Coolant... How do i go back to Red from Green??

98Fizzy

98Fizzy

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Hey brothers, our 04 v6 sr5 4Runner has been with us for about a month now. Still keeping the 98 2wd sr5 4Runner.
Anyways; working on things little by little. Just finished re-booting inner axles and replacing driver side hub/bearing assy.

This thread is about the radiator. The problems:

1- Coolant being used was/is walmarts supertech green coolant.. But looks like has a tint of orange when looking into overflow tank.. Maybe remnants of Toyota Pink or Red??
2- Coolant is leaking / dripping when running and stops some time after shutting engine off.
3- When i got it; the overflow tank was low and had sludge in it.. But i removed and washed it out and put more wally super-tech green because didn't want to change and cause more issues.

What i need now is info..
I purchased a new radiator already and want to get all the old green yuk out before putting the fresh good stuff in the new rad. How do i go about going back to Toyota Pink / Red or Zerex Asian Red?

Any and all help is appreciated.
 
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Flush with distilled water until you don't have any of the offending coolant left, then fill with coolant of choice. You're probably gonna need 6-8 gallons of distilled water to get it all out. Just search YouTube for instructional videos on flushing coolant.
P.S. Some people flush with hose water. I prefer to keep as many minerals and hard water deposits out of my cooling system as possible. That's why I flush with distilled water.
 
Pretty much what Nate said. You can get 6 gallons of distilled water at the grocery store for a few bucks and at you will have the knowledge that you cleaned out your water passages with pristine water. Also, replace thermostat and radiator hoses while your at it.
 
Thanks brothers. Been looking at vids and the distilled water and run with heat on full to get it thru the whole system then drain a few times.
Some mention drains on engine block.. Some rather not mess with them. Is there a way to completely drain without removing block drains? I ask because if i go with 50/50 mix coolant.. And theirs already distilled water still sitting in system.. It'll throw off the mix and i'm not sure by how much or if it'll cause system issues with freezing temps this winter...?
 
98Fizzy said:
Thanks brothers. Been looking at vids and the distilled water and run with heat on full to get it thru the whole system then drain a few times.
Some mention drains on engine block.. Some rather not mess with them. Is there a way to completely drain without removing block drains? I ask because if i go with 50/50 mix coolant.. And theirs already distilled water still sitting in system.. It'll throw off the mix and i'm not sure by how much or if it'll cause system issues with freezing temps this winter...?
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Instead of going with the 50/50 pre mix, just get the 100% anti-freeze. It costs less for one gal of the 100% than 2 gal of the 50/50. With the 100%, you don't have to worry about getting all the distilled water out of the system. Just drain as much as you can from radiator, the fill radiator with straight 100%, it will mix with the water and you should wind up with about a 50/50 mix when done. When I have finished adding the 100%, and system is full, I take what ever 100% is left and mix it with water to create my own 50/50 mix for any topping off that I may need to do in the future.
 
TechWrench said:
Instead of going with the 50/50 pre mix, just get the 100% anti-freeze. It costs less for one gal of the 100% than 2 gal of the 50/50. [snip]
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Where are you getting SLLC (the Pink stuff) that is not already 50/50 pre-diluted? I want to do a flush and refill on my 08 4runner SR5 V6, but its takes SLLC not the Red LLC.
 
Miranthis said:
Where are you getting SLLC (the Pink stuff) that is not already 50/50 pre-diluted? I want to do a flush and refill on my 08 4runner SR5 V6, but its takes SLLC not the Red LLC.
Click to expand...

My '03 takes the LLAC, which I got with the timing belt replacement kit from an ebay vendor last year. The part number for the oem coolant I use was 00272-1LLAC. I was not aware that the newer 4runners used a different coolant. The original poster, which I was responding to, has an '04, which I assume uses the same coolant as the '03's.
 
Hm... I was under the impression the 3rd gens used the Red stuff that needed mixing and the 4th gens used the 50/50 Pink. I ordered 2 of the Zerex Asian Red 50/50 because i read it's as good as and compatible with both Red and Pink Toyota coolants.
Am i wrong on any of this?
 
98Fizzy said:
Hm... I was under the impression the 3rd gens used the Red stuff that needed mixing and the 4th gens used the 50/50 Pink. I ordered 2 of the Zerex Asian Red 50/50 because i read it's as good as and compatible with both Red and Pink Toyota coolants.
Am i wrong on any of this?
Click to expand...

My '03 came with, and recommends the LLAC, or its equal. If you look, you can still locate it online, at various prices between 20.00 - 36.00 per gal. The description for the newer 50/50 'Pink' coolant, says it is compatible with the straight 'Red' coolant. I don't know when the change over occurred, but I suspect that either coolant should be acceptable for use. As for the aftermarket coolant, I guess, as long as it meets the Toyota requirements, it should be OK to use. I realize this doesn't answer your question about getting the correct mix when the system is full of only water. My only suggestion is to use a good anti-freeze tester to determine the actual level of protection your coolant mix has, and adjust accordingly.
 
Double checked the repair manual and the 07 -09 at least uses the SLLC (Super Long Life Coolant - the pink stuff). Another difference in 4th gens between the early and late models.
 
Miranthis said:
Double checked the repair manual and the 07 -09 at least uses the SLLC (Super Long Life Coolant - the pink stuff). Another difference in 4th gens between the early and late models.
Click to expand...

Well, as I said earlier, the SLLC, according to Toyota is compatible with the LLAC, but not sure it works the other way around.
 
So.. If i want to keep the mix a 50/50 blend; I guess i need to try draining the engine of coolant too.
Anyone know where these drain points are? Don't think any of the vids i saw showed them on 4th gen v6 4Runner.
Any tips?
 
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