1977 Toyota Crown Super Saloon 4M 2.6 Litre from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Lovely car with cooling issues

Faults:

Constant overheating problems; I've replaced the thermostat, radiator cap, hoses, water pump and I fitted a three core radiator. I even had the head rebuilt., and I still have problems.

Since the three core radiator went in, it has been much better, however she still wants to overheat.

I feel the Problem must be in the block; does ANYONE know anything about these types of problems that these engines have. I had another Crown ten years ago with the exact same problem, and I ended up replacing the engine and the problem went away. I do not want to do that again. HELP.

General Comments:

When I bought this car, the previous owner was very old and never put coolant in the car. He never drove her far.

When I got it I put in some good quality coolant and started this chain reaction; all this rust started appearing in the radiator, and it got to the point where I had to pull it out every day to flush the rust out of it, then refit it, once the rust stopped showing up. I had the system flushed and then replaced the radiator, since then no end of problems. I drove the car across three states when I picked it up, not a single problem till I put the coolant into the engine.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 1st May, 2008

19th May 2008, 02:07

At what point does it overheat? If you're driving relatively fast and then drive slowly for whatever reason (eg. highway driving to city driving) it may simply be the lack of airflow to the radiator.

What kind of head does your engine have? Aluminium or cast iron? If it has an aluminium head and has had water put in it for all these years I'd be seriously looking for a warped head. Maybe try very dilated coolant, see how the car takes it, then a bit more, then a bit more. As for the rust, I have no idea... Good luck!

15th Sep 2008, 17:17

Does it have the cooling fan shroud still attached to the radiator? If not, it could be pulling air from the sides of the radiator at lower speeds and idle. The shrouds are extremely important for low speed cooling.