Got My Supra! ... and a problem. :)

jeffpritchard · 03-22-2010, 06:39 AM

Howdy all!

The Good:
I got my Supra! 1989 Turbo. Has the removable top. White, burgundy interior. In pretty darn good condition (maybe not as good as I thought, though. More on that in a second). I've had it about two weeks now.

My dad had one of these when I was little. My little brothers made him have to trade it in on a minivan. I've always had a special place in my heart for this car, and to finally have one is AWESOME.

I took the top off yesterday, went cruising around, absolutely beautiful. Arizona weather couldn't have been better, and I love the way the car feels.

Aaaaaand the bad:
So, on the freeway (70mph) this morning I notice hot air coming out the vents. Then I notice the temp gauge is going very, very high. I stop using the gas, set the heater on high, and coast off the freeway. When I open it up, it's completely out of coolant because all the coolant has shot out the overflow on the reservoir.

Apart from what's sprayed all over the front of the car, there are no obvious leaks of coolant. I check the oil level, its fine. I fill it back up with water, wait for it cool for 30 minutes, start it back up.

It starts just fine. Thank God. The idle is fine. Nothing coming out the engine at a noticeable rate. Sounds fine. So, I'm thinking, maybe there is a slow leak in the coolant, and it just ran low enough that it got really hot and shot the rest of it out? Fingers crossed pretty please?

Nope. I got about a mile before it got really hot again. Pulled over. I can hear the boiling coolant. Nothing else sounds or looks odd though. :/ I got it home a half mile at a time, pulling over every time I felt the air out of the heater start to get hotter then normal. Took forever waiting 20 minutes between half mile runs, but I really want this turn out OK in the end. The coolant levels are still fine, because I don't let it get hot enough to overflow again.

As far as I can tell, there are three possibles here. The worst one is a blown head gasket. Thankfully, there is nothing in my oil but oil (I had it changed when I bought it, it's still nice and clear), and no smoke out the back. The car idles just as smooth as it did a week ago. So maybe, just maybe, I can rule that out?

Second, my friend (who has a VW) says he went through the exact same thing 6 months ago, and it was the water pump. That kind of makes sense to me. Coolant just sits in the engine for a half mile before it gets too hot. Seems reasonable.

Third, my cousin says it could be the thermostat. I don't know how that would cause this, but might as well include it.

So, any ideas for me? I'm not sure how I would check the water pump to see if works or not. And are there any ways for me to rule out the head gasket for sure?

03-22-2010, 06:39 AM	#1
jeffpritchard Stock Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Tempe, AZ Posts: 7	Got My Supra! ... and a problem. :) Howdy all! The Good: I got my Supra! 1989 Turbo. Has the removable top. White, burgundy interior. In pretty darn good condition (maybe not as good as I thought, though. More on that in a second). I've had it about two weeks now. My dad had one of these when I was little. My little brothers made him have to trade it in on a minivan. I've always had a special place in my heart for this car, and to finally have one is AWESOME. I took the top off yesterday, went cruising around, absolutely beautiful. Arizona weather couldn't have been better, and I love the way the car feels. Aaaaaand the bad: So, on the freeway (70mph) this morning I notice hot air coming out the vents. Then I notice the temp gauge is going very, very high. I stop using the gas, set the heater on high, and coast off the freeway. When I open it up, it's completely out of coolant because all the coolant has shot out the overflow on the reservoir. Apart from what's sprayed all over the front of the car, there are no obvious leaks of coolant. I check the oil level, its fine. I fill it back up with water, wait for it cool for 30 minutes, start it back up. It starts just fine. Thank God. The idle is fine. Nothing coming out the engine at a noticeable rate. Sounds fine. So, I'm thinking, maybe there is a slow leak in the coolant, and it just ran low enough that it got really hot and shot the rest of it out? Fingers crossed pretty please? Nope. I got about a mile before it got really hot again. Pulled over. I can hear the boiling coolant. Nothing else sounds or looks odd though. :/ I got it home a half mile at a time, pulling over every time I felt the air out of the heater start to get hotter then normal. Took forever waiting 20 minutes between half mile runs, but I really want this turn out OK in the end. The coolant levels are still fine, because I don't let it get hot enough to overflow again. As far as I can tell, there are three possibles here. The worst one is a blown head gasket. Thankfully, there is nothing in my oil but oil (I had it changed when I bought it, it's still nice and clear), and no smoke out the back. The car idles just as smooth as it did a week ago. So maybe, just maybe, I can rule that out? Second, my friend (who has a VW) says he went through the exact same thing 6 months ago, and it was the water pump. That kind of makes sense to me. Coolant just sits in the engine for a half mile before it gets too hot. Seems reasonable. Third, my cousin says it could be the thermostat. I don't know how that would cause this, but might as well include it. So, any ideas for me? I'm not sure how I would check the water pump to see if works or not. And are there any ways for me to rule out the head gasket for sure?