1992 Toyota Celica - coolant spraying out of overflow, fan didnt seem to be going on. Smells like coolant, so dont think that it is the head gasket. Temperature gauge going up now, but not at first. Flushed the radiator, replaced radiator cap. Swapped out the fan sensor relay. Still cant get that fan to come on. Help.

Has the vehicle been overheating or losing coolant? The symptoms you describe could point towards head gasket trouble (and other faults). Often, the exhaust fumes from a car with a failing head gasket will smell 'pungent' and 'sharp'.

Check the oil on your dipstick. If there's a greyish/cream sludge - sometimes referred to as 'mayonnaise' - this points towards coolant entering the oil system via a leaking head/head gasket.

Also check your coolant - is there any evidence of engine oil in it? Although the mayonnaise on the dipstick is usually the tell-tale sign of gasket problems.

If you suspect the head/head gasket try a special sealant such as:

Reason no. 1 is a blown head gasket or blocked radiator.

Make sure you only have 1/3 of the overflow tank filled with antifreeze when the engine is cold. After a drive and the engine fully heated if it overflows after being shut off you have a head gasket problem.

For many of the 90's and 2000's Toyota various models - Camry, Tacoma, 4 Runners, Corolla, and some other models overheating is usually caused by temperature sensitive fan switch on the radiator not operating. Electric fan on the radiator should operate when temp above 200 degrees. Less often the control relay 90987-03003 is defective. Check if bubbling in the radiator smells like exhaust. That would indicate a blown head gasket. A jumper wire from your marker light positive to the lower contact in the fan control relay socket will operate your fan when parking lights are on. The larger vehicles with more powerful radiator fans will need a hefty jumper from a headlight positive to avoid overheating the lighting wiring. Make sure the engine is off and warmed up to check the radiator core with your hand to see if it is getting circulation. If it is all cold the thermostat might be stuck.

The EGR valve may be the cause of your vacuum leak. It has an internal diaphagm that can break.

Double check coolant to make sure you don't have oil floating on top. It's either an exterior leak, which would mean head gasket or valve cover gasket or it's an internal leak which would also mean head gasket. It it was burning that much oil in that a time, it would run poorly and you'd most likely get a check engine light.

a cracked head or blown head gasket,will cause your vehicle to have a miss in the cylander where the crack is or where the gasket is blown. you can also see coolant leaking if the gasket is blown. you can also see water in the oil,and white smoke come from the exhaust.
to tell for sure that the head is cracked,and not just a blown gasket is to remove the head. you will instantly see if the gasket is blown. if its not,then turn the head upside down and look at the small space between the valves,as this is where 99% of cracks occur.

It could be the thermostat replac eto be sure but also check to make sure the cooling fan is coming on periodically observe engine idling after the motor warms up the fan should come on after 5 - 10 minutes idling if not replace either the fan relay or the coolant fan switch

Have you tried the 8 mm bleeder screw on top of the thermostat housing? You may have air trapped behind your thermostat. Also, overheating can be caused by a collapsed lower radiator hose. If it's soft and you can squeeze it together, then under acceleration it closes down on itself thus preventing the flow of your coolant. Also check your radiator cap. It's supposed to be a 1.1 Bar cap but if it's not functioning correctly, by having to add coolant to the coolant reservoir bottle or the coolant overflow bottle overflowing, usually says it's the radiator cap. These are the simple fixes that you ,may have overlooked.

Good Luck,

~Stillin~

I hate to tell you this but its possible...

You have a leak. Look around on the driveway and try to determine if you have an external leak as opposed to an internal leak. If you see no coolant on the ground, suspect a blown head gasket. Do not continue to drive this car in this condition. If it does indeed have a blown head gasket, serious engine damage will occur.

Check your exhaust for white smoke. Chances are good you have a blown head gasket and coolant is leaking into the engines combustion chambers and is essentially burning off. Also check your oil, if it looks like caf mocha, this will confirm coolant is leaking into the oil via the blown head gasket