Engine heating up *70 kph up

[box_type]

here's the story of the 36 km travel i had last saturday,

-a/c is on, at the 10 km mark i noticed temp is a little bit high above the normal range so i stopped by a gasoline station and let the engine cool down a little bit and when i opened up the radiator i can't see water inside so i poured water in it and it consumed about more than 2 liters of water, so that means water was not completely drained...

- i continued driving and on or about the 20th km mark again temperature starts to rise so i stopped again in a gasoline station and added more water with the same amount as before...

- again continued driving and the same thing happened but this time i did not return the radiator cap thinking that it would be quicker for me to pour in water even when its hot and in case the engine heats up again, and just as i thought the engine heats up again and I continued doing this routine until i went back to my starting point...

-yesterday, i poured water in the radiator and checked it this morning and lo and behold! water in the radiator is still full to the brim! so maybe i can now surmise that there's no hole in the radiator (which i have been thinking all along) or there's no problem in my cooling system, right?

so, here's the question, what could be the problem with my engine? because all along i thought my radiator was the culprit...

and oh, by the way car is toyota corolla 16v 1990 model with 4af engine

[dr. d]

my guess is, you're overheating, causing your coolant to boil away. and not the other way around.

i would inspect the radiator fan or the aux fan.
just because they're rotating, does not mean they're working fine. they may be rotating, but not fast enough, resulting in under-cooling.

check your coolant overflow cannister, po. if it's level is low, then you're overheating. if it's not low, then you might have a little leak, that becomes large when the engine is running. (a rule of thumb that has many caveats.)

one other possibility, is that your radiator is so dirty in and/or out, that proper heat exchange is already severely compromised.

[Sarsi]

Replace ypur radiator cap.

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[jvnj]

When was the last time you changed your radiator cap? Overtime, its valve gets stuck up which prevents water from going back to the radiator. The engine's cooling system is quite complicated as every component almost reacts with each other. Things you need to consider checking: Radiator cap, Thermostat Valve, Thermostat switch, Radiator hoses (check if they're collapsed already) and the Radiator fans (as Dr. D mentioned).

[box_type]

so its in the radiator after all, ok i'll have it checked this weekend and will also replace the radiator cap and see what happens, fyi the last overhaul of the radiator was some 2-3 yrs ago maybe its time to have it overhauled, thanks for the inputs sirs!

and i will also check the fans, hoses, thermostat valves and switch...

[LN106G]

here's the story of the 36 km travel i had last saturday,

-a/c is on, at the 10 km mark i noticed temp is a little bit high above the normal range so i stopped by a gasoline station and let the engine cool down a little bit and when i opened up the radiator i can't see water inside so i poured water in it and it consumed about more than 2 liters of water, so that means water was not completely drained...

- i continued driving and again on or about the 20th km mark again temperature starts to rise again so i stopped again in a gasoline station and added more water with the same amount as before...

- again continued driving and the same thing happened but this time i did not return the radiator cap thinking that it would be quicker for me to pour in water in case the engine heats up again, and just as i thought the engine heats up again and I continued doing this routine until i went back to my starting point...

-yesterday, i poured water in the radiator and checked it this morning and lo and behold! water in the radiator is still full to the brim! so maybe i can now surmise that there's no hole in the radiator (which i have been thinking all along) or there's no problem in my cooling system, right?

so, here's the question, what could be the problem with my engine? because all along i thought my radiator was the culprit...

and oh, by the way car is toyota corolla 16v 1990 model with 4af engine

Change your radiator cap first with the same or a little higher pressure rating. Use a quality coolant. Run your engine until it reaches operating temperature enough to activate your fans. Observe for leakage to trouble shoot....

[kisshmet]

here's the story of the 36 km travel i had last saturday,

-a/c is on, at the 10 km mark i noticed temp is a little bit high above the normal range so i stopped by a gasoline station and let the engine cool down a little bit and when i opened up the radiator i can't see water inside so i poured water in it and it consumed about more than 2 liters of water, so that means water was not completely drained...

- i continued driving and on or about the 20th km mark again temperature starts to rise so i stopped again in a gasoline station and added more water with the same amount as before...

- again continued driving and the same thing happened but this time i did not return the radiator cap thinking that it would be quicker for me to pour in water even when its hot and in case the engine heats up again, and just as i thought the engine heats up again and I continued doing this routine until i went back to my starting point...

