Overheating or Normal?

Quick question? I have had my Hiace for a couple of days, and I have driven about 80 miles thus far, mostly just around town and up the hill to a few local spots, etc.

Sometimes after some climbing as where I live is reasonably hilly-mountainous when I stop the vehicle, I hear some light bubbling. It never lasts for long, maybe two max minutes after the vehicle is shut off. The van does not smell like it is overheating, nor is the temperature gauge fluctuating in any weird way? Is this normal? I have reached out to a local mechanic, but they won't be able to get me in until at least the very end of August. This does not seem to happen when I turn off the vehicle after lightly climbing or just cruising around town or even going down the interstate.

I still have not driven the vehicle for longer than 30-40 minutes at one time.

Insights? New, green, and slightly nervous about it.

Thanks!

-Jake

Have you opened the 'hood' and done a closer aural/visual inspection? When the engine gets hot, the coolant expands in volume and flows into the overflow tank (passenger side of the engine bay when looking under the 'hood'), and as the engine cools, the coolant contracts in volume and sucks the fluid from the overflow tank back into the water outlet (where the 'radiator' cap and thermostat are located). Perhaps you have a poor seal or a split hose in that area that is causing these sounds? On short trips you may not get the coolant hot enough to expand into the overflow tank, which might be why you don't hear anything.

I will do that today. I am just about to go out for a drive. Upon closer inspection, I realized my coolant was slightly below the low line. I topped it off. Not sure if that has anything to do with it. I am just about to go out for a ride. I will do a closer inspection afterward. Thanks for the heads up!

What color is your coolant? It should be red. In the USA a could good options are Toyota 50/50 or Zerex Asian Blend.

My coolant is green, as filled by the radiator replacement guy. As I understand it from him, either is OK as long as they aren't mixed. If mixed they form a paste which blocks the radiator. This is what happened to mine, thanks to the previous owner.

jbouchelle10 i had exact the same as you after topping up my coolant and driving up a mountain.
Im pretty sure what djathens said is correct.

You are best using the Toyota Ultra-long life coolant which is pink, in my view. I used long-life red which is good, but I didn't know the ultra stuff existed then!

The ultra-long life coolants are good at lubricating the pump etc, as well as stopping corrosion.

You need to find where the bubbling is coming from. If you are going up a hill, the pressure drops, so it could also be the spare wheel with a leak, or the fuel tank pressure etc.

Also what does the temperature gauge say? Does it work, and if so - what does it think about the hill climb?

Djathens & Richturn - upon further inspection, I think you are correct regarding the expansion and contraction. I did also top off the coolant with what you had suggested in a prior feed elsewhere. I did use Zerex Asian Blend. I went out for a two-hour drive yesterday up into the Gifford Pinchot, and all the way home and the vehicle performed tremendously and never smelled hot, and the temperature gauge never fluctuated too hot. I did hear the bubbling when I stopped at the top, and I checked it out in the engine directly, and it seemed like the expansion-contraction that was making the sound. Now coming home, it is all pretty much downhill or level for almost an hour, and the bubbling was not happening by the time I got back to my house. I still have the primary 80 point inspection at the end of the month, and I assume they will be able to demystify the situation thoroughly.

Also, I tested out the ECT, and it defiantly changed the feel of the drive. The vehicle almost felt lighter and more agile in the hill of the National Forest.

GPW- I will have to check into the fuel tank pressure. The temperature gauge never fluctuates toward hot it worked as the temperature gauge should. It took a little bit to get to temp and stayed stable for a two-hour hilly drive.

All of this said, damn, that thing is fun to drive. Cruising in the Hiace around the mountain made for a pretty great afternoon.



Thanks for all your insight, guys!