Is Dex coolant ok?

[oblivionis]

I took my 4Runner to Carx to have the AC system charged. My truck is at 140K miles so while there I asked them if they do coolant changes too. The guy there said that a coolant flush is $60. I asked him if that was with the pink Toyota coolant and he said yes. Well after they did it he tells me they used Dex coolant (yellow fluid) and that is what all Toyotas and Chevys use. I got pretty mad because that's not what he said they would use but he swore that this was the right coolant to use. It was only $60 for a full flush so I let it go but I'm wondering if my 4Runner will be OK with it. How long will this coolant last?

 

[elbman]

You should have the pink fluid.

 

[fourwd1]

Dexcool is that orange crap that generated tons of lawsuits against GM for damaging engines.

 

[JohnnyT]

Get the Toyota Super Long Life coolant Pre-diluted. Should be about $21 gal at your dealership.

 

[V8Man]

My 03 V8 with over 175,000 miles has the cleanest water passages I have ever seen. Only Toyota antifreeze for me. Changed fluid at 90k belt change and again at 175k. Both fluid are OAT based fluids but they have different properties. Stick with what got ya here. Don't change it.

 

[oblivionis]

Well, it's too late. Dex coolant is already in the truck. The question is can I leave it there for a while or change it out right away. If I was to change it, would drain and fill be OK or do I have to have the system flushed? Thanks everyone for your responses.

 

[fourwd1]

I'd flush it, because if you don't you'll have a mixture of the two types of coolant

 

[truc.karl]

Same thing happened to me. The mechanic guy told me to flush dex coolant asap. Now I'm using the Ol' Green and so far I have no problems.

 

[oblivionis]

I took the truck to a different mechanic. They drained the radiator and blew the coolant out of the engine block. They refilled the system with the Toyota coolant that I supplied (I bought it from the dealer).

 

[4RunnerFan]

I'm guessing by now you've already done this, but I was going to suggest checking the color of the coolant again since your last flush. When mixing two different flavors, it is sometimes difficult to get ALL of the old stuff out. You might see the color isn't quite pink enough, so might need to flush it again. Speaking from experience when I converted from DexCool (aka "DeathCool") to standard stuff in my '99 Buick Regal LSE years ago.