-yesterday, i poured water in the radiator and checked it this morning and lo and behold! water in the radiator is still full to the brim! so maybe i can now surmise that there's no hole in the radiator (which i have been thinking all along) or there's no problem in my cooling system, right?

so, here's the question, what could be the problem with my engine? because all along i thought my radiator was the culprit...

and oh, by the way car is toyota corolla 16v 1990 model with 4af engine

Water or coolant may not be circulating..check the pump that circulate it

Cold water is pushed to the hot engine block and recirculate that hot water back to the radiator which in turn will cool it down before it get sent back to the engine block to absorb the heat generated by the combustion process

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[jick.cejoco]

How hot is hot?
What was the temperature in °F or °C?

[oj88]

How hot is hot?
What was the temperature in °F or °C?

I doubt the typical dashboard temp gauge would provide that info.

My money is on either a worn radiator cap and/or a stuck-closed thermostat.

[StockEngine]

I doubt the typical dashboard temp gauge would provide that info.

My money is on either a worn radiator cap and/or a stuck-closed thermostat.

this..

waterpump either works or it doesnt...

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[jick.cejoco]

I doubt the typical dashboard temp gauge would provide that info.

My money is on either a worn radiator cap and/or a stuck-closed thermostat.

Typically, dashboard warning lights and indicators are not used for diagnosis. They're basically warning and indicators that can go bad and are not accurate. Use either a stick thermometer or an infrared non contact thermometer.

The erratic operation of the dash temperature Gauge might be the cause of the concern
.

[box_type]

How hot is hot?
What was the temperature in °F or °C?

needle is about more than 3/4 my gauge is not digital sorry... that's why every time it gets to that point i stop without turning the engine off and add more water on the radiator , this way the engine cools down to normal temp then off i go again...

[box_type]

this..

waterpump either works or it doesnt...

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well i was also thinking waterpump was not working so what i did was i poured water on the radiator but did not fill it all up barely above the holes when you're looking inside the radiator and then i revved the engine and saw that water is moving to the right which got me thinking that waterpump is working, though im not so sure if this was the correct method of testing the waterpump... if this is correct i'm setting my eyes on the rad cap...

[jick.cejoco]

needle is about more than 3/4 my gauge is not digital sorry... that's why every time it gets to that point i stop without turning the engine off and add more water on the radiator , this way the engine cools down to normal temp then off i go again...

So, in other words, it is not overheating but hotter than usual. The cooling efficiency is dependent on other factors:
1 ambient temperature
2 engine combustion efficiency
3 airflow across the radiator
4 liquid coolant composition/age/purity
5 condition inside the radiator
6 surface condition of the external surface of the radiator
7 state or condition of the thermostat

[box_type]

So, in other words, it is not overheating but hotter than usual. The cooling efficiency is dependent on other factors:
1 ambient temperature
2 engine combustion efficiency
3 airflow across the radiator
4 liquid coolant composition/age/purity
5 condition inside the radiator
6 surface condition of the external surface of the radiator
7 state or condition of the thermostat

title says "heating up *70kph"

1. ambient temperature - maybe i can also use the term hotter than usual, it was kinda hot that day...
2. engine combustion efficiency - i don't know how to answer this
3. airflow accross the radiator - if you're asking how powerful the airflow is, its like #3 on an electric fan...
4. liquid coolant composition/age/purity - i just use tap water
5. condition inside the radiator - i'm not entirely sure but when i look inside the radiator the fins doesn't look clogged and the surrounding area is clean.
6. surface condition of the external surface of the radiator - the external fins (if that's what you call 'em) are not dirty but i'm not saying its totally clean, hehe
7. state or condition of the thermostat - this i cannot answer

[jick.cejoco]

I copy, Toyota 4af not 4afe.
Check the ignition timing.
Check the engine vacuum at idle- 17- 21 inHg.

If the air/fuel ratio is a little bit lean or there is manifold vacuum leak, expect higher than normal engine operating temperature.

[box_type]

I copy, Toyota 4af not 4afe.
Check the ignition timing.
Check the engine vacuum at idle- 17- 21 inHg.

If the air/fuel ratio is a little bit lean or there is manifold vacuum leak, expect higher than normal engine operating temperature.

ok thanks but i don't think i can do these things anymore, i'll have to bring the car to a mechanic.

[vinj]

My money is on either a worn radiator cap and/or a stuck-closed thermostat.

Same thought here. Another way to test if it's stuck thermostat is to rev the car at around 3K to 4K rpm while the car is stationary and observe if the temp also rises.