Another coolant thread...

[Thefishguy77]

Ok so my wife got a 98 4Runner and I want to do the radiator/transmission cooler mod. Everybody says KOYO 1998 is a perfect fit but amazon says it won't fit. Any updated part numbers. Radiator and trans cooler numbers?


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[amalik]

Well, this last one, I pulled the radiator and set it up with a hose flowing through it in one direction for ten minutes and then flipped it and did the other way.

Then I ran the hose through both heater cores and then blew them out with air.

The engine I opened the block drain and and the radiator hose was out. Once it was all back together, I filled up with distilled, ran it to the alignment shop and back, drained from the rad, dumped in a gallon of Red, and topped off.

Of course, I had the radiator off anyway because I was doing my frame swap so I could stick the hose in it while I was doing something else on the truck. And I was being pretty OCD about everything.

Next time, I will probably not be so OCD. I did not run hose water through the block. I just worry too much gets stuck in there. And I have VERY low calcium hardness and low iron content mountain well water or I wouldn't do it at all. The rad and cores got completely cleaned out and then flushed.

Honestly, I don't have a fixed program. It depends on my level of energy and my concern about the vehicle involved. I would be way more aggressive with a car I had not maintained myself where the coolant looked funky. I'm happy to say it has been years since I've had to deal with one of those.

Ah. Thanks for all the details.

I've always had Toyota red as far as I can remember; but just in case the truck had a history without it ever, I had Toyota flush it with red and then fill it up with red (Assuming they weren't lying to me, that's the service they did for me).

Now when I'm due next, I'm unsure what to do.

I'm in Colorado and not so comfortable with the garden hose to go through radiator and internals in case I damage stuff, which thus leaves me with a simple drain and fill option.

Dilemma though? I'd like to flush the heater cores though, I've never done that.

Our water is supposedly 'soft' though in the spring months, just not the winter months, so I might be open to a garden hose flush job for more than the heater cores.

Denver’s water is slightly harder in the winter, when many lakes and streams freeze. It is softer during late spring through fall, when the snow melts and causes runoff that makes its way into the reservoirs.

http://www.denverwater.org/WaterQuality/WaterSafety/WaterHardness/

I could probably find a filter that softens the water though, I think i've seen that over on GarageJournal. So it'd be garden hose > filter out any potential hardness > 4runner internals

 

[jtnumberthree]

Koyo A1998 is correct

 

[amalik]

Ok so my wife got a 98 4Runner and I want to do the radiator/transmission cooler mod. Everybody says KOYO 1998 is a perfect fit but amazon says it won't fit. Any updated part numbers. Radiator and trans cooler numbers?


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Check [MENTION=101600]hour[/MENTION] writeup on radiator replacement, I think he explains it there.

 

[Mark_BC]

I could probably find a filter that softens the water though, I think i've seen that over on GarageJournal. So it'd be garden hose > filter out any potential hardness > 4runner internals

Couldn't you buy some distilled water, and I assume he connected the hose somehow to the engine core to really blast it out. So take the hose up on the roof of the house and pour in the distilled water, that pressure should force it through.

 

[mtbtim]

Ah. Thanks for all the details.

I've always had Toyota red as far as I can remember; but just in case the truck had a history without it ever, I had Toyota flush it with red and then fill it up with red (Assuming they weren't lying to me, that's the service they did for me).

Now when I'm due next, I'm unsure what to do.

I'm in Colorado and not so comfortable with the garden hose to go through radiator and internals in case I damage stuff, which thus leaves me with a simple drain and fill option.

Dilemma though? I'd like to flush the heater cores though, I've never done that.

Our water is supposedly 'soft' though in the spring months, just not the winter months, so I might be open to a garden hose flush job for more than the heater cores.



Water Hardness | Denver Water

I could probably find a filter that softens the water though, I think i've seen that over on GarageJournal. So it'd be garden hose > filter out any potential hardness > 4runner internals

I don't understand the necessity to use a pressurized water source. Just doing a simple series of distilled water drain and refills seems plenty to me. Maybe if a previous owner abused the rig and never changed the coolant and the system got really gunked up, maybe running pressurized water through the system would be a good idea.

 

[amalik]

Couldn't you buy some distilled water, and I assume he connected the hose somehow to the engine core to really blast it out. So take the hose up on the roof of the house and pour in the distilled water, that pressure should force it through.

I don't understand the necessity to use a pressurized water source. Just doing a simple series of distilled water drain and refills seems plenty to me. Maybe if a previous owner abused the rig and never changed the coolant and the system got really gunked up, maybe running pressurized water through the system would be a good idea.

