Coolant flush and change

[Bml_merris]

Hey folks. Planning on changing my coolant in my new 2003 4runner. The previous owner obviously didn't keep up with this as the reservoir is almost empty and the coolant under the cap is a murky brown color. So what kind of coolant do I need to use, Toyota red or can I use a generic coolant from the parts store?

 

[metramm]

Toyota OEM. should be their super long life coolant - pink color.

check your manual to be sure but that is what my 06 takes.

do you have the v6 or v8?

what was the level like in the radiator?

How many miles do you have on your truck?

 

[kingofthehill]

Hey folks. Planning on changing my coolant in my new 2003 4runner. The previous owner obviously didn't keep up with this as the reservoir is almost empty and the coolant under the cap is a murky brown color. So what kind of coolant do I need to use, Toyota red or can I use a generic coolant from the parts store?

If you dont want to pay the Toyota premium instead of generic you could run Valvoline Zerex Asian formula. It meets Toyota's specs. They sell it at Walmart for around $12 per gallon. From what I hear it is pink like toyotas coolant too. I thinking about switching to it next time I change my coolant for the simple reason that I can buy it at Walmart and I don't have to go all the way to the dealer if I need some more.

 

[Bml_merris]

Toyota OEM. should be their super long life coolant - pink color.

check your manual to be sure but that is what my 06 takes.

do you have the v6 or v8?

what was the level like in the radiator?

How many miles do you have on your truck?

The level was all the way to the cap, it's a v6 with 200k miles

 

[Bossman]

I'd recommend sticking with the Toyota Super Long Life Coolant.

 

[Bml_merris]

Update: flush went off without a hitch, the nearest Toyota dealer to me is at least 45 minutes away. Because of that I went with the Zerex Asian formula. It runs fine and I'm happy to have peace of mine knowing I'm not running muddy looking coolant, lol.

 

[BagiMT]

I am curious to hear how frequently people flush their coolant. Mine looks nice and pink but it has been about 30K miles since I bought the truck and it sits at 177K.

Sent from my Fire Phone using Tapatalk

 

[Bml_merris]

I am curious to hear how frequently people flush their coolant. Mine looks nice and pink but it has been about 30K miles since I bought the truck and it sits at 177K.

Sent from my Fire Phone using Tapatalk

I am not too sure what the regular intervals are to flush, but I mainly did it as preventative maintenance. The previous owner seemed to not keep up with servicing under the hood. Peace of mind goes a long way!

 

[metramm]

My schedule is probably way different then most of the folks on here.

After reading through the v6 head gasket thread I BELIEVE that the failure could be caused by acidic (bad/old) coolant.

So in order to hopefully/possibly/might not do anything as far as preventive of a head gasket blow, I change mine yearly.

Just a drain and fill of the radiator.

I purchased my 4runner with 126,000 (currently at 169,000) on it and I've done a drain and fill 3 times in 2.5 years:

1st change - 126,000
2nd change - 150,000
3rd change - 165,000


Take this info as you will. I believe that the manual says to change it every 100k miles but again, if this does prevent a gasket failure that might be due to acidic coolant, spending 25 bucks a year on coolant is cheap insurance.

Then again, it might not prevent anything. But at least I tried

 

[AuSeeker]

Update: flush went off without a hitch, the nearest Toyota dealer to me is at least 45 minutes away. Because of that I went with the Zerex Asian formula. It runs fine and I'm happy to have peace of mine knowing I'm not running muddy looking coolant, lol.

I use the Zerek as well, no issues at all, for a long time it was the only one beside the OEM that Toyota approved of but there are several others now.

 

[BackOff]

I use the Zerex on a bi-yearly/3 drains and refills of the radiator, heat cycle between each... my own nutty maintenance version. Not sure how I came up with that one. Probably some other kook here on T4R.org that gave me the idea. Zerex seemed to mix with the Toyota stuff.
I bought the O'Reilly's stuff but never used it.


Food for thought.
Toyota, Zerex(Valvoline) and O'Reilly's.
All the same stuff...Toyota added acid.

 

[SCY7H3]

Coolant has ingredients in it that prevent corrosion within the engine block, keeps the coolant pump lubricated and keeps the engine operating at the right temperatures. I would change the coolant every 2 years or every 50K. They state long life but once again this is just a tactic Toyota (as well other manufacturers) do to keep governments happy with their "eco" programs. There's nothing wrong with eco if it really works but based on lab tests I had done on almost every fluid in my truck, these fluids don't actually last that long and only cause premature wear. Fluids are cheaper.