Desperate people do desperate things, Now I am probably going to get some flck, but the pressure is blowing the antifeeze away, now I have had emergency situations where I loosened the radiator cap to prevent pressure from blowing out the coolant so fast. Sure we were going through death valley with the heat on till I could fix a coolant leak, but it may get you by for a bit. Hate to see a nice person falling on hard times, I wish I were closer to help.
Will never forget the sweat dripping down from the back of my knees where the skin met. Thinking only the best thought for you.
Sorry you are having these difficulties. Usually a shop would do a couple of tests to confirm the head gasket is the culprit. First they’d do a chemical test of the coolant, which would show if the head gasket were leaking exhaust gasses into the coolant. And if that was inconclusive, they’d do a cooling system pressurization test.
If those tests confirm the head gasket is bad, you pretty much either have to find a shop to fix it, or junk the vehicle. Those are pretty much the only option, other than the stop-leak method, which I wouldn’t advise.
I completely understand that you’ve got this catch-22 situation, where if you had a job you could afford to fix the car, but you need a car to get the job in the first place. If I had this problem I guess what I’d do is find whatever job I could, either it is close enough to walk to, or one on a bus route where busses go every 10 minutes, so you’d have a reliable ride. Even if it didn’t pay enough, at least I’d have some income, which I’d save up until I could afford to fix the car. Then with the car, I’d look for a better paying job.
@GeorgeSanJose
“they said the antifreeze was in the exhaust or vice versa”
Sounds like they already did the “chemical test of the coolant” . . . as you would put it
According to my understanding of OP’s words, somebody already performed a block test
I can’t guarantee exactly HOW the combustion gases are getting into the coolant, but apparently it’s been verified that they are there
Cracked block
cracked head
blown head gasket
bad intake manifold gaskets . . . I’m not too familiar with this Toyota truck V6
etc.
“decent jobs require a statement that you have reliable transportation”
I’ve never run into this situation . . . EVER. I’ve lived in Germany, PA and CA. I’ve worked in all of those places
Is this some kind of Arizona BS . . . ?!
No offense to any people who are fans of that state . . . but what OP is describing sounds like a bunch of BS on the employer’s part . . . and that’s putting it nicely
In fact, it almost sounds like a kind of discrimination
Let me start by saying that I FEEL for you Gabi… Ive had to face some extremely humbling nay…life destroying things in my life and have come out stronger on the other side. I am a testament to this every day. The storms in life will happen…just hold on till it blows over and the sun starts shining again.
Now onto things I know even more about…your vehicle…and the advice of your “Mechanic”. Lets get basic here… Like @ok4450 mentions…wouldn’t be the first time a misdiagnosis was made, he knows well his material. OK SO…Its overheating…hopefully you havent fully toasted it yet by ignoring the temp gauge just to get to the next exit 20 miles down the road.
Start with the inexpensive thermostat…see what you get…then move to the radiator…there will be ample clues to follow during this process that any good mechanic could follow without me detailing all those criteria. Rads DO Fail…trust me …they do. If you do not have a coolant system over pressure situation nor oil and coolant mixing…then ignore the Head Gasket advice for now and keep things simple. Like I said…there will be many clues as to what this is…but start with the T stat…and see what happens.
Wish you were more local… I would tell you precisely what to do and or what the problem is…for nothing, just to lend a hand. I do not like hearing stories of others who wont perform a simple act of kindness without compensation. Im not a “fan” of that…so I try to change that when I can.
Blackbird
If it has been verified beyond all doubt that exhaust gas is present in the engine coolant then there’s an issue with a head gasket at a minimum or worse with cracked head or block. The former would be much more likely.
Is there an automotive tech school or community college in your area with an auto mechanics course? If so, you might contact them, explain the situation, and see if they can help you out free of charge by using your car as a laboratory cadaver so to speak.
Good idea OK4450 … and in return the OP should offer to help with some of the routine shop chores, like parts cleaning, sweeping the floor, etc.
Not to sound unkind . . .
Shouldn’t the community college be showing its students how to work on newer vehicles?
hmm … well it depends on what kind of mechanic job the student wants. If they prefer to work for a dealership, yes, training on newer vehicles would be better. But if they want to open their own inde shop, or work at an inde shop, there are plenty of 1990’s cars still on the road in need of someone that knows how to fix them. So training on a 1995 Toyota seems like it would be helpful to the students too.
The local inde mechanic I talk to frequently b/c his shop is on my neighborhood walk route, he’s a recent graduate of the local community college auto repair school, and there’s lots of 1990’s cars parked in his parking lot awaiting repair.
LOL… @db4690 your comment made me stop and think…and after a moment I thought about the answer to your question… The answer should be a resounding NO…
New vehicles while relevant…arent as relevant as older ones in my opinion. Since teaching this type of material…you need to lay a foundation. I would hope that schools teach good Ole Condenser, Dwell and Points FIRST… Again…foundations.
I wouldn’t consider this 95’ as being “Stone Age” in any way…in fact it has all the modern accoutrements that modern vehicles do today…and how often do you get to use “accoutrements” in a sentence I ask you ? If I were a school I’d have much older equipment in the shop for teaching the basics as modern equipment still use all the basics…once you can see where things came from and understand the why’s of it all…you will be far more rounded in the modern world…and allow thinking “outside the box” more easily…a skill I have become extremely adept at doing…but only because I have that ole foundation.
