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Old 10-17-2011, 01:58 AM   #1
YanMinor
 
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Overheating Issue

Hi YW,

I own a 2007 Hatchback Yaris, and I have been having a problem with the engine overheating. After driving for more than five minutes, the engine temp indicator light comes on. Also, winter in coming here in Colorado, and my heater has stopped working as well. Is there a connection between the two? I searched the forums briefly, to no avail. I think it might be either the coolant, radiator fluid, or the thermometer, but I'm having a bit of trouble figuring it out. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

THANKS!!!
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Old 10-17-2011, 06:37 AM   #2
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Have you checked your coolant level? The heater runs off of the radiator fluid, so overheating plus no heat is definitely connected.
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Old 10-17-2011, 06:57 AM   #3
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Might think about a themostat also.
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Old 10-17-2011, 12:43 PM   #4
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^The thermostat wouldn't affect the heater, the heater bypasses it.

Have a look on the underside of your hood for a pinkish spray line directly above the belts. If there is one, your water pump is shot and you're loosing the coolant through that. For now, top it up and monitor the level. Make sure you top up the rad AND the overflow container to the MAX level. If the coolant is low enough you'll need to idle the motor from cold and top it up.

DO NOT open the rad when it's hot. You can be scolded with hot steam or coolant.
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Old 10-17-2011, 01:16 PM   #5
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Clogged radiator also affects the motor overheating.
You can remove the bumper and honeycomb radiator flush.
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Old 10-17-2011, 01:28 PM   #6
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Thanks everyone! When I looked this morning, the coolant level was below the low-line. I'm definitely going to check everything else when I get off today. Thanks again for the help!
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Old 10-17-2011, 02:45 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by YanMinor View Post
Thanks everyone! When I looked this morning, the coolant level was below the low-line. I'm definitely going to check everything else when I get off today. Thanks again for the help!
That's the overfill tank. Open the radiator cap under the hood and add to there first. If you are at work and are going to drive home, fill it first (even if you just top it with water for now). Engines like ours don't do well with overheating.

Remove the "radiator" cap, fill it all the way, start the engine and let it run until the radiator fan starts. In the meantime, watch the open cap area, and keep adding as the air bubbles out and it goes down. Once the radiator fan starts to run, you know that thermostat is open, so let it run for a few more minutes and keep topping it. The whole process might take 15 minutes, but it is well worth the time for preventing cooking your engine.
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Old 10-17-2011, 04:44 PM   #8
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I looked behind the overfill tank and there is definitely pink spray on some hoses down there.... Did I spring a leak?

Also, I'm having trouble getting the radiator cap off.... It twists about a quarter of a turn, but then wont lift off. Just to clarify, is it just coolant that goes in the radiator? Should I do 1/2 coolant and 1/2 water, as some have suggested?

Sorry for all the noobie questions :p
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Old 10-17-2011, 04:46 PM   #9
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Push down and turn to get the cap off. And where is the pink coolant? Pan you take a picture?
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Old 10-17-2011, 04:48 PM   #10
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I will try y best when I get home. The coolant has sprayed towards the rear directly behind the overfill tank. The spray seems to originate somewhere from the bottom of the tank, not the top. There is a large black hose, maybe 1.5 to 2' in diameter that the fluid has sprayed on to.
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Old 10-17-2011, 04:49 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by YanMinor View Post
I looked behind the overfill tank and there is definitely pink spray on some hoses down there.... Did I spring a leak?

Also, I'm having trouble getting the radiator cap off.... It twists about a quarter of a turn, but then wont lift off. Just to clarify, is it just coolant that goes in the radiator? Should I do 1/2 coolant and 1/2 water, as some have suggested?

Sorry for all the noobie questions :p
1/2 and 1/2 is about right if you have radiator fluid on hand. If not, straight water is better than air for now. Ideally you use a hygrometer to measure the specific gravity of your fluid and adjust the mix based on your low and high temps.
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Old 10-17-2011, 04:51 PM   #12
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1/2 and 1/2 is about right if you have radiator fluid on hand. If not, straight water is better than air for now. Ideally you use a hygrometer to measure the specific gravity of your fluid and adjust the mix based on your low and high temps.
I'm going to go ahead and stick to the first two sentences of that post...
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Old 10-17-2011, 04:52 PM   #13
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Yeah if it's really leaking have a look when you get home when it's hot. You might see it pissing out a tiny pin hole.

And just an FYI. Coolant can be deadly if ingested so if you spill any try and rinse it with plenty of water or soak it up with a rag or kitty litter.
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Old 10-17-2011, 06:43 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluevitz-rs View Post
^The thermostat wouldn't affect the heater, the heater bypasses it.

Have a look on the underside of your hood for a pinkish spray line directly above the belts. If there is one, your water pump is shot and you're loosing the coolant through that. For now, top it up and monitor the level. Make sure you top up the rad AND the overflow container to the MAX level. If the coolant is low enough you'll need to idle the motor from cold and top it up.

DO NOT open the rad when it's hot. You can be scolded with hot steam or coolant.
Yea but a stuck closed thermostat would have issue with running a bit hot. It was just a thought on my part.
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Old 10-18-2011, 12:46 PM   #15
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So, this was the temporary solution I did last night. I opened the radiator filler cap and drained the radiator. I then filled the radiator to capacity with tap water and ran the engine for ten minutes. After the car cooled down, I drained the radiator in the same fashion, and added 50% water-diluted coolant, again to capacity. Then, I ran the engine for another ten minutes with the heater turned on, and refilled the coolant as necessary. The car has stopped overheating, and the heater is working (praise the Yaris gods). So thanks everyone for all of your help.

The problem still remains as to why there is pink spray under the hood. I didn't see any leaks or drips as I was flushing the radiator, so it's pretty bizarre. Hopefully the image below is clear enough to tell...?

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/37/wp000110.jpg/
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Old 10-18-2011, 01:31 PM   #16
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That almost looks more like spray from the radiator cap during overheating than like the typical water pump spray line. If you look at the hood is there a defined stripe of red on the inside of it?
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Old 10-18-2011, 01:53 PM   #17
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No, there is no line on the underside of the hood, at all.

Is it typical that I would need a radiator fluid top-up this soon? My car is a 2007, and barely has 31k on it, so it seems a little early....
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Old 10-18-2011, 02:04 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by YanMinor View Post
No, there is no line on the underside of the hood, at all.

Is it typical that I would need a radiator fluid top-up this soon? My car is a 2007, and barely has 31k on it, so it seems a little early....
You may have just had enough fluid evaporate or slowly leak over time that is was down low enough to not be pumped through the radiator and hence overheated. Check it frequently to see if it goes down at all.
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