2008 Lexus IS250 Engine Overheated
Hello,
Was driving home 1/2 mile away (2 minutes) my VCS light and engine light pop on after accelerating. The car is driving smoothly so finish my drive home without stopping. I park and see the temp gauge spiked up to hot so i turn the car off. I look under the hood and see some coolant spots on top of the radiator. I have a mechanic test my car and they tell me the radiator cracked, had hardly any coolant and temperature reached 275 degrees when the code kicked in. Failed chemical and block test, mechanic is saying that a FULL ENGINE SWAP for $8,000 is needed that the engine is likely ruined from the exposure to heat. I have been on top of maintenance and have seen no issue with temperature or smoke, i just find it hard to believe all this happened within 2 minutes, my radiator cracking and totaling my engine. Is the engine actually totalled from this brief drive?
Thanks,
Kyle
Is the engine actually totalled from this brief drive?
It's not really possible to tell from here but some nasty damage could have been done if you were running without coolant. Aluminum blocks and heads really don't like to be overheated. (The old-school cast iron lumps were more forgiving.)
For something this serious you'd want to get a 2nd opinion from another mechanic.
One other thing that comes to mind, over the last month with colder weather i did notice that my car had a harder time getting warm air to work through the AC, it would take 15 minutes or so and then me being on the freeway at high RPMs before i could feel hot air. Does that have something to do with the radiator problem?
Low coolant would affect heater core operation.
I have been on top of maintenance
were you changing the coolant at specified intervals? Replacing the pressure cap and thermostat?
hard to believe all this happened within 2 minutes
There are thousands of small explosions occurring inside the engine every minute. Engines generate a lot of heat.
The cooling system is probably the most critical support system in your car. When it fails, engine failure is very rapid.
Is the engine actually totalled from this brief drive?
Did you see the head gasket leak test being performed with your own eyes or?
have seen no issue with temperature or smoke
Since the radiator failure?
i just find it hard to believe all this happened within 2 minutes
Obviously every engine and scenario are different, however for how long was the engine driven while being overheated? Was the temp gauge still normal when she threw the CEL.
Anyway, if you don’t trust this mechanic, find another one (or even yourself) to run the test again. If it fails it again, it’s not good news..
i did get pics sent to me from the mechanic of the failed test plugged into my car still but not present during.
i have not been running the car since, its in my driveway since the radiator is still broken.
i believe the temp gauge was normal when the engine light came on yes.
Is the coolant and/or engine oil milky?
Well you need to buy a heater anyway, buy 1. Dont have to be original toyota. And then check compression and do head gasket test and you will know for sure. Its cold right now so maybe damage was minimal. Then consider driving like this or new engine or selling.
Change the oil too.
Im thinking now that the radiator had been having a problem over the month based on the fact that the heater wasnt working well. I never saw any temperature spikes or issues until the moment the engine light came on. Is it likely that the car had been running hot and it wasnt detecting it because it was lacking coolant?
Im wondering if the engine was under stress for a longer period that just that 2 minutes
Exactly, your radiator was probably cracked for months, and you were slowly loosing coolant. Low coolant levels explain the long warm up time.
- No just get AAA 😀
Is the engine actually totalled from this brief drive?
It would be super hard tell without doing some tests mentioned above.
IMHO, doing the tests and diagnóstico will probably lead you to the information you need to make an informed decision on whether or not the engine needs changing. The tests and diagnostics that folks have mentioned here.
If it isn’t too expensive, you could also just change the radiator out, refill the coolant, change the oil, and see how long it will go. If it keeps going, great. If it doesn’t, you are out the cost of the radiator, parts, and labor.
But seriously, it would be better to do the testing and diagnostic on the engine.
