Ever since installing my scangauge I haven't been totally pleased with the coolant temps I've been seeing. I was averaging in the 195-207*F range in normal in town and highway driving. Going up brief hills would see the temp increase by up to 10*F pretty quickly. Though the timing belt had been changed recently, the thermostat hadn't been replaced since 2008 at the previous timing belt replacement. It was done at a local Toyota dealer, and I was very suspicious that they'd installed the jiggle valve at 12 oclock instead of 6 oclock.
Also, I wanted to replace the original radiator (has 165k miles on it) as well as the original fan clutch. I'd done some tests on the fan clutch and it seem to pinwheel too easily at operating temp so I decided just to replace it while I was in there. Finally, I also wanted to do a trans fluid drain/fill since I was going to have to top off due to the fluid loss in the radiator anyway. It had been about 5 years since the last transmission drain/fill at the dealer by the PO, so I figured it was due.
For the radiator I decided to go with the Toyota supplied Denso "made in Taiwan" version since it's so reasonably priced. It seems like good quality and the fit was perfect.
I also went with the Aisin FCT-013 fan clutch.
First things, first, up on the Rhino Ramps and drain the coolant. It kinda splashed everywhere, but the bulk was captured in the drain pan. Kinda a shame since the coolant was only about 600 miles old, but oh well.
Radiator out! Hmm, that dirt couldn't have been good for airflow!
The Aisin FCT-013 appears identical to the original as I expected.
Now for the moment of truth...did the dealer install the thermostat correctly per the FSM? Of course not! They installed it with the jiggle valve at 12 oclock
So, new thermostat and gasket in, with the jiggle valve correctly positioned at 6 oclock.
New radiator in and connected. I decided to buy the Lisle Spill Free Funnel on the recommendation of a forum member to make burping the system easier. It worked great! Just fill it with water/coolant until it stops going in, then run the engine with the front and rear heaters on until the thermostat opens. Then run the engine, blipping the throttle until you no longer see any bubbles coming up. It took a good 20 minutes for me, and I found squeezing the upper radiator hose helped free a bunch of bubbles quickly. When done, it includes a stopper rod which lets you take the funnel and excess coolant off the radiator without a major spill and dump it back into another container for later use.
Made in Taiwan...oh well. I would have preferred the Made in Japan version, but decided for 3x the price it wasn't likely worth it.
All closed up, check for leaks, and time for a test drive!
Test drive results
In short, wonderful. Where previously I would cruise in town in the 195-200 range, and see peaks up to 205-207 on hills, today's test drive including highway and hills saw my temps pegged at 186 with brief fluctuations to 184-188. They appeared MUCH more stable and resistant to rise, and when they'd go up to 188 on a climb, they'd drop right back to 186 on flat roads. So happy with the results!
Also, the transmission seems to be shifting smoother after the drain/fill. I think because I was on ramps, I was able to drain 6qts out of the transmission and it was pretty dark in color. I used Valvoline MaxLife ATF and it seems fine so far. I'm definitely going to do another drain/fill at my next oil change in a few thousand miles.
All in all a very successful day!
Linear Mode
