have been searching this forum and Google for 3 days, and found many people with similar problems, but not one with all of my exact symptoms.

I should mention, about a week before this all started I did feel like I had a loss of power once it warmed up (except while traveling at freeway speeds).

Other notes, the AC has always blown cold and the heater, hot. No leaks have been found of any kind. Have never seen any smoke from the exhaust.

List of items replaced:
-Thermostat (Napa part number ATM 1542403)
-Radiator (Napa part number NR 2543)
-Radiator cap (Napa part number BK 7031728)
-Coolant (green)




*EDIT: I'm thinking it's gotta be the water pump since I confirmed no blockage and that the thermostat works fine, even though there are no unusual sounds or leaks...

Greetings. I just purchased a 1997 Celica GT 2.2L 5spd (first Celica for me); here's what I know about it:

Vehicle manufactured then shipped to a dealer in Beaverton, Oregon on October 22nd, 1996. The second owner (whom I purchased from) bought the car in August of 2000 with 56,946 miles on it. They kept it on the side of their house with a car cover for the last couple of years. The car now has 120,000 miles on it and still resides within 100miles of the dealership it came from. The car runs and drives amazing (came with a full set of new tires). Photos and video:






One wheel not original.





That door is the only outside cosmetic issue I believe.





Close up of driver side door.


Clean interior (cleaner than it seems to look in the photos).


Spare tire and hub for the original wheel that is missing.


Plastic passenger side hinge of inside trunk cover broken.


Original floor mats in good condition.





The only tear inside.


Knobs missing from Tape teck.


Worn cover.


Pinecones.


New radiator/hose. Pretty clean all around. See the replacement mount for the main driver side headlight (two bolted metal strips)?


Sounds kinda like a turbo at high acceleration.

Short video of engine start (just above cold), slow acceleration to 3k RPM, and shutoff; HQ raw wave recorded audio for engine sound clarity (mic was just off camera to the right).


List of its problems:

-Air intake hose has large crack around it... guess it's time for a CAI.
-Driver side headlight housing has moisture.
-CD player doesn't work.
-Tape deck wouldn't play right and ate my Weird Al Yankovic cassette.
-Tape deck knobs need replacement... probably the whole deck.
-Cigarette lighter not working.
-Driver side door dent(s).
-Shifter knob cover needs replacing.
-Driver side seat ripped.
-Inside trunk cover plastic hinge busted.
-Missing one original wheel (have hub).
-Antennae motor doesn't work.
-Pretty sure the previous owner smoked in it.


Not counting this Celica, I have owned 7 cars in the past 7 years because I kept buying cheap cars that turned out to either be hiding (last car hid 16 check engine codes), or soon develop expensive problems. Finally spent a bit more and got this Celica which I hope breaks the streak.