Coolant fluid question

[LUVDA4RUNNER]

4runner is running fine, but was checking fluids today and noticed the radiator fluid appears rust colored. Not red, unless you could call it a dirty red. Anyway, should this be changed? Is this a sign of corrosion? I have read a number of posts regarding replacement. A local oil lube shop is much cheaper than toyota. Is the red toyota fluid worth the extra $? I want to flush it to make sure any debris is out rather than do it myself with distiller water.

 

[LUVDA4RUNNER]

Btw I have a 08 w/70k on the clock

 

[fourwd1]

You can flush it yourself with a garden hose then fill it with distilled water and any type of coolant you decide on. Dirty red probably just means the coolant is worn and due to be changed, unless it started out green.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

If you were looking in the radiator cap then it can look rust colored against the black plastic. Its a weird optical illusion. Its should normally be Pink-ish in color unless someone put the wrong coolant in your vehicle.

The 4th Gen 4Runners use a specific coolant blend (Toyota Super Long Life Coolant aka "Toyota Pink") that is made specifically for Toyota vehicles and using a generic "green" coolant can cause serious damage to your vehicle. Toyota's service interval for SLLC is 10yr/100k (for first service) followed by a 5yr/50k service interval.
I would recommend using the correct coolant for your vehicle and not using a "Universal Coolant" as the term is really a misnomer more than anything.