Coolant low...

[swampy_swimmer]

Happy 4th everyone!
So I took few days and went away from civilization. Made one mistake and didn't check the coolant level. When I did yesterday it was at L of the overfill tank. Today it's nearly empty, just at the bottom. Nearest dealership is about 80 miles away. I always run Toyota red concentrate and delute it 50/50 w/ distilled water. So what are my options here? Should I drive to nearest gas station and get green or yellow? I'm afraid to mix it with red. Or can I dump some water in the tank and drain it all out later?
Or can I actually get to Toyota and get the Red?
And what is the possible reason for it's dropping? Is that because the water evaporates from the mixture or do I havea leak?

 

[Whtrnr]

Maybe the closest auto parts store has Zerex Aisan which close to toyota red

 

[phattyduck]

If it drops noticeably, day to day, you have a leak (or headgasket issue...).

Put in water for now. You don't need a perfect 50/50 mix for the coolant/anti-freeze to do its job, especially during the summer.

Make sure there are no major leaks, that the radiator itself is full (check when the engine is cold!), and keep the overflow topped up until you can fix the problem.

-Charlie

 

[swampy_swimmer]

Cool, thanks. I think advanced auto parts is closer. Can I miz zerex with Toyota?
If not, I will add water for now.

 

[JayRolla]

Cool, thanks. I think advanced auto parts is closer. Can I miz zerex with Toyota?
If not, I will add water for now.

It should much fine with Toyota red. Asian red or blue from zerex should work. But just add water. No big deal.

Pick up radiator cap. May be your issue.

 

[swampy_swimmer]

AAP happened to be 10 miles away got zerex red and topped it off. Clerk said that this iz what toyota uses in theirs they just called it "Toyota ". Anyway thanks all. I'll keep an eye on the level.

 

[phattyduck]

It should much fine with Toyota red. Asian red or blue from zerex should work. But just add water. No big deal.

Pick up radiator cap. May be your issue.

Go OEM on that radiator cap... I've had too many parts store caps fail early or never hold pressure in the first place.

-Charlie

 

[swampy_swimmer]

My radiator cap is oem. Do they go bad? Should they be replaced once in a while?

 

[kolelt]

My radiator cap is oem. Do they go bad? Should they be replaced once in a while?

Everything goes bad mate. My reservoir used to get low also. I had a aftermarket cap. Actually [MENTION=50342]JayRolla[/MENTION] is the one who suggested to go OEM cap. And indeed it fixed it. No more coolant evaporating !!

For you, I would make it home. And do a compression test. Pull the plugs and make sure you don't have a bad HG. Then go get a new OEM cap.

Also check your transmission dipstick. Make sure your coolant didn't mix with tranny oil.

 

[mtbtim]

My radiator cap is oem. Do they go bad? Should they be replaced once in a while?

Yes, they go bad and it's pretty common. There's a plastic cap with a spring underneath that ends up coming off and those parts end up inside the radiator. Once this happens, your radiator cap won't be holding system pressure like it should.

But, it sounds like to me you either have a coolant leak somewhere or a head gasket problem. Unless you can see signs of coolant coming out where the cap seals on top of the radiator, you're problem is elsewhere.

 

[swampy_swimmer]

Ok, so once I added Zerex I realized something. When I saw my reservoir empty, my truck was parked on the hill... duuhh.
It actually disappears, but not as fast as I thought it was. I will def replace the cap and will be checking the level periodically. Thanks.