Bhgd????????????!!!!!!!!! Please help!!!!!

[89niner]

So I was waiting to get new tires put on my car today and while i was standing in the staging area gettin my marlboro on i happened to notice i was leaking coolant!!!!! I immediately ran over to the car popped the hood and checked my overflow tank, it was at the full line just like normal and wasn't bubbling so i was eh she's fine. well anyway tires got put on the car and off i went welllll i get down the road about 5 miles and am pulling into wal-mart when all of a sudden i have white smoke billowing out of my hood!!!! parked, popped the hood my overflow tank was not bubbling and still at the full line, upon further inspection i noticed that all the steam was coming from the top of the radiator about an inch or two to the right of the cap. I let the car cool down completely, then started it back up, added a bottle of wal-marts finest stop-leak and about a gallon and a half of water. I must also state that the needle on the factory temp gauge always sits directly in the middle of the gauge and never once did it move from this position while all this happened. anyway i left wal-mart with my fingers crossed and drove the 40 mile drive home. my 89 n/a 5-speed has 233,000 miles, the engine was totally overhauled at 215,000, but i believe the radiator is factory. I will be replacing the radiator this weekend to rule that problem out. I dont want to be in BHGD so my question is how and what chemicals do i use to do a homemade leakdown test

 

[Grandavi]

Test for BHG - 1 technique

I think NAPA may have the kit that allows you to draw air out of the rad and run it through a chemical they have and check the color to see if you have any exhaust gases entering your coolant. I dont see any mention of your hose conditions. Mine did what you described but it was the coolant line that runs to the turbo. It had crystalized and was disintegrating. The BHG is not normally from the engine itself (billowing clouds). That would be quite severe. You would smell coolant and/or see white smoke coming out of your tailpipe... and you would possibly see oil in your coolant. With that low of mileage on a rebuild, I would doubt your coolant would be dirty.. so it would show up pretty plainly.

Just because the 7M gets a bad rap for BHG.. dont automagically assume that it is the problem. If your engine was rebuilt correctly, it wont be (highly unlikely).

(all the above is my opinion from personal experience.. I am not a mechanic)

 

[89niner]

Thanks!!!!!!

 

[S.A. supra]

Doesn't sound like bhg. More so a bad radiator. With a bhg the white smoke would be coming out your exhaust. Any smoke coming from your exhaust?

 

[hvyman]

Sounds like a coolant leak. I wouldnt use stop leak ever either.

Could even be the upper hose.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Sounds like a basic leak and I'd flush out all that stop leak crap as soon as possible. It's not good for anything... At all.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

 

[89niner]

Sounds like a coolant leak. I wouldnt use stop leak ever either.

Could even be the upper hose.

had to, cars my daily, and if i left my car in aberdeen over night it would be gone, toyotas are the #1 stolen vehicle around here. didn't think about the upper hose though, i did a pressure check on my cooling system when i got home and its got a definite leak, so i might as well replace the hoses with the radiator. thanks for the input!!! your suggestions and opinions are very much appreciated

btw think the supra will have any serious issues from using stop leak??

and just food for thought i had a 1987 toyota 4x4 pickup that bursted a hole in the rad (i was 16 btw) and i used a carton of eggs as stop leak and it worked! i would NEVER do that to my supra though its my baby

---------- Post added at 11:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:14 PM ----------

Sounds like a basic leak and I'd flush out all that stop leak crap as soon as possible. It's not good for anything... At all.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

i will asap! have not ran the car since it was parked in the shop earlier today, thanks btw!

 

[hvyman]

Just flush it out real good.

could be radiator tanks as well.

 

[89niner]

the steam looked like it was coming right from where the tank meets the fins, i will flush the system tomorrow, and i will make sure to take pics to post when i find the problem

I just ran out to the shop to check the condition of my radiator hoses and i gave both the upper and lower a full check up and rub down lol and they both look and feel like they are 20 years old!!!

I seriously appreciate all of your help, i may sound like a moron on here but this is my first supra, ive been a truck guy all my life and work in a custom fab 4x4 shop. even though i work around this stuff all the time when i look under the hood of my supra im still like huh? lol, so all in all thanks again dont know what i'd do with out SM

 

[hvyman]

Need a new radiator then.

 

[Grandavi]

lol, never be afraid of asking a stupid question.. just dont ask question stupidly..

The first thing I did after reading these forums was upgraded my rad from this

to this

Never regretted it either. I also switched to Toyota Red coolant because the 7M waterpump is supposedly a bit finicky with green.. running red and keeping it maintained should help me avoid any issues down the road.
I dont come close to any heat fluctuation on long trips at 90+ MPH either with the rad and I used to see the heat climb with the stock rad (even had it redline once going up a hill because the turbo was running for about 4-5 minutes, boosting me)

 

[89niner]

i totally dig the red vacuum lines!, i don't know why i didn't think of switching to aluminum, we ALWAYS go to aluminum with our engine conversions in the pickups and 4runners at the shop i work at. worst comes to worst i have a chevrolet factory 402 H.O. big block that would fit very nicely in my supra's engine bay

 

[SupraCorwin]

Oh hey there, i just so happen to have an extra stock rad sitting around since i did what Grandavi did, plus i have a parts car too (it still runs! lol poor car).
If your rad looks irreplaceable hit me up and you can have my extra one for free, or the price of gas and ill meet you some where closer.

 

[Grandavi]

the red lines are so I can track them easier.. lol.

 

[89niner]

Oh hey there, i just so happen to have an extra stock rad sitting around since i did what Grandavi did, plus i have a parts car too (it still runs! lol poor car).
If your rad looks irreplaceable hit me up and you can have my extra one for free, or the price of gas and ill meet you some where closer.

would Saturday work for you? i should have a pic posted of my bad radiator today

 

[SupraCorwin]

I pm'd you, but yes I could prolly swing Saturday, technically i have any part of a day off since i work nights.

 

[89niner]

Had a bad radiator!! Supracorwin hooked it up with a new but used radiator!! got it home and installed, car ran perfect, cruised it all the way out to the beach with no problems. Everyone on supramania is awesome! thanks again for all your help!!!btw i flushed the cooling system completely no more stop leak, and replacing the thermostat tomorrow just to be sure.

 

[Grandavi]

Use Toyota Red Coolant (straight from Toyota). Your engine will thank you.

 

[SupraCorwin]

It was great just to get out and help some one, also fun to meet you and Amberle!

Hope your car brings you many more months of bliss.