Tim, I'm all for whatever is easiest, least time input, and has good results. Any great method has all 3 of those qualities. And with a 1 year old at home for me, I'm definitely always searching for the least time input for ANY job on my vehicles.

My questions for you on filling the radiator with distilled, driving around, and then draining -- and maybe repeating that a time or 2 more (I assume is the method you are describing).

1) Does it clean out heater cores?

2) Where do all the sediments and gunk collect that the distilled cleans out while its being circulated by the water pump? In the garden hose example, you have 1 of the 2 radiator hoses open on the port, so everything the hose finds comes out the other end onto the pavement or bucket or whatever. In Durk's example if I read it correctly, he opened an inlet and hosed the outlet, and then reversed it.

If in theory they collect in the radiator and you can then drain it, then a series of distilled drain and fills would seem fine with me as well.

 

[thegipper]

If you fear that there may be lots of gunk in your system, your best bet is probably to buy some kind of coolant flushing product. Most of them you add to the system and run it for 15 minutes or so, then do the flushing with distilled water. Most work pretty good at getting the sludge/gunk out of the system.

My system looked pretty clean so I just drained out the system and filled it back up with Toyota red coolant, diluted to 50/50 of course.

 

[JayRolla]

!. This question is answered right on the WalMart web page you linked:



675130 is the Zerex Asian. 871668 is the one at WalMart. We all know putting blue coolant in a Toyota will cause instant melting of the block and possible nuclear detonation.

2. Can't help with this one as I stick with full-strength Toyota Red. My source for Zerex Asian is NAPA which charges $15/gal. I can get Toyota Red on Amazon Prime for $32 shipped. Even at $12/gal for this blue stuff, for $8 difference in cost of two gallons, I'll stick to Red.

3. I prefer to flush at 50K. I'm running a factory rad at 170k so it deserves the best. (I have a 5-speed so no milkshake worries.) You will probably be fine doing it your way.

Haha. I'm running zerex Asian blue as we speak. It freaks toyota guys out. Lol.

 

[AntleredRuin]

I woke up to a nightmare...it's re-occurring and it just never stops. Can anyone help me???? I'm drowning in coolant threads! Every time I get on the dock before I get to land the same coolant information circles around and washes me back into the coolant ocean. LOL

Ha yeah, this got off course quite a bit. As they always do. I meant it to service my 3 original questions, but as long as it stays civil, it's fine with me. That's the whole point of a forum, right? All these 'multiple' threads will give the crappy search feature a run for its money. Hopefully someone will get some use out of it.

1) Does it clean out heater cores?

It cleans out the core if you have the heater on full blast. Make sure to top the radiator off fully so t-stat opens and the heater can turn on, and it'll flush.



Also, not directed specifically at you, Amalik, but just a tidbit to throw out there. Something that seems so obvious that no one never mentions it, but I'll admit that this stumped me several years ago and I kept overheating my engine after doing a flush. (not badly, but enough to make the gauge move slightly)
Q: How full should the radiator be?
A: To the top. Make sure to burp air bubbles, etc, but you should be able to see coolant when you open the cap.

Simple things like this can hurt an engine and scare away DIYers


I did get some of the Walmart Valvoline w/ Zerex Technology, and it IS pink, not blue. Not sure where the blue stuff in the Q&A section comes from, but everything on the shelf there was pink.

Another question: I mostly know the answer, and plan to change the t-stat soon anyways, but for the sake of curiosity. I know that when at operating temps, turning on the heater can lower engine temp slightly because it diverts hot coolant through the heater heat exchanger instead.
I've read that this can also be a symptom of a faulty t-stat as well, though. I sit at around 194-195 when steadily moving and right around 201 when stopped. I found yesterday that I can get as low as 187.3 with the heat on full blast.
Is a drop of 7+ degrees normal? What amount drop is 'within spec' and what indicates a stuck(ish) t-stat? I don't think my t-stat is (at least fully) stuck, as the temps seem normal enough. Again, this is purely curiosity, as my t-stat is original (to my knowledge) with 166k on it, so I'll be replacing it anyways. Just more space in my brain to fill up with relatively trivial things.

 

[mtbtim]

Tim, I'm all for whatever is easiest, least time input, and has good results. Any great method has all 3 of those qualities. And with a 1 year old at home for me, I'm definitely always searching for the least time input for ANY job on my vehicles.

My questions for you on filling the radiator with distilled, driving around, and then draining -- and maybe repeating that a time or 2 more (I assume is the method you are describing).

