good points here.. we ( @mtbtim ) got a print out from Toyota today saying a 2001/2002 takes the longlife PINK... and they tried to look up 96-00 but it didn't have a definitive statement in their system like the 01/02 had...

I think we chalked it up to the style of head gasket the different years use and the different style coolants can not be compatible with the 2 diff coolants....





I think the general consensus here in this thread is both will work, but with any coolant change, you want to have multiple rounds of flushing the coolant system with distilled water before you put a different style coolant in.



I mixed Zerex Cooling System Antifreeze Coolant with my existing mix or red and pink in my truck after a radiator failure and it worked fine but would recommend using a consistent coolant rather than mixing a bunch of different types.











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My mechanic put green in when I got a new radiator and I want to go back to red.

Is there any merit that tap water can cause an iron block to rust from the inside out?

How many times should I flush the system before I add the coolant?

And will flushing the system out also help my heater core? (I don't have any issues)

Either way I'm using distilled water. I do know that pure water does tend to run cooler than a 50/50 mix, but you have to worry about freezing. Pure coolant will freeze at a higher temperature than a diluted mixture too btw.

I think recommendation of avoiding tap water is due to the risk of accumulating mineral deposits that could create issues in the cooling system. As for the heater core, the important thing is to make sure you get all the air out of the system.

My thoughts, use distilled water if you are able to. If distilled water isn't available, flushing with tap water is probably better than running a dirty system. Flush until the water coming out is clear or clear enough. My experience has been about 4x before the water looked mostly clear.

Basically the same as distilled water - but only if you leave it in there alone!

I have left water only (distilled) in a cooling system for a week or two (while testing things after motor swaps, knowing I'll very soon be swapping out to coolant) with no ill effects.

-Charlie

Fwiw I use Zerex red Asian vehicle with no issues


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