my 2011 just clocked over 100k, and I figure I'd try to save a few bucks by replacing the coolant myself (which I've never done, either on the t4r or any vehicle).
Thought I was all set to do a coolant flush using distilled water after watching some generic youtube videos that seemed nice and straight forward, but then googling the T4r process I found some mentions of multiple drain points and whatnot, as well as some concerns over flushing with water, etc. So I figure I'd ask for some clarification before I try to tackle this too blindly
So my questions now are:
1) Flush with Distilled Water vs Dump & Fill: Is it worthwhile to do a flush with distilled water and a flushing solution, or is the risk of water being left behind not worth the gains? Should I simply drain what's in the system and refill with new coolant, instead?
2)Multiple Drain Points: Looks like I've found the petcock at the bottom passenger side of the radiator. But found mention of potentially two other drain locations in the block? Is draining from just the radiator not sufficient? It sounds like the block drains can be hard to access, so how does one catch the coolant as it comes out, if it in fact necessary to empty from those?
3)Bleeding the air when refilling: Is there a specific technique I should apply for bleeding the air on a t4r when refilling the coolant? Some generic tutorials mention bleeder valves, or running the engine with a funnel 'friction fit' to the radiator fill neck enough to catch the 'overflow' coolant that will come out....
If anyone could walk me through the process as it applies to a gen5 T4r, I'd be most appreciative!!
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2011 4runner TE
Bilstein 5100 all around (fronts set 1.75") / 1.5" toytec rear spacer / 265 70 R17 Toyo Open Country AT2's / 20" LED light bar in lower grill / red interior LEDs / stubby / backup cam switch mod