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My engine is overheating can you help me fix it please?

Tiny
DAVE HORN
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1998 TOYOTA CAMRY
  • 4.4L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 300,000 MILES
Gauge shows car will get hot and almost overheat when parked and running. Fans come on when almost at red line. Fans come on with A/C and when unplugged. Radiator is new. No air. I have replaced the sensor on the radiator 3 times with same symptoms. I disconnected the battery to recent the ECU and replaced good ECU fuse. Symptoms same.

Seemingly unrelated issues - fast idle has not worked for years. It isles fine when warm. I don’t care about that if there are no additional issues with it.

Also, both cigarette lighters stopped working. Replaced (good) fuse and they still don’t work.

I’d love to keep this thing running forever. My local mechanics seem more lost than me.
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Monday, January 25th, 2021 AT 10:42 AM (Merged)
Tiny
SCGRANTURISMO
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,897 POSTS
Hello,

I hate to say this but this could be a problem with your vehicle's cooling fan sensor, or, a problem with the wiring that goes to the sensor. In the diagrams down below I have included then vehicle manufacturers guide for troubleshooting the cooling fan sensor. I have also included a wiring diagram of your vehicle's cooling system as well as a guide for finding intermittent electrical problems and poor electrical connectors. Please go through these guides and get back to us with how everything turns out.

Thanks,
Alex
2CarPros
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Monday, January 25th, 2021 AT 10:42 AM (Merged)
Tiny
JOJO#079
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1998 TOYOTA CAMRY
  • 3.0L
  • 6 CYL
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 130,000 MILES
I have changed the radiator cap the thermostat and the heater core all the belts and hoses are good. It has no signs of it being the head gasket or water pump from what I have read on the internet. Not sure what to do.
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Monday, January 25th, 2021 AT 10:42 AM (Merged)
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 47,278 POSTS
When it is overheating do you hear the cooling fans come on? If so it sounds like you do have a blown head gasket or the radiator is clogged internally. Here is a guide to help you see what's going on:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-overheating-or-running-hot

You still can have a blown head gasket even without all the signs. I would do a chemical test.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/head-gasket-blown-test

Please run down these guides and report back.

Cheers, Ken
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Monday, January 25th, 2021 AT 10:42 AM (Merged)
Tiny
NATASHA DOINMETOTHEFULLEST BRANCH
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
  • 1997 TOYOTA CAMRY
  • 120,987 MILES
My car is overheating and I have replaced the hose from the radiator to the coolant reservoir and added coolant and a radiator leak sealant but still overheating.
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Monday, January 25th, 2021 AT 10:43 AM (Merged)
Tiny
HARRY P
  • MECHANIC
  • 2,292 POSTS
Probably the most common cause of an overheating engine is a bad thermostat. The thermostat's job is to stay shut and restrict the flow of the coolant. As the car warms up, the thermostat opens and allows the coolant to flow through the cooling system. It is usually a fairly easy fix. If you know some specifics about your vehicle (mainly the engine size) I can help you with more specifics. Let us know.
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Monday, January 25th, 2021 AT 10:43 AM (Merged)
Tiny
NATASHA DOINMETOTHEFULLEST BRANCH
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
It is a four cylinder.
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Monday, January 25th, 2021 AT 10:43 AM (Merged)
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,414 POSTS
Do you see any leaks? If not but you are losing coolant and it is overheating I would have a shop run a pressure test on the cooling system. If it holds pressure then have the cooling system flushed out, change the thermostat and see if the water pump is circulating coolant. Also, check that the coolant fan(s) are activating as they should.

Those sealants usually do more harm than good. They work by plugging up small holes, the problem is that the radiator and heater core are both made with small passages to circulate the water through. They tend to get plugged up with the sealer and then you get no heat or the engine runs hot from a partly clogged radiator.
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Monday, January 25th, 2021 AT 10:43 AM (Merged)

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