just picked this unit up from neighbor who didn't want to handle anymore problems. she had it for 13 years and loved it. just had some work done at the local dealership and after driving away got a red light and the beast overheated. So, I've got it and have found a leak at the throttle body. water is escaping from the underside of the body and I was wondering whether its possible to service it w/out removing the throttle control/cruise c, just the hoses. I had to put water in the radiator, started it up and it runs great. there was a lot of air backing up thru the system when I added water. I downloaded the manual, but not able to find a breakdown to repair the throttle body. I hate doing toooo much unnecessary work. been there, done that more than once. still can't believe it only has 54K.
JZeldorado 2000DiscoII with 54650? miles.

 

Now your probably looking at a head gasket failure in your near future do to the red devil lighting up. Sorry for the bad news......

Yes to answer your question

The part needed is a new throttle body heater plate and gasket will come with 3 new bolts you should also replace the 2 hose clamps as the original one SUCK now the three bolts are 5.5 mm and are very soft metal so make absolutely sure your socket is on the head properly so you don't strip them. This is a 26 or so dollar part from Atlantic British. And takes about. 5 hours to replace.


FYI the temp gauge on the dash is worthless and only moves from center after it is to late. Once the red devil light up you have cooked the heads and gaskets. You need to invest in a ultra gauge or scan tool to be able to monitor the temp digitally for more accurate reading
Also the front prop shaft is a high failure item and you need to replace it before it breaks and punches a hole in the side of your transmission.

 

thankyou. I was worried about the heads even tho no h20 in oil. the wooman said a light came on, but I don't know which one. The light has gone off. I had to charge the battery for some time, and when I started the car, it started quickly, and easilly. as I wqs warming it up, i noticed the temp gauge moved quickly to mid-range. hmmm! How long would you give me until the head gasket will show signs of failure. Should I just do it now, and mill the heads??

 

No telling. You may drive 10k before seeing signs may see it tomorrow. Light will go off as soon as it cools does not mean anything. You need to bleed the system correctly after the throttle body repair and go from there i would recommend a coolant change and a real good inspection and then get started on a full maintenance of all fluids and look look look over everything its harder on a vehicles to sit than be driven things rot and deteriorate faster when not being worked.

 

do you think retorquing the heads might help? worth the effort? I see a lot of these cars with this problem, I'm trying to figure out if it's worth the effort. Mileage, is a concern if I need to spend lots on parts. Perhaps, parting it out before the gaskets give out would be better. Someone could take advantage of the fact it hasn't been worked on, and they could do it themselves. I must visit the mountain top. thanks

 

rent or borrow a cooling system preasure tester, preasurize the sytem to 18 psi and see what happens. if your lucky it will hold preasure if not start looking for leaks.

 

LEAKS! imperial wisdom says NO leaks are allowed. I shall proceed with the pressure testing. Somehow I think this may be the oppurtune time to purchase a pressure testor. Xmas is just around the corner. maybe even a vacuum pump. I ordered the parts for the throttle body from Atlantic/British(even the HG kit is affordable) thankyou Ir....silver. you da best. shipping was 13 bucks-half the cost of the part. pllus tax. I'm reading all the posts on diesel swaps. whew! I fear not new roads to travel, I know the gutters well.