is200 1999 auto coolant gurggling , steam inside car vents , overflow coolant

[mista_khan]

Hi Guys

 

I have owned my lexus is200 since 2013 and was in use daily up until june 2018 where i have had it parked and just had it MOT'd yearly. While i was using it before 2018 every time i would turn off the car i would hear coolant gurggling noises from the radiator but never lost water or had no mixture in engine oil dept and it never over heated.

Fast Forward to September 2020 as i went to get it mot'd i noticed it was doing the following and i have checked it again today and it is still doing the following :

1) Once car warms up after around 10 to 15 minutes, the vents inside car start pushing out Steam which fills up the cabin and windscreen like crazy as well as noise coming from behind the dash almost like water is being pushed through somewhere. (Video link - 

 

 

2)Coolant in radiator gurggling like crazy, if i open cap it blows out steam and the water gushes out along with bubbles in the water.

 

 

 

 

 

Due to all of this the coolant all leaks out of the overflow pipe and empties out which slowly starts raising temperature but I've never let the car over heat neither is oil or water mixed in the engine oil.

 

Can anyone please advise where shall i start with this mess , iv gone from a perfectly working car to a mess just by parking it up lol.

 

[ColinBarber]

The cooling system should be sealed so the fact that you have water vapour/steam coming from the vents suggest there is a leak in the heater matrix within the dashboard.

I seem to recall that the coolant hoses going to it are easily accessible in the IS200 engine bay. I'd recommend disconnecting them and use a piece of pipe to join the two hoses together so you completely bypass the cooling system inside the cabin. Then run the engine and make sure you don't lose coolant and you don't overheat.

If everything is ok then you know there is a problem with the heater matrix - which you then have the challenge of getting it out and replacing it.

[stormchaser]

I,d say there is a massive air lock in there somewhere.

[mista_khan]

On 8/12/2021 at 9:50 PM, ColinBarber said:

The cooling system should be sealed so the fact that you have water vapour/steam coming from the vents suggest there is a leak in the heater matrix within the dashboard.

I seem to recall that the coolant hoses going to it are easily accessible in the IS200 engine bay. I'd recommend disconnecting them and use a piece of pipe to join the two hoses together so you completely bypass the cooling system inside the cabin. Then run the engine and make sure you don't lose coolant and you don't overheat.

If everything is ok then you know there is a problem with the heater matrix - which you then have the challenge of getting it out and replacing it.

 

Thanks for your in depth response mate, will check for these pipes tomorrow, any ideas where they are top of engine towards the back?

[ColinBarber]

4 minutes ago, mista_khan said:

 

Thanks for your in depth response mate, will check for these pipes tomorrow, any ideas where they are top of engine towards the back?

Looks like they are at the top based on a pic I've found

[mista_khan]

On 8/13/2021 at 10:04 PM, ColinBarber said:

Looks like they are at the top based on a pic I've found

 

Thanks Colin

 

I did this today, i disconnected the pipes from heater matrix and joint them together and tried it again, no steam in vents obviously as heater matrix has no hot water in it but still same problem with coolant bubbling in radiator, Gurggling like crazy and then overflowing leading to coolant loss and thats when temp starts going higher.

Vid below you can hear the noise of coolant gurggling in rad with bonnet closed lol.

 

[Mihanicos]

Check the thermostat. When it opens, rev the engine to about 1200 rpm and observe the water circulating in the radiator ( radiator cap off ). This indicates that the water pump is ok.

Make certain that you bleed all the air from the system, there are many videos in Youtube.

If the problem persists, you may have a cylinder head gasket failure. Check the inside of the engine oil filler cap, if there is any mayonaise on the inside of the cap, then this is a confirmation  that the oil mixes with water. Another sign, on the oil dipstic where it is immersed in the engine oil, you will see bubles in the oil.

Chris.