Coolant Issue (no milkshake)

[doubleA]

No not the dreaded pink/strawberry... I just bought a 2000 T4R, and it looked like the coolant overflow tank was filled appropriately. There was a line on the outside... but now that I am home and going through the engine bay more thoroughly, the f'n thing is empty.

So I popped the radiator cap, and it looks like there is the "green" stuff coolant in there, and no temperature issues. My question is, should I just top with 50-50 prestone until I can flush? Meaning, mixing read yota with green stuff is not a good idea?

 

[JohnsD90]

Mixed Coolant has better cooling properties than no coolant...

But i put prestone in mine when the tank was empty and it went in yellow/green, and its now red, i dunno why. It's worked for over a year.

 

[doubleA]

Mixed Coolant has better cooling properties than no coolant...

But i put prestone in mine when the tank was empty and it went in yellow/green, and its now red, i dunno why. It's worked for over a year.

as long the stuff works... i plan on changing out the radiator, but for now it needs coolant!!

 

[Nelsonmd]

Oh man, this subject has been argued to death. Use the search function and you will find more information than you ever wanted to know about toyota red, toyota pink, etc.

The bottom line is that you will find multiple theories that are probably all right. The repair books I have for the 4runner say you can add any ethylene-glycol based coolant, but Toyota literature says only use Toyota red (of course they do). Since it is green in there already, someone probably flushed it at sometime and put generic stuff in it.

Just put some compatible coolant in it. Since it is just temporary, don't worry too much beyond checking compatibility. When you change the radiator, flush the whole system well, then maybe put toyota red back in.

 

[98_4runnerSR5]

Sounds like you got a leak. Check out your waterpump... had the same problem for a while

 

[runrunner]

I had the same thing when I bought my runner from the dealer. The radiator had the correct red coolant, but the overflow had a green mixture.

I assume the PO had service done at a quick lube and it was added, or they added green themselves.

I took it back to the dealer and they agreed to flush the system and add the appropriate coolant on their dime.

 

[brian2sun]

Mix it or whatever, just get coolant in there. It would take years for mixed coolant to do any sort of damage if it's even possible. All the other brands like Prestone say on their bottles that it's safe to mix with any color. I personally think they would be asking for lawsuits like crazy if it wasn't true.

The red vs. green debate has been going on for a long time like Nelsonmd said. I have always used green without issues. BTW, the Toyota red Long-Life Coolant has only been around since '99 (4th year of 3rd gen production). It can't be too important otherwise we would see a huge nimber of premature water pump failures (which we don't) becasue of the "silicates" present or not present in the coolant. My opinion?? Toyota wants you to buy their $30/bottle stuff so they "recommend" only using it, but they can't go back and change the old owner's manuals so thus you have the stupid debate.

 

[doubleA]

Mix it or whatever, just get coolant in there. It would take years for mixed coolant to do any sort of damage if it's even possible. All the other brands like Prestone say on their bottles that it's safe to mix with any color. I personally think they would be asking for lawsuits like crazy if it wasn't true.

The red vs. green debate has been going on for a long time like Nelsonmd said. I have always used green without issues. BTW, the Toyota red Long-Life Coolant has only been around since '99 (4th year of 3rd gen production). It can't be too important otherwise we would see a huge nimber of premature water pump failures (which we don't) becasue of the "silicates" present or not present in the coolant. My opinion?? Toyota wants you to buy their $30/bottle stuff so they "recommend" only using it, but they can't go back and change the old owner's manuals so thus you have the stupid debate.

good points. i did notice on the bottle it said for use with any car or coolant color. ill probably just use prestone when I replace the radiator. Thanks to all for the input!

 

[TheDurk]

There are three things to consider. First, will the mix function as a coolant? Absolutely. Ethylene Glycol does its job no matter what color they stick in it. Second, will it gum or sludge up? Very unlikely. Only the old-time Prestone-type green would do this if mixed with red or pink. The new all-compatible stuff appears to be safe. Third, will it screw up the anti-corrosion system? Yes, it probably will. The various formulations: IAT, OAT and HOAT are antagonistic to some degree, and effectiveness is compromised by mixing them. That said, if you keep the change interval down to 30K or so, this is not going to be a problem either. If you want to run 50K plus, keep your chemistry pure, and stick to Toyota Red or Pink, or Zerex Asian Formula. My humble opinion.

 

[doubleA]

Coolant Leak

so i filled the expansion tank... and of course, its empty again. is there a common leak area? I can not see anything from the top looking down with a flashlight.... any other ideas?

 

[brian2sun]

I would look all around the water pump/thermostat area and the oil cooler (which is to the right of the thermo if you're facing the engine) for leaks or dried-up coolant trails. You can use a small extendable mirror to see in those tight spots. Also check all the hoses. If there is no evidence of leaking anywhere, a pressure test on the cooling system would be the next thing to do. If the system looses pressure during the test, it's either leaking out of something or into the combustion chamber via a head gasket leak. The head gaskets can be tested with a cylinder compression test and/or a leak-down test to see if pressure is steady in the cylinders.