Coolant, how long
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ToolmanJohn
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Which engine?
For the 2003 V6 it's 30,000 miles before flush and change.
It has changed for later models. Toyota playing games witht the intervals.
I recently changed mine (flushed and refilled) with Dex-Cool. 5 years before changing again.
For the 2003 V6 it's 30,000 miles before flush and change.
It has changed for later models. Toyota playing games witht the intervals.
I recently changed mine (flushed and refilled) with Dex-Cool. 5 years before changing again.
Re: Which engine?
My 2003 model is just about to hit 21,000 miles, but it was put into service January 31, 2003, so it's coming up on 3 years.
Was thinking about this on a long trip this weekend. Is is 30,000 miles or does the coolant life have a time limit, too?ToolmanJohn said:
My 2003 model is just about to hit 21,000 miles, but it was put into service January 31, 2003, so it's coming up on 3 years.
ToolmanJohn
New member
Re: Re: Which engine?
Good question. I did it only because the service manual recommended it at 30k, and to do it myself was cheap ($20 for coolant, $4 for the flush). The service dept was $90.
Ask the service dept what Toyota recommends. It may even be on the web somewhere.
jharris2 said:
Good question. I did it only because the service manual recommended it at 30k, and to do it myself was cheap ($20 for coolant, $4 for the flush). The service dept was $90.
Ask the service dept what Toyota recommends. It may even be on the web somewhere.
TRD04RUNNER
New member
2004 and up 4R has the 100k mile coolant change in it. at lease that what it said on a sticker under the hood.
alotawatts
New member
100k on coolant ?
Even with long life coolants I'm changing it every 2-3 years. I rank this as the best maintenance you can do for a vehicle along with oil and trans fluid changes.
jharris2 said:
Even with long life coolants I'm changing it every 2-3 years. I rank this as the best maintenance you can do for a vehicle along with oil and trans fluid changes.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Which engine?
If you follow the advice of alotawatts, though, you certainly can't go wrong. He's right that it never hurts to change more often.
Ok, took the Camry in today. Asked about the coolant life, and was told it is mileage-based, not time-based. Their advice means that for the 2003 models, we should change the coolant at 30K miles regardless of the age of the coolant.jharris2 said:
If you follow the advice of alotawatts, though, you certainly can't go wrong. He's right that it never hurts to change more often.
Got to agree 2004 and up 5 year 100K change interval, but I bet most people will change at 90K miles when they have to do the timing belt and tensioners and should change the water pump while they are in that far. Why put in old antifreeze that only has 10K miles in it? I think most will change at 90K miles, for another 90K miles.
Coolant may become dirty and contaminated, but a little particulates in the coolant do not affect its performance. As long as the system hasn't become compromised -- like little Billy dumping sand into the coolant resevoir-- it should be fine for the extended interval.
The main problem with coolant is that the anti-corrosion additives wear out and the all of that "dirt" that you see in there is actually corrosion from the cooling system. Check it periodically to make sure that it still looks good and keep using it for 100,000. Anything less is a waste of time, money, and energy.
The main problem with coolant is that the anti-corrosion additives wear out and the all of that "dirt" that you see in there is actually corrosion from the cooling system. Check it periodically to make sure that it still looks good and keep using it for 100,000. Anything less is a waste of time, money, and energy.
alotawatts
New member
coldbivy said:
100,000 miles = HUGE mistake ! IMOHO as 1 gallon of regular red genuine TOYOTA (if you must) antifreeze is only $20.
IMOHO
Even if you aren't comfortable with the full 100,000 miles on the long life coolant, changes at 30,000 are excessive (as are 3000 mile oil changes).
Doing so not only costs you some time and money, but creates additional waste products unnecessarily.
I agree that maintaining your cooling system is critical, but technology marches forward and those frequent coolant changes are just not necessary any more.
Doing so not only costs you some time and money, but creates additional waste products unnecessarily.
I agree that maintaining your cooling system is critical, but technology marches forward and those frequent coolant changes are just not necessary any more.
alotawatts
New member
Cooling system problems are the number one cause of engine failures. You REALLY need to think about that . Long Life means maintaining the freezing level of the coolant. Great technology. Trouble is there is nothing to stop your engine from contaminating it.
Long life coolant/engine
Actually, the long life coolant only works well with an engine that was designed for it. The design of the engine does not create contamination. If you have a head gasket problem or other breach of the coolant system, then you have problems.
There is no valid reason for changing the long life coolant at 30K. There is no buildup of corrosion and there should be reletively few external contaminents in the system. It is sealed after all. YOU should THINK.
