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Old 08-16-2015, 12:05 PM   #1
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2002 Highlander overheating

Hello. I have a '02 Highlander 6 cyl 2 wheel drive that is having overheating problems (no leaks). So far I have replaced the thermostat (I want to strangle Toyota for their awful placement) and the rad cap, removed the radiator and back-flushed it (upside-down, sideways...), flushed the heater core, even ran water through the engine, both through the top hose and bottom, successfully. Reconnected everything, topped off the radiator and let her run in the driveway for ten minutes; temp rose just above mid point, so decided to go for a test drive. Barely went a mile before the gauge was knocking on red. The top hose is scorching hot, but I can maintain a grip on the bottom hose, no issue. Frustrated, I let her rest for the night. This morning I pulled the top hose, start her up, temps go above mid point, no flow. Also, throughout this process, I have had no heat blowing from the vents. Oh, and the oil dipstick shows clear oil and no condensation. Does anyone have any suggestions, or an idea that I haven't tried?

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Old 08-16-2015, 12:24 PM   #2
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Re: 2002 Highlander overheating

your radiator can still be plugged. can you see the tubes to see if they have scale built up in them? also if you let it idle till it warms up with the cap off can you see the water flowing with the cap left off while it warms up?
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Old 08-16-2015, 12:41 PM   #3
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Re: 2002 Highlander overheating

There is no flow from stone cold to climbing Everest. I did this both with the cap off, and then with the hose off just in case I missed a weak flow. As far as I can see, no scale on the fins (the few that are visible), and the coolant ran clean when I emptied the radiator prior to removal. I had good flow through the radiator when connected to a garden hose (both through the top tube and bottom) so, I would think that I would get hot water at the bottom hose when connected to the engine. But again, no flow. This was a "ran great yesterday, failed today" type of situation, not a growing problem which also has me baffled. One thing I failed to mention (just remembered), is the rad cap had exploded, the spring and plastic part that held the spring on were inside the radiator; they came out when I flushed the radiator. Not sure about any rubber bits from the seal though.
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Old 08-16-2015, 12:48 PM   #4
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Re: 2002 Highlander overheating

i assume you put the thermostat in the right way, they can be put in backwards. if so sounds like either your radiator is plugged or your water pump has failed internally if you have no flow.
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Old 08-16-2015, 02:53 PM   #5
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Re: 2002 Highlander overheating

I am certain that I put the thermostat in correctly, however I am going to remove it and check. If I reconnect the system without it in place, will that allow water to run freely through the system? What I'm getting at is, without the thermostat, there should be no restriction to flow and that would allow me to see if the water pump is doing its part. I really hate to have a go at that thermo again, but I assume this would be a good diagnostic. Also, if I run the system with the top hose off, and no thermometer, there should be flow regardless of a clogged radiator, correct? Man, am I praying for a clogged radiator.
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Old 08-16-2015, 03:23 PM   #6
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Re: 2002 Highlander overheating

if you run it with the top hose off you can't put enough water in it to check for flow. just take out the thermostat and see if you have good flow and if it overheats still, you can also run your hand across the fins on the radiator and make sure its the same temp all the way across and not just hot on the outside edges once it warms up and you shut it off
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Old 08-19-2015, 08:23 AM   #7
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Re: 2002 Highlander overheating

Crvett, thanks so much for the help and information. Took her in to the mechanic; diagnosis: failed water pump. I'll update after the repair, hopefully with an explanation for the failure. The upside, timing belt is getting replaced after 144k miles. Peace of mind on those longer drives.
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Old 06-23-2016, 03:12 PM   #8
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Re: 2002 Highlander overheating

1MZ FE engine has head gasket issues that is the reason why this engine has head gasket overheating issues.
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