Mick's Blog

My thoughts, findings and rants.

  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • ONCOURSE 4×4

Connect

  • E-mail
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Disclaimer

The words and opinions expressed here are my own, and do not, in any way, represent the views of my employer (OnCourse).
You are here: Home / Mechanical / Question Page: About Overheating

Question Page: About Overheating

Published July 27, 2009 By Mick Farmer

Here is a short reply to a question I received from a reader which I thought may be of general interest.

—————————————————————————————

Q: I have question about our Toyota Hiace: The Toyota started to overheat – I was told this happened because the water pump was leaking. In the end, not a cheap repair as the engine head developed a crack. Could this problem have been prevented if the driver was paying attention to the temp gauge?

A: Good to hear from you. Sad to hear of your troubles.

The leakage in the water pump can cause this problem if it goes unnoticed; this leads to a loss of coolant which then leads to an over heating problem. When an engine overheats it can cause cracking but the most common cause of cracking the head is pouring water on it when it’s red hot!

The problem was avoidable if the vehicle had correct pre driving inspections done to it and if the driver monitored the gauge. Saying that, if the thermostat had been taken out of the cooling system then the gauge could still read ok when the back end of the cylinder head gets hot.

Water pumps generally last quite a long time if coolant is run in the cooling system and the drive belt isn’t too tight. These are 2 common problems which occur in this region. So, run coolant, drive belt at the right tension, thermostat in place, correct pre driving inspections.

Cheers,
Mick

Related

Filed Under: Mechanical Tagged With: 4wd, questions

E-Newsletter

Sign up to receive the latest updates from OnCourse and my blog.

About Mick Farmer

For the last 20 years, I have been the lead trainer /director for OnCourse. Have played a leading role in developing their courses into, probably, the best off road training courses, globally.

Recent Posts

  • Avoid Fitting HF Aerial Like This
  • Under Pressure – Armoured Vehicle Tyres
  • Still got split rims on your 70 Series Landcruiser?
  • Managing Available Traction
  • Low Traction Road Surface
  • Anticipating Hazards from a Distance

Recent Tags

4wd 4wd operation armoured vehicles awareness levels buttons and switches checklist co2 convoy driver training driving Equipment facility fleet free wheeling hubs gallery Gator-Jaw ground-anchor hazards headlights HF Radio high-lift jack land-anchor Low Traction Mechanical modifications off-road driving OnCourse Pressure Pro questions raised air intake recovery gear review road safety roof rack safety gear seatbelts security shock absorbers snapshot speed bumps target fixation toyota landcruiser tyres winch winch-anchor

Find It Here

OnCourse Links

  • About OnCourse
  • 4×4 Courses
  • Contact