Hi,
I have been the owner of a Toyota Townace TD 2,0, 1986, automatic drive
for two weeks now. Unfortunately, I have also some overheating problems.
Last Sunday, the temperature of the van was in the red area. So I stopped
and waited for an hour to cool it down. After that, I've filled in 3 l of water.
Then the car drove perfectly. A day later, the temperature was ok, but suddenly,
the "radiator" control light went on. I was just standing at an traffic light when it
went on. What does this mean? I've unfortunately no manual and so I can't have a
look there. Can I drive with the car although I see this control light?
Thank you very much in advance for your help. - (#1314) Michael, 29 Oct 01

Don't drive it with the light on! That means there's no water in the expansion tank!!
It sounds like you might have head gasket probs, but try a new rad.cap first.
HTH - (#1315) David Miller, 30 Oct 01

Thank you for your advice. I've filled the expansion tank and the radiator, but the light is still there.
Perhaps, there is no sensor at all on the radiator, because the radiator had been changed sometimes.
The light could be an electrical problem, because there is no sensor...?!
Do you think, that a special seal-up-lotion filled in the radiator could close the leakage?
Thank you - (#1322) Michael, 30 Oct 01

After filling the radiator, have you run the engine hot and allowed to cool then checked the level again? Is any water being forced back into the expansion bottle and thru the overflow tube? Alternatively does the level in the rad go down but the level in the expansion bottle stays the same? If so suspect the radiator cap. Can you see any leaks, whilst engine is hot and running? If none of these suspect the head gasket. Is there any evidence of water in the engine oil, a mayonnaise type sludge in the oil cap? As for the warning light, if the expansion bottle is full and the light is on when running, check the wires to it.
HTH - (#1325) Ian Dunse, 31 Oct 01