1) Does it clean out heater cores?

2) Where do all the sediments and gunk collect that the distilled cleans out while its being circulated by the water pump? In the garden hose example, you have 1 of the 2 radiator hoses open on the port, so everything the hose finds comes out the other end onto the pavement or bucket or whatever. In Durk's example if I read it correctly, he opened an inlet and hosed the outlet, and then reversed it.

If in theory they collect in the radiator and you can then drain it, then a series of distilled drain and fills would seem fine with me as well.

I reckon the point I was trying to make is your cooling system will not be filled with gunk anywhere if the coolant was maintained by renewing it at a proper interval.

If the coolant renewal was disregarded for a very long time or somebody mixed different coolants and they ended up gelling, I guess some type of pressurized flush may be in order. [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] coolant had the color of pond scum but it didn't look chunky if that makes sense. We ran 8 gallons of Distilled water through his system and the last drain showed water that was pretty damn clear. Now, did the passive process we used leave gunk in the heater lines and the heater core? I don't know but I'm guessing his cooling system is in perfect condition now and doesn't have a worry in the world.

 

[3bears]

flushing
I just drained, put in distilled, ran for a while, cooled off, drain, repeat,
did it 3 times, then poured in a gallon of full red Toyota (amazon), and then topped it off with distilled, knowing that I prob still had distilled in the radiator, block and heater cores.

after pulling apart several old yotas, who were not using "Asian" type fluids I saw lots of corrosion. Knowing that my 4runner had been dealer serviced since new, (before I bought it) its worth it to me to run the Toyota red and have no questions in my mind

also, pull the overflow/expansion tank and clean it out. Another tool that is helpful is one of the radiator fill funnel things, like MTM shows in his video's and others have mentioned. It really helps burp the system. then you just push down the plunger to seal it, dump whats left in the funnel into the expansion tank, and your good to go.

 

[TheDurk]

I reckon the point I was trying to make is your cooling system will not be filled with gunk anywhere if the coolant was maintained by renewing it at a proper interval.

If the coolant renewal was disregarded for a very long time or somebody mixed different coolants and they ended up gelling, I guess some type of pressurized flush may be in order. [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] coolant had the color of pond scum but it didn't look chunky if that makes sense. We ran 8 gallons of Distilled water through his system and the last drain showed water that was pretty damn clear. Now, did the passive process we used leave gunk in the heater lines and the heater core? I don't know but I'm guessing his cooling system is in perfect condition now and doesn't have a worry in the world.

I agree that a pressurized flush is not generally needed on a well-maintained system. I did it to mine only because I had the rad sitting on the ground and the hose right there, and I figured once in 17 years...why not? Then I did the cores pretty much just for fun as I was between coats of POR-15 and I was looking for things to do as I put it all back together. I probably won't do it again until 2034.

I also would not do it unless you had really soft water like mine (actually too soft to drink according to the lab test) and air to blow it out when you're done.

 

[limitedvan8]

Well Sheeeeeet. [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] and I have a video that fits well with this subject. Enjoy the Show!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oQsxmi-CNng" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

ok so i need to do a flush and refill...i'm going to use Zerex

I'm i correct to understand the rad holds 2 gallons, and the whole systems is 2.3 gallons? 9.5 quarts?

therefore I only need to buy 2 bottles of zerex? 2 gallons?

this would leave me slightly under the 50/50 mix

or i could buy 2 concentrate

https://www.amazon.com/Toyota-Genui...1491772765&sr=8-1&keywords=toyota+red+coolant

and have some left over???

 

[mtbtim]

ok so i need to do a flush and refill...i'm going to use Zerex

I'm i correct to understand the rad holds 2 gallons, and the whole systems is 2.3 gallons? 9.5 quarts?

therefore I only need to buy 2 bottles of zerex? 2 gallons?

this would leave me slightly under the 50/50 mix

or i could buy 2 concentrate

https://www.amazon.com/Toyota-Genui...1491772765&sr=8-1&keywords=toyota+red+coolant

and have some left over???

Buy 2 concentrates with a couple gallons of distilled water and have some leftover. You'll use it at some point so it's not like you're wasting money.

 

[limitedvan8]

yup that's what i figured would be the best bet...thanks

your videos are awesome and super helpful. long some times lol but just means your really going into the detail needed to do things right.

do you have a website or somewhere you post the parts list/numbers for each task? i want to start pricing out everything for a valve cover job.

also have you done a head gasket video? or can you give some tips about diagnosing a failed head gasket? a pm would be awesome, thanks tim