Get me ?
Blackbird
@“Honda Blackbird”
I GET what you’re saying
I don’t know if I ever mentioned this, but I had a 3 year automotive apprenticeship. That BARELY covered the basics
We spent a lot of time doing things we NEVER needed in the real world. I’m not kidding. There were skills taught that NONE of us EVER used in the real world. Waste of time. They could have easily lopped off a year if they’d stopped teaching garbage and taught us skills we actually needed. I heard through the grapevine that the program got updated some years after my time, because it was determined that EVERYTHING about the program was antiquated and ineffective
It seems to me the real goal of the program may have been to prep the students to pass, not actually learn anything.
And our vehicles were old . . . REALLY old. Carbureted, points, no abs, no ac, no nothing, if you really think about it
IMO . . . you have to teach students on the kind of vehicles that they’re realistically going to encounter in the real world.
Sure, we learned the 4 cycles, we learned how to adjust valve lash, explain how things worked, etc.
What the practice cars didn’t have, they tried to teach us in the classroom. But you can’t really teach . . . and get it to stick in a young person’s mind . . . efi, abs, ac, and such things, if you can’t show the students in person
So when we completed the apprenticeship, we were WOEFULLY underprepared to work on ANY kind of vehicle a normal person might be driving. So underprepared that the vast majority of the students eventually did something else. I “stuck with it” and am doing pretty well today, but that doesn’t change the fact that we were essentially thrown to the wolves with almost no skills and knowledge
I’m not going to go into further details
But I RESOUNDINGLY disagree with you
My answer is a RESOUNDING “NO”
I gladly admit that my personal experiences are affecting my judgement. But that’s life. Just as others will not recommend a particular brand, I will not recommend that trade schools use antiquated vehicles to teach the students
Anybody else reading this will have to reach their own conclusions :trollface:
Jeezoo… That sounds like a school issue rather than a “Laying the proper foundations” issue dont you think?
I didnt mean that they should never have gotten to the modern stuff…certainly they should. But only after the foundation was laid.
Ive met people who have had the…“this”…or “that” type of training and I can say with surety they dont grasp the nature of what is going on. Because some computer nanny couldn’t tell them a code…they had no idea what a vacuum gauge could reveal simply by looking at it.
@db4690 I think we are actually agreeing on some level here…You were able to maintain and grow from that foundation you received…and only that foundation. I dont think you could have done it the other way round.
So while I said there should be old school equipment, and I meant it, they should have logically correlated that knowledge to the modern systems…I never meant to suggest that there ONLY be old school equipment, thats kinda silly. Who on earth devised that curriculum ? LOL
No matter, you know well your “stuff” these days so I guess that’s all that matters. I don’t think I could have solved some of the crazy running problems that I have if it were not for the old school foundation and methinks the same is true for you… the modern age is EASY if you ask me. Some of these young bucks cannot even fathom how the computer is unable to monitor certain things and lead them toward a running solution. The Ole foundation can and will almost always… But of course…definitely progress to the modern systems, to ignore that last step is almost criminal in an educational sense.
Blackbird.
@Honda Blackbird
Thanks to your latest post, I think we agree for the most part
The foundation is extremely important, as long as there ARE modern vehicles available for the students
Sure . . . a 20-year old vehicle is fine for teaching students how to diagnose and repair suspension, cut brake rotors, replace a muffler, etc.
But a vehicle in the 5-10 year old range would be more appropriate for showing them how to diagnose and repair emissions compononents, networking, etc.
Yeah, there was definitely a “school issue” . . . I believe the head instructor may have BEEN the problem. His head was FIRMLY in the past, and he refused to consider that the ways that worked earlier might not always be appropriate, moving forward in time. Unfortunately, as long as he was there, it was impossible to enact changes. Because he was appointed, and not subject to removal. When he reached retirement age, things apparently changed.
He did not consider that he was merely preparing the students for the certification exam, and not much else
I hate to say it, but it was a classic case of when you’re at a particular location too long, you can become set in your ways, and impede real progress. As long as you’re willing to adapt, think outside the box, and constantly find better and more efficient ways to do things . . . while still teaching the basics . . . you’ll always have value. If not, you may want to consider moving to an industry where change does not occur, or does so very slowly. Not sure what industry might fit that description, though. 
I DID learn and progress on my own. That’s due to my own initiative, though. Because I was always reading textbooks, online trade magazines, etc., to learn what nobody taught me. Even though I did an apprenticeship, I’m to a large extent a “self-taught” man. The skills I’m using nowadays . . . nobody taught me that
I’m willing to bet some/many of the other pro wrenchers on this site also have stories of inadequate training and being thrown to the wolves, so to speak
Since the topic of this thread is diagnosing & repairing an overheating / likely head gasket issue is the old really that much different than the new ?
We are looking for my new assistant, last guy had let us just say personal problems, now we put out the big list of desired qualifications, sure it is not car repair but there are different programs and practices, and it is basically looking for someone smart enough to train on ours.