Leaking Radiator?

[phatcheeks]

Hi guys.

04 V6 116k.

Im planning on changing out my coolant since Im pretty sure it didnt happen at 100k. Im at 116k right now.
Most of the cars service history is on the Toyota service website.
The previous owner did all the work at the stealership but I didnt see anything about the 100k service.

I also read the car was diagnosed with a leaking radiator and an estimate of $950 to replace that and the thermostat! But the repair was denied (I wonder why)

The thing is, Im not noticing any leaking coolant around the radiator or drops on the ground and my coolant level is the same since I bought it few months back. Are there any specific spots where these tend to leak from?

Or maybe the radiator was changed at some local shop, but the radiator says Toyota on it. Can you still get OEM toyota rads?

Thanks

I know about HG issues. Currently saving up for whenever the HG decides to go, but seems fine for now. (knock on wood)

 

[rdruss]

I have an '03 V8 and was told by dealer 3 years ago I had a leaking radiator.
I declined the repair and have not seen any indication of leakage before or since and still have same rad.

So if you don't see any indication of leakage I wouldn't get too excited about replacing it yet.


By the way, I was in same dealer about year ago and overheard a service rep tell another customer the same thing.

 

[phatcheeks]

I have an '03 V8 and was told by dealer 3 years ago I had a leaking radiator.
I declined the repair and have not seen any indication of leakage before or since and still have same rad.

So if you don't see any indication of leakage I wouldn't get too excited about replacing it yet.


By the way, I was in same dealer about year ago and overheard a service rep tell another customer the same thing.

Wow, cant believe they would lie like that. I can understand stupid add-ons like chassis lube, induction cleaner stuff, but a 1k repair is crazy to lie about.

 

[AuSeeker]

It's possible to have a very slow leak in your radiator and not see much if any drop on coolant in a few months, or any drips on the ground from day to day because the slow leaking coolant usually crystallizes around the leak before it can drip.

The most common areas for leaks are the lower corners, front or back and to a lesser extent where the side tanks joint the core of the radiator, but there could be a leak most anywhere on the radiator depending on why it started leaking.

Look for pink or in your case on a 2003 it could be red crusty looking deposits on the areas mentioned above, sometime it can be hard to spot some of the lower corner leaks because of other pieces and parts being in the way, look from above and then crawl under and look upwards as well.

 

[phatcheeks]

It's possible to have a very slow leak in your radiator and not see much if any drop on coolant in a few months, or any drips on the ground from day to day because the slow leaking coolant usually crystallizes around the leak before it can drip.

The most common areas for leaks are the lower corners, front or back and to a lesser extent where the side tanks joint the core of the radiator, but there could be a leak most anywhere on the radiator depending on why it started leaking.

Look for pink or in your case on a 2003 it could be red crusty looking deposits on the areas mentioned above, sometime it can be hard to spot some of the lower corner leaks because of other pieces and parts being in the way, look from above and then crawl under and look upwards as well.

Thanks for the info. Mine is an 04, so pink is the correct coolant. I will look once I get home from work. I did a quick check in my work parking lot and couldn't find any crust, ill be more thorough at home.

 

[AuSeeker]

Thanks for the info. Mine is an 04, so pink is the correct coolant. I will look once I get home from work. I did a quick check in my work parking lot and couldn't find any crust, ill be more thorough at home.

I guess at a quick glance I saw your 2003 Sequoia and thought is was your T4R, yes pink it is!!LOL

 

[phatcheeks]

So I did a more detailed inspection for leaks and couldn't find anything. I did see some rust on the frame right under the right and left side of the radiator but it's nothing crazy. There was no sign of any pink crust or coolant leaking. Couldn't even smell it. Hopefully everything is good.

I will go ahead with the coolant change on the weekend.
Do you guys put any additives in the coolant? I know the Toyota dealership used BG products from previous owners time. I think it was BG cooling system cleaner and BG super cool. It's was most likely a gimmick trying to make some $$$.

Thanks

 

[phatcheeks]

So I did the coolant change today. It was pretty straight forward. The engine block was easy to drain if you have the universal joint for the driver side drain. Took forever to drain though.

I noticed some weird stuff sitting in the bottom of the coolant tank. I hope the previous owner didn't put some sort of sealant in the radiator. If so, hopefully this coolant change cleaned some of it out. Here is a pic of what I found.

 

[phatcheeks]

Should I be worried about this? If it is some sort of sealant where is the rest of it lol. I hope it doesn't mess up any part of my cooling system.

 

[AuSeeker]

So I did the coolant change today. It was pretty straight forward. The engine block was easy to drain if you have the universal joint for the driver side drain. Took forever to drain though.

I noticed some weird stuff sitting in the bottom of the coolant tank. I hope the previous owner didn't put some sort of sealant in the radiator. If so, hopefully this coolant change cleaned some of it out. Here is a pic of what I found.

Should I be worried about this? If it is some sort of sealant where is the rest of it lol. I hope it doesn't mess up any part of my cooling system.

Hard to say if you should be worried without knowing what it is, if I were you I would do a complete cooling system flush or maybe even do it twice if necessary to see if you get any of the same substance out of the system other than just in the reservoir, if you don't get any or very much out of the rest of the system I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[UrbanRunner651]

I would assume it is leftover from some stop-leak/sealant. doesn't look dark enough to be a bad HG. Overheating usually would boil out the tank and leave a visible crust.

 

[phatcheeks]

There wasnt much of it. Just a little bit that was settled on the bottom of the coolant reservoir. The coolant I removed didnt have any in it and it flowed out nicely from the drain holes, so I am sure it wasn't getting clogged in any of the channels.

I think im safe....for now