MK3 supra cooling problem HELP!!!

my mk3 86.5 na supra has a weird gurgling noise coming from the dash on startup. it also seems to run hot after about 20 mins of driving, but the gauge only sits at halfway. i am not losing any coolant or oil, and the two arent mixing together, however the coolant tends to bubble sometimes. on occasion the idle seems to slightly surge as well, but returns to normal after a bit of a rev. is my engine stuffed?

if it is i plan to swap the engine for a 7mgte, is this the best option?

thanx in advance for any help

[the_fallen]

not 100% but most likely a BHG sorry. 7mgte is the easiest swap into your car, other than another 7mge.

[suprra_girl]

^^^ naughty

always think the worst lol

you probably just have air in the system you need to burp out.. if it doesn't have any other symptoms of a bhg then try that first... once you've done that see how you go

to burp your car

put it up on ramps or a steep hill etc... don't drive far as you need to take the radiator cap off and i'm sure you don't want to wear the water in your radiator

sooo

car is on uphill angle so the radiator is the highest point of the car
take off radiator cap
start car
turn your heater on full blat
get bottles of water and wait for your car to warm up
keep filling the radiator till the bubbles stop coming to the top
once bubbles have stopped put the cap back on
and see how it goes

good luck with the gurgle

[Supraman1986]

i changed my radiator cap yesterday, drove the car a bit, then this morning when i popped the hood to do the air filter i noticed coolant everywhere. investigated it and found that the radiator had popped its top seal, as well as a big crack had developed along the top of the radiator. would this have meant that my previous radiator cap was f****d? and now that it has a decent one, all the pressure had to escape somewhere else? so went through the stock (18 yo) radiator which was probably weak as piss?

so now i have to get a new radiator, anyone got any ideas? one that will be good for the 7mgte which ill be installing in the next few months?

also as luck would have it, when i changed my air filter today, i go to start the thing up afterwards, and she starts...then dies. i call out roadside assistance, the guys got no idea so he calls a tow truck in. while waiting for the tow, i disconnect the afm, blow a bit of dust out the terminals and reconnect her. start the car, now shes sweet as pie (apart from the radiator) is this going to happen again next time i play with the air filter? could this be a bigger problem? any help would be great, cheers.

[suprra_girl]

well i would get (if you have the money) a brand new radiator or you can get a second hand one from a wreckers and take it to your radiator shop and get them to check it for holes, leaks, cracks etc and get it flushed cause no doubt it could be blocked
2 things may have caused this
a blocked radiator
or exhaust gasses in your water... hence the requirement for a block check ( you will want to find out if you have a bhg before you do damage to the engine... saves you alot in the long run)

that sucks bout the afm lol
it's probly just full of crud and stuff so when you blew it out it fixed it right up... dirty connectors... a few things... but i would suspect this won't happen again
could be just old brittle wires... but if she's running sweet as now i'd say it's fine

good luck

[Supraman1986]

i think im gonna buy a aluminum radiator, are they easy to just swap over, and is this the way to go? i was gonna attemp this myself as ive heard radiators are easy to replace

[mxbsuper]

Correct me if I am am wrong but if you capture some of the water from your recent experience you can get it tested to see if any exhaust gases have contaminated it. This can give you an idea about the condition of the HG.

Might worth doing before possibly blowing up another radiator.

Originally posted by Jazza22@Jan 16 2005, 02:51 AM
my mk3 86.5 na supra has a weird gurgling noise coming from the dash on startup. it also seems to run hot after about 20 mins of driving, but the gauge only sits at halfway. i am not losing any coolant or oil, and the two arent mixing together, however the coolant tends to bubble sometimes. on occasion the idle seems to slightly surge as well, but returns to normal after a bit of a rev. is my engine stuffed?

if it is i plan to swap the engine for a 7mgte, is this the best option?

thanx in advance for any help

Best option would be a 1jzgte---I am getting ready to replace my head gasket for the second time in my 7mgte---first rebuild by a professional only lasted 5000 miles with a Titan motorsports 1.4mm metal head gasket and ARP bolts torqued to 87ft/lbs. Look around for sites that sell clips---you will need a couple of items to make this work----(bell housing, longer wiring harness, longer throttle cable and a high pressure power steering hose to start---maybe a crossmember if you car is prior to 89----) the 1jz is only 2.5 liters, but twin turbo and several parts from the 2jz are interchangeable----and they will scream!!

[suprra_girl]

do you know if they prepped the block properly?
there's always a reason for the hg to blow

generally if it's been torqued properly, got a mhg and arps then its usually machining at fault

my 2c anyhow

but the 2.5 is a good engine and doesn't blow hg's like the 7m... at least toyota fixed that little mistake lol