Hello,

I recently acquired a 94 Camry LE Sedan (4 DR, v4) with 186k miles. I noticed the engine temperatures have been unusually hot lately. A few car smart friends stated that it is the radiator (We found a small hole on the top) and that it could also possibly be the thermostat. If I put water in the radiator tank, it eventually disappears. I can also see white smoke evaporating when the car is idle.

I honestly do not know too much about cars, but should I just purchase a Radiator and a Thermostat? Are there any good places to buy one online in the US? Any certain brands or features I should look for? I heard the water pump is also a common problem with these cars, so could this be the cause?

Also, someone mentioned to NOT use Prestone as coolant for this car, because it will totally mess up the engine! Is this true!?!?! Because I believe that is what my dad uses!!! What should I do?

Thanks in advance for any info or advice.

~Bloop

Lets start with the white smoke. It is common for cars to emit some steam while they are warming up dependant upon the weather. Now if it is showing white smoke after 20 minutes or so, you probably have a blown head gasket. PS there is nothing wrong with Preston in Camry's.

Lets start with the white smoke. It is common for cars to emit some steam while they are warming up dependant upon the weather. Now if it is showing white smoke after 20 minutes or so, you probably have a blown head gasket. PS there is nothing wrong with Preston in Camry's.

Well the smoke is coming from the front grill where the Toyota symbol is located. Someone mentioned that it is just the water leaking from the top of the radiator. When all of the water is gone, then it does not smoke any more.

Well the smoke is coming from the front grill where the Toyota symbol is located. Someone mentioned that it is just the water leaking from the top of the radiator. When all of the water is gone, then it does not smoke any more.
If you have seen a hole in the radiator and you see white smoke comming from the radiator, your radiator is gone. Go to any shop that changes riaditors and install a new one. It should not take more than half an hour and you can get good radiators for less than $100.

Any certain brand of radiator I should look for?

Don't drive the car when it is low on coolant. Overheating is extremely bad for modern engines. Engines of 25 years ago were made of cast iron, which could be overheated without much of a problem. When they cooled back down everything was OK. Today's engines have aluminum heads and some engines even have aluminum blocks. Aluminum has a low melting point so if overheated the head warps, ruining the head gasket, if you are lucky. If you are unlucky, the head warps and must be resurfaced along with replacing the head gasket, or the whole engine can be destroyed. Be careful. Don't drive the car if you can avoid it. If you have to drive the car, wait till it is cool. Then top off the radiator with water and coolant mixed 50% each. While driving, watch the temperature gage. If it starts to climb much past the center of the gage, stop the car and let it cool down for an hour or so before driving it again.

By the way, a radiator replacement is an easy do-it-yourself repair. Just make certain you bleed the system thoroughly after installing the new radiator. Take your time when bleeding. Fill up the system with coolant and start the car and let it run with the radiator cap off. Let the bubbles come out the top of the radiator and refill as necessary during the process. I would say it takes about 45 minutes to thoroughly bleed the air out of the cooling system. Then put the cap on and drive the car for about an hour. Then stop and recheck the overflow tank and add coolant there as necessary. It's probably a good idea to change the upper and lower radiator hoses at the same time as you will probably destroy them getting them off the radiator of an 11 year old car.

Mike

Doh! Some mistakes and new info.

The car is actually 160k miles. Also, the timing belt was last changed at 126k miles. I also noticed that if I put water on, it is still there after a few weeks... but it does slowly disapear as time passes by. I'm pretty sure it is just escaping from the top of the radiator.

I just installed a new Thermostat which cost only $4.96. I also just ordered a OEM radiator online for $99 shipped. Was a 24 hours super sale with 30% off! :c)

Hopefully car should be smooth after this. Although, I did notice I have a slight oil leak... but does not seem too serious.

Thanks for all the support!

P.S. The overheating issue happen recently... so I hope the gasket thing didn't get damaged. It has been mostly cold weather around here, so I think I should be safe?