I was in the drive through at Wendy's yesterday with the windows up and the a/c on and my truck just started overheating. The coolant temp was almost in the red with me just sitting there idling. Now, here is another thing, when I got home, i rolled the windows up and as i held both buttons in the roll up position the coolant temp gauge jumped up. I don't know if there is a short in the system or what but it shouldn't be overheating like that in the first place. Any opinions on what it may be?

I don't think there is a short in the system, but who knows.
I just replaced my radiator (summer is here, and my radiator ran on a high side when I tow heavy trailer.) So I got mishimoto radiator (Toyota Tundra Performance Aluminum Radiator Manual, 2000-2004, by Mishimoto (http://www.mishimoto.com/toyota-tundra-performance-aluminum-radiator-00-03.html)) and it seems like it improved cooling. I will report back if interested.

Maybe you need a new thermostat??

I had similar problem when my fan clutch quit.

Tinik, I remember reading your how to on fixing the fan clutch. Maybe that is my problem so I will look into that.

Hey Pimp,

Sometimes when the battery gets old, the whole electrical functioning of the car ( or truck ) seems to go berserk.

In that case, I can't see any relation between using the windows and overheating ( unless the voltage drops due to the battery being bad ). If the voltage drops, then maybe the gauges act funny and you are not actually overheating.

Check battery and alternator function to make sure before replacing anything.

let us know what you find !

Hey Pimp,

Sometimes when the battery gets old, the whole electrical functioning of the car ( or truck ) seems to go berserk.

In that case, I can't see any relation between using the windows and overheating ( unless the voltage drops due to the battery being bad ). If the voltage drops, then maybe the gauges act funny and you are not actually overheating.

Check battery and alternator function to make sure before replacing anything.

let us know what you find !
The battery is less than a year old, so I doubt that is it, but I will double check anyway. I think I am going to do what Tinik did and re-build the fan clutch or whatever. It is definitely overheating, because when it did, my tranny temp gauge rose too, because the sensor for it is located right beneath the engine, so the heat from the motor affects my tranny temp sensor.

my friends 2001 overheated , it was the water pump.It had 110. it was original,same as tim belt.

Could it...maybe....just possibly be....a radiator clogged with mud? Naaaaah! No way! That truck NEVER goes off-road! :devil: :D

http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/members/apimpdad/albums/florida+off+roading-140/petersons-4-wheel-drive-magazine-picture-11969.jpg

Could it...maybe....just possibly be....a radiator clogged with mud? Naaaaah! No way! That truck NEVER goes off-road! :devil: :D

http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/members/apimpdad/albums/florida+off+roading-140/petersons-4-wheel-drive-magazine-picture-11969.jpg
LOL, you would post that picture! :D But the radiator has been cleaned multiple times since then. Yes, there still is mud in it, but you cant get all of it out unless you remove the radiator. So, in that case, I am going to remove the radiator, spray it out completely, replace the fan clutch lube or whatever it is, and put in new coolant. :tu::tu:

do this: get the temp high and then flood the radiator with a garden
hose. if the temp comes down, then your problem is "air flow"...fan
clutch, mud, etc.
if the temp does not come down, then you have a flow problem...clogged
radiator, thermostat, etc. yspert

I would start with the thermostat...they are easy to change and it costs like $15. The fan clutch will probably be more like $75. However, I've had overheating problems several times and none of them have ever been the thermostat (although it is always my first order of business). One time it was a clogged radiator and the other 2 were both water pumps.

I forgot to ask what happened next in that mudding photo...didja make it out? Cool photo!

You might want to check the radiator cap also. Sometimes it can be the simplest thing of all. Good luck.

(((( self censored ))))

yspert

(((( self censored ))))

yspert

The censored replies are the one's I want to read!

The censored replies are the one's I want to read!

i get frustrated with some of the post and was saying so and thought
better of it. as a diagnostic tech, some of the post are a large waste
of time and i have to be my own censor. maybe i should find something else
to do with my time. yspert

i get frustrated with some of the post and was saying so and thought
better of it. as a diagnostic tech, some of the post are a large waste
of time and i have to be my own censor. maybe i should find something else
to do with my time. yspert
Only two of us posted after you so I guess there is a 50% chance it is my idea about the cap. I made that suggestion because of a problem I had more years ago than I care to admit to. Lets just say my 69 Mustang got hot and I was thinking of all the big expensive things it could be but stopped and bought a cap since I was about an hour from the house. I never had another problem after that.
As far as finding something else to do with your time, I hope you don't. A lot of us like learning from you.

Only two of us posted after you so I guess there is a 50% chance it is my idea about the cap. I made that suggestion because of a problem I had more years ago than I care to admit to. Lets just say my 69 Mustang got hot and I was thinking of all the big expensive things it could be but stopped and bought a cap since I was about an hour from the house. I never had another problem after that.
As far as finding something else to do with your time, I hope you don't. A lot of us like learning from you.

the radiator cap is a place to start but typically has other symptoms to
go with it. overheating issues are easy and fun to figure out and his problem could be as simple as the coolant being low due to the cap not allowing
return from the bottle. over time, the coolant in the radiator will get lower and lower and finally you have a problem. surely he removed the cap before posting and made sure it was full. surely he did. everyone needs to take the radiator cap off at least once a year just to check, but since the engine is hot most of the time when the hood is open, the radiator & cap are forgotten until the temp goes up. plus, at the "roll the dice" fast lube lane, the eighteen year old that has been there a week will always fill the bottle. so, the system always appears full. yspert

LOL, you would post that picture! :D But the radiator has been cleaned multiple times since then. Yes, there still is mud in it, but you cant get all of it out unless you remove the radiator. So, in that case, I am going to remove the radiator, spray it out completely, replace the fan clutch lube or whatever it is, and put in new coolant. :tu::tu:

Just checking in for an update...did you find the problem?

It hasn't overheated since posting, but maybe its because it has been raining for a week straight here and has been relatively cool outside. I topped off the reservoir though a while back and it has been fine..... for now at least.

Well, I like to play in the mud too, and in ym experience it can be any number of things, but for your particular situation:

You said the guage was hot. Did you pop the hood and actually check the radiator?

As far as windows go, I have never seen or heard of that but a short sounds likely, but the harnesses in the kick panel are totally sepperate so i wouldnt know.

Hose it out and check again. My first time I overheated was the result of all the mud.

Check your cap.

Check your overflow. make sure you don't have a leak?

When mine overheats it increases system pressure and i lose fluid out of the overflow like there is no tomorrow.