Coolant change (drain/fill) w/ pics

[bob3dsf]

I just found this and I wanted to post it here. It's really well done, I think, and has good pics. I'm about to do this for my runner and was looking up ideas to keep it as clean and non-polluting as possible. Enjoy.

Coolant change for 1GR-FE - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

 

[Rocket61]

Awesome find, thanks [MENTION=77364]bob3dsf[/MENTION] . I'm due for a coolant change.

 

[ASUMTNEER]

Thanks for finding this! This will definitely be on my to do list before winter.

 

[bigmoose]

Great find! I'm due...

 

[philskeeter]

Same here. When he he warms it up by taking it to 2000-2500rpms is he doing this in park? and is he holding it there until the car warms up?! or does he rev it once and then when it fully heats up he cuts the power and waits until cool to check levels? Also to purge the system of air just squeeze all black rubber hoses you can see?

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Same here. When he he warms it up by taking it to 2000-2500rpms is he doing this in park? and is he holding it there until the car warms up?! or does he rev it once and then when it fully heats up he cuts the power and waits until cool to check levels? Also to purge the system of air just squeeze all black rubber hoses you can see?

I'm not entirely sure why the OP in that thread is using ONLY the drain plugs as that won't clear out the entire cooling system. He should have used the drain plug on the bottom of the radiator and then used the block drains if he wanted to get the last few bits out.

As for holding the vehicle at 2,000-2,500rpm; we normally just let the vehicle idle for a good 20 minutes or so. But you can rev the engine in park or neutral for about 5 minutes or so at that rpm as well I suppose. If you're feeling particularly brave you can get a shop rag and stop the cooling fan (I'm not taking responsibility if you nick your fingers by the way) and hold it still for a few minutes, that usually gets the engine toasty fast. When we purge the air from the system we like leave the heater on full hot with the blower on the lowest setting (we want the heater valve open, but the heater core not acting as a second radiator) and we also use one of these:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/l...AYJFUUeN1HKTA_XCvaBjYitbQysHc_-cqoaApRe8P8HAQ

What we are looking for when bleeding the air from the cooling system is:

-The cooling fan is cycling fully (it will roar/really sound like its working on a clutch style fan)
-The upper and lower radiator hoses are both hot and within about 10-20* of each other (this means the thermostat is nice and open and all the coolant is circulating in the vehicle)
-The heater is blowing nice hot air in the cabin
-There are little to no bubbles coming through the radiator filler neck when all the about have been met.

 

[philskeeter]

I'm not entirely sure why the OP in that thread is using ONLY the drain plugs as that won't clear out the entire cooling system. He should have used the drain plug on the bottom of the radiator and then used the block drains if he wanted to get the last few bits out.

As for holding the vehicle at 2,000-2,500rpm; we normally just let the vehicle idle for a good 20 minutes or so. But you can rev the engine in park or neutral for about 5 minutes or so at that rpm as well I suppose. If you're feeling particularly brave you can get a shop rag and stop the cooling fan (I'm not taking responsibility if you nick your fingers by the way) and hold it still for a few minutes, that usually gets the engine toasty fast. When we purge the air from the system we like leave the heater on full hot with the blower on the lowest setting (we want the heater valve open, but the heater core not acting as a second radiator) and we also use one of these:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/l...AYJFUUeN1HKTA_XCvaBjYitbQysHc_-cqoaApRe8P8HAQ

What we are looking for when bleeding the air from the cooling system is:

-The cooling fan is cycling fully (it will roar/really sound like its working on a clutch style fan)
-The upper and lower radiator hoses are both hot and within about 10-20* of each other (this means the thermostat is nice and open and all the coolant is circulating in the vehicle)
-The heater is blowing nice hot air in the cabin
-There are little to no bubbles coming through the radiator filler neck when all the about have been met.

I'll have to pick one of those up thanks and I'll feel more comfortable letting it idle to get warm. A few more questions though, sorry! This yellow device, does it allow you to fill it up so when air is released through the radiator cap it allow the pink to flow into the radiator? I'm guessing yes, but if so, does this eliminate turning it on and off like the op on 120 did so that he could open the cap to check the level and add more?

 

[amlv20]

I use one of those as well.
And yes once it's warm and the thermostat opens it will "burp" large air pockets out since you created a higher point then the whole system the air will exit there.once the burp occurs the coolant in the funnel will fill the radiator and the system will be full.from then on small bubbles may appear as any remaining air burps out of the system.once there's no bubbles and backwoods conditions are met the system is good.plug the funnel and remove.its really easy to do,just get the engine hot and walk away keep checking on it and once you notice the fluid level in the funnel had a dramatic decrease and no bubbles call it done.


http://www.nationaltoolwarehouse.co...XL9R7M8QTVCK0OODlX9_pVFAx8zO4MOjnUaAgkM8P8HAQ
Also if you have an air compressor,this is a method I have been using now on every thing.its a tad more expensive but easier and a savior if you do a lot of coolant work.its simple no questions asked and very confident way to fill the coolant system.its an air lift tool,it pulls the system into a vacuum and then uses that vacuum to draw new coolant and fill the system.its super easy to use,turn the key on and put hvac to heater,same concept need to open valve to heater core then plug compressed air into the Venturi adaptor which will creat a vacuum and draw the system under a vacuum eliminating any and all air in the system.allow vacuum to build over 25inhg,usually see 27-28inhg.then close valve and disconnect air.wait a few minutes and vacuum should hold,if it does not or u had trouble pulling vacuum then there's a leak somewhere.

once vacuum has held for at least five minutes pour new fresh coolant into a clean bucket.then take the fill hose and tape it to a long extension and put it in the bucket( I do this because the hose can curl on its own and go above the coolant level and suck in air,you do not want this)keep the fill hose in let as close to the bottom of bucket,then open the valve and watch the vacuum draw the coolant,the vacuum will drop as the coolant fills,once vacuum gets to 5 to 0 the system is full.remove the air lift(sometimes it over fills some time under fill,but not by a lot.but have confidence no air will be trapped) start engine and top off if needed install radiator cap and done!test drive and enjoy. Easiest and most confident way to fill coolant,at work I can fill and bleed coolant in under 5 minutes no stress.

 

[Bluesky 07]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but if I'm planning to replace the radiator hoses anyway, and those block drains are so tough to reach, can't I just drain the radiator then remove the lower hose to drain the block?