Actually, the long life coolant only works well with an engine that was designed for it. The design of the engine does not create contamination. If you have a head gasket problem or other breach of the coolant system, then you have problems.
There is no valid reason for changing the long life coolant at 30K. There is no buildup of corrosion and there should be reletively few external contaminents in the system. It is sealed after all. YOU should THINK.
alotawatts
New member
I'm not sure what you mean by engines designed for long life coolant. EGR (not new) design means coolant is more critical.
The new "extended life" antifreezes are the same as conventional antifreezes except for their corrosion inhibitors.
I agree there may be no valid reason to change it at 30k miles but if you don't mind getting your hands dirty or have it done for you it is in no way false economy.
(getting off soapbox here)
The new "extended life" antifreezes are the same as conventional antifreezes except for their corrosion inhibitors.
I agree there may be no valid reason to change it at 30k miles but if you don't mind getting your hands dirty or have it done for you it is in no way false economy.
(getting off soapbox here)
I agree with your general sentiment, but I prefer to avoid spurious maintainance items with minimal returns.
What I meant by the engine being designed for the coolant is that the type of materials used in parts that contact the coolant (so not only the engine block and head coolant ports, but also the radiator, thermostat, water pump and any piping that contacts the coolant) are selected to be compatible with the particular blent of anti-corrosion additives in the manufacturer's coolant.
So, if you take the new long life coolant and put it in an older 4-runner, which doesn't have the compatible metal parts in the cooling system, you won't get the "long life" because the internals of the cooling system are probably not compatible. In fact, you may get a reduced life and substandard corrosion protection. The blend of each of the manufacturer's coolant is different and formulated to work with the differing components in their cooling systems so it would also not be a good idea to put, for instance, GM's dexcool into a new 4runner because there would be no guarantee that it would even prevent corrosion.
The cooling system is sealed and pressurized so contamination should not be a problem. You may get a little oil in the system over time, but this will be extremely rare with a newer vehicle and you can easily check for this by taking the radiator cap off and looking at the fluid. It will not cause corrosion in a cooling system. Their prescence would indicate that you have an engine problem (probably a head gasket) that should be looked at.
I'm not current on the chemistry involved so that is the best explaination I have. There are some good descriptions on the web that I have seen that detail the exact chemicals and metals used in the various manufacturer's systems. This issue is pretty similar to the E85 enabled vehicles having special fuel delivery systems to enable the use of a larger amount of ethanol without having corrosion problems.
I totally agree that changing the extended coolant at 30K will not cause a problem. I think that the benefits are dubious at best, other than getting a good feeling. An owner's time and dollars would likely be better spent on other items.
I plan to let the coolant in my runner go until I either need to change the thermostat or I get close to the 5 year mark. Probably around 4-4.5 years. I don't think I'll be anywhere near the 100,000 mile mark by then. I should be around 60-70,000.
What I meant by the engine being designed for the coolant is that the type of materials used in parts that contact the coolant (so not only the engine block and head coolant ports, but also the radiator, thermostat, water pump and any piping that contacts the coolant) are selected to be compatible with the particular blent of anti-corrosion additives in the manufacturer's coolant.
So, if you take the new long life coolant and put it in an older 4-runner, which doesn't have the compatible metal parts in the cooling system, you won't get the "long life" because the internals of the cooling system are probably not compatible. In fact, you may get a reduced life and substandard corrosion protection. The blend of each of the manufacturer's coolant is different and formulated to work with the differing components in their cooling systems so it would also not be a good idea to put, for instance, GM's dexcool into a new 4runner because there would be no guarantee that it would even prevent corrosion.
The cooling system is sealed and pressurized so contamination should not be a problem. You may get a little oil in the system over time, but this will be extremely rare with a newer vehicle and you can easily check for this by taking the radiator cap off and looking at the fluid. It will not cause corrosion in a cooling system. Their prescence would indicate that you have an engine problem (probably a head gasket) that should be looked at.
I'm not current on the chemistry involved so that is the best explaination I have. There are some good descriptions on the web that I have seen that detail the exact chemicals and metals used in the various manufacturer's systems. This issue is pretty similar to the E85 enabled vehicles having special fuel delivery systems to enable the use of a larger amount of ethanol without having corrosion problems.
I totally agree that changing the extended coolant at 30K will not cause a problem. I think that the benefits are dubious at best, other than getting a good feeling. An owner's time and dollars would likely be better spent on other items.
I plan to let the coolant in my runner go until I either need to change the thermostat or I get close to the 5 year mark. Probably around 4-4.5 years. I don't think I'll be anywhere near the 100,000 mile mark by then. I should be around 60-70,000.
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alotawatts
New member
Most excellent plancoldbivy said:
