trebor1980

the service was $260 on it's own, so $740 for the parts and labour to fix the coolant issue (and slight oil leak). I went to a toyota dealer to get it done, have already paid for it - do you think this is too much?

So here is what the toyota garage told me... The radiator cap has to be replaced, a hose is cracked and needs to be replaced as is the coolant reservoir container. The noise made on startup was air in the system which they will get rid of. finally they are going to flush and pressure test the whole system. So no head gasket issues which is a relief although it's going to cost me (with a service as well) about $1000 AUD to get it all fixed. Annoying but I guess it has to be done!

Hi Dave That sounds exactly the same problem as mine! I am taking mine to a Toyota mechanic on Thursday to get them to look at the problem. I have a horrible feeling they are just going to say the headgasket is gone but hopefully they will find something simpler (and less expensive!) to fix. I'll let you know how i go...

OK, thanks for the help - I will try filling up the overflow with water and keep an eye on what happens - and yep, the fans did come on. If I keep hearing the noise and the coolant goes down quickly again I think i will go to mechanic and have it tested. My main worry is that it is a head gasket problem which I now is not cheap to fix! cheers

OK, so I turned on the car without the radiator cap on, the radiator was full, but nothing in the reservoir. After the car had reached it's normal temperature I added in about 100ml of water to fill the radiator back up again. I didn't notice any bubbles in the coolant while the car was running, but there was a very fine vapour coming out of the coolant when the engine was getting hotter - is this normal? I'll check the coolant levels when the car cools again, but if I only added in 100ml I don't expect the reservoir to fill up - so i guess i am wondering what happened to the 600ml or so that was in the reservoir 100km ago? Any advice would be really appreciated!!

Hi, thanks for the quick reply. I checked under the oil filler cap, there is a bit of oil on it, but nothing milky in colour. I can't see any bubbles on the dipstick either, although the car is not yet cold so I will check again then. Just to clarify on your second point. I will wait until the car is cold, take off the radiator cap and start the engine and will check for bubbles. Should I top up the radiator and replace the cap whilst the car is running? Also, is it ok at this stage to just put tap water into the radiator or should I buy the green coolant

Hi, I have a 1996 Camry wagon which I bought about 4 months ago. After just a few weeks of having it the car over heated so I took it to a garage and they told me the head gaskets had gone...I then phoned the dealer I got it from who took it to his mechanics and said the Head Gaskets were fine, but the pipes in the engine were blocked - he then replaced all that needed to be replaced and I got the car back. When I got it back, the coolant had beem topped up with green liquid and was at the full point in the reservior. I then noticed after driving about 1000km that when I turned on the engine there was a gurgling noise which I presumed to be the coolant tube. I drove it another few hundred KM's and today checked the coolant levels and it was practically empty in the reservoir - the radiator itself was still full up (this was when the engine was cold) Please can anyone let me know what might be happening here - should I just fill up the reservoir with the green coolant or is there a bigger problem here? Many thanks