1994 Toyota Pickup Need Help Identifying Engine Part

JAMSPAM

MEMBER
1994 TOYOTA PICKUP
4 CYL
2WD
MANUAL
200,000 MILES

Hi,
My 1994 pickup has been leaking coolant. We THINK we know where from but can not figure out what this is called. It is under thermostat housing~but not attached. There is a 6-7" horseshoe shaped rubber hosr that comes off the side. The part actually looks like a bolt. There is a perfectly round hole in the "head" is really looks factory made~this is where we THINK the leak is. If we know what this part was called we could determine if the hole is supossed to be there. I am attaching 1 picture that shows the part up close from the side~the head points downward.
Thank you any help.

10 Replies

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,885 POSTS

From what I can tell, that is a bleeder for the cooling system. It is to get air from the system.

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Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 AT 9:28 PM

JAMSPAM

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Thank you very much for the name! We have been trying hard to find out. Is it common to leak here? Is the hole supossed to be there? I have a couple more pics if you need them.
Thank you
Vic

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Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 AT 10:01 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

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Vic:
The hole should be there. If you loosten it, coolant or air should come out or the hole. It may just need tightened. Just be careful not to break it off in the engine. If that doesn't work, remove it and plug the hole with a bolt so you don't loose coolant and check to see if there is an o-ring on it that is bad.

Let me know what you find, and again, thanks for using 2carpros. Com.

Joe

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Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 AT 11:20 PM

JAMSPAM

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I may not have been clear as to the location of this fitting. It is under and attached to the thermostat housing. It has a hose attached to it, so it cannot be turned/tightened. If a bleeder valve is in this location it may have came out of the hole that is now leaking. The hose attached I believe is a bleeder hose and the other end attaches to the water pump. At the other end there is another "t" with a hose that seems to go to the intake manifold.

Need more info or photos let me know. Thanks ... Vickie

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Monday, January 4th, 2010 AT 11:05 AM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

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The part that I am seeing doesn't have a hose attached to it. It looks like a bleeder for air to escape when servicing the cooling system. It has a small round hole in it. Also, most (if not all) bleeders are attached to the thermostat housing.

Maybe I'm confused. If the part that I'm looking at is what you are having trouble with, I don't see a hose attached to it. It looks (aprox) like a 10mm socket would go right on it. Please let me know if I'm not looking at the right part. If I was there with you, you could tell me in less than 2 seconds, but the internet makes it a little harder.

Joe

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Monday, January 4th, 2010 AT 12:44 PM

JAMSPAM

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Hi,
Yes it is difficult to explain. especially since I can not see it. I stick my camera under the manifold and shoot blind. I am not even sure what I am shooting, but believe this fitting is screwed into the thermostat housing. It has a nipple on the side with this hole adjacent to it. I marked the location of the hose in one photo ---you can see just a little of the nipple protruding on the left of the fitting. The connection is behind the hose that is blocking the view (in the foreground). I can not turn this fitting without removing the bypass hose. We replaced this hose thinking it was where the leak was only to find the hole near by. If this is the location of the bleeder was the bleeder valve in this hole?...Thanks again for all your patience and help,
Vickiie

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Monday, January 4th, 2010 AT 3:00 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

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Actually, the pictures are perfect. Great job for not being able to see what you are taking pictures of.

Now I have a new concern. It looks like it is screwed into a manifold and not the t-stat housing. All I can say at this point is to remove it and replace it with a new one. It still looks like a bleeder to me, but I can't be 100% sure. I tried looking everywhere in my manual and can't find a picture of it. I even checked out every different thermostat housings made by them and nothing. I checked out online manuals and nothing. Based on what I see, I say it is a bleeder and the hole is to be there. God I wish I was there. It would be so much easier. Also, based on your last picture, it looks to be bolted into the intake manifold. I am going to send the picture to the boss here and see what he says.

I'll be in touch soon. In fact, it would have been much sooner, but as always, thanks Verizon. I had no internet service. I would like to know where all of the people from the commericals are when I need them. (LOL)

Joe

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Monday, January 4th, 2010 AT 5:40 PM

JAMSPAM

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Wow! I appreciate all you have done researching this problem. We took the camera with the photos to a parts store and three of the men there had no idea of what it was. They have the bypass hose pictured on their computer, but nothing for the surrounding area. They even opened up the Chiltons manual for that truck and found no referenced to it or photos of that area. We have a different brand manual and can not find anything it it either. I tried calling our local (20 miles away) Toyota dealer all day, but they must be closed due to the bad weather we are having here in Missouri. They may tell me what it is if they can sell me a part. I do not know anyone in the service department to ask for advice. I think your advice about removing it is the next step. Then I can take it to Toyota for a replacement or fix and answers to what it is/why there is a hole in it. One mechanic we talked to about it thinks it may just be a weak point that failed due to corrosion (15 years of use). I will be interested in any additional information you can come up with and will let you know if I find out anything tomorrow. It has been a little cold for "Shade Tree Mechanics" the last few days and we have another vehicle, so it has been easy to procrastinate. Thanks again, Vickie

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Monday, January 4th, 2010 AT 6:48 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

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Vickie:

I sent your pictures to a couple friends that are mechanics. They said they thought it was a vacuum port that the nipple has broken off from. That is why there is a perfect circle. However, when I told them it leaked coolant from there, they were lost too. Just for the heck of it, are there any vacuum hoses that are not connected on one side? Also, if you start the engine, is there engine vacuum at the small hole? And finally, are you sure it was coolant leaking from it?

Check that and let me know. It's driving me crazy!

Joe

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Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 AT 11:46 PM

JAMSPAM

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Hey thanks for all the help. I took the pics to our Toyota dealer and they found the part. It is an elbow. The hole is not supossed to be there. It is interesting though, I bought the truck used in 1994 and it has always used water/anti-freeze. I never could find where it was going it just didappeared, there was never a puddle under the truck. I m thinking this must be where I have been losing i The hole has just worn into the metal over time and what is weird is there is another hole identical to it worn through on the other side. There is staill a paper thin piece of metal left over the hole so at this point coolant was leaking out both holes. I got a picture of the elbow out I tried getting a picture of the "new hole" but it did not come out.

Thanks again for your help!
Vickie