radiator / coolant question

[troopa4life]

Bak in my opinion you have 3 options

1) Let the truck run the way it is and fill it with the green fluid --> not a good idea in my opinion

2) Flush the system and use either toyota Red or regular green fluid --> probably the easiest and best solution to your dilema

3) Use the method of draining the radiator 15k miles and filling up with OEM Toyota Radiator Fluid --> overkill but it gives me comfort

 

[brian2sun]

What I read was that they used red up to 99 (or maybe it was 01) then switched to the "pink". I think the pink is just diluted red, but not sure.

I have never read that they came from the factory with green

I haven't been able to confirm what years the pink started vs. the red, but I do believe the pink is just pre-dilluted red. I know when I purchased my '97 back in '01, they said the coolant had not been changed yet and it was green. I figure my manual would say to use Toyota red or pink if that was recommended, but my manual also says just to use "any ethylene-glycol based anti-freeze".

My Honda CR-V manual says to use only Honda 5W20 oil, but we all know that's BS. Mobil 1 is better, but if I listened to Honda they would recommend not using M1 just because the manual says to use Honda brand oil. I mention this because I think it's a similar situation - I think they just want you to buy their stuff. That's my opinion, but I have no "statistical" data to confirm either way. I just know the green hasn't hurt mine in any way.

 

[pax]

Since you got to put it into a container, why not just take it to one of the national auto parts places. Most of them take it for free and it then is recycled.

 

[TheDurk]

Pink is NOT pre-diluted Red. Red is a Long-life IAT (Inorganic Acid Technology). Pink is a HOAT (Hybrid Organic Acid Technoloogy). Both use phosphates for anti-corrosion which is why Toyota says it is OK to mix them. From bobistheoilguy:

Toyota red long life coolant ingredients:

Ethylene Glycol(107-21-1),Diethylene Glycol(111-46-6) Water(7732-18-5) Orangic Acid Salt(532-32-1) Hydrated Inorganic Salt(1310-58-3).

Toyota pre-diluted pink super long life ingredients:

Water (7732-18-5), Ethylene Glycol (107-21-1), Diethylene Glycol (111-46-6), Sebacic Acid (111-20-6), Potassium Hydroxide (1310-58-3)

I don't get how there could be red in the overflow and green in the rad, but I'd drain and flush the green and put pink or red in instead.

 

[Nelsonmd]

Pink is NOT pre-diluted Red. Red is a Long-life IAT (Inorganic Acid Technology). Pink is a HOAT (Hybrid Organic Acid Technoloogy). Both use phosphates for anti-corrosion which is why Toyota says it is OK to mix them. From bobistheoilguy:

Well great, now we can't sit here and complain about how confusing this whole red vs pink thing is... Way to ruin the party Durk... Comin in here with your facts... answering the question...

 

[bak3rme]

ok lets say imma dump 30 bucks on this toyo red. this means i'm gunna take out all the green in the system..which is under the cap..(and in the engine?) how do i go about doing this and replacing everything with red?

if you gunna say "flush"...i've heard many times its harmful to flush an engine that is high milage. which i have a high milage engine

or is that with tranny fluid flushing????....

 

[TheDurk]

Wow. Sorry!

Look, coolant arguments can go for days. I'll give you a few opinions mixed with what I believe to be facts that I have after a lot of reading. But you will find folks who won't agree.

1) Stop thinking colors. It's just dye and they all use ethylene-glycol for freeze/boil protection (almost). It's the corrosion technology that makes them different. Do not mix phosphate formulas with silicate systems, they are antagonistic. There is IAT, OAT, and HOAT.
2) Old time green had silicates and borates and Toyota decided it was very bad for their engines and went to phosphates (the red stuff) for corrosion protection. Old green will make gunk and destroy corrosion protection if mixed with red.
3) New green? Who the F*** knows? New green can be just about anything and labels always seem to say compatible with everything. I won't use it in my Toyota. Does not mean I'm right. But I've got red in there and I'm sticking to it.
4)In '99, Toyota went to the 50K Red IAT with phosphates in new cars. In 2004 they switched to the 100k phosphated HOAT pink. Toyota has a TSB that swears you can top up, mix, or switch from one to the other. You will get one of those two at the dealer in any car you take in for service, new or old. As of last year when I did my TB my dealer only had Red and swore up and down they never heard of pink (it's in the new cars for four-plus years already!!). Go figure...These are the same clowns that took out my factory red at 30K in 2003 and put in green. The next year they switched to red for all service. I don't go back there anymore except for parts.
5) Lots of techs and others swear it's best to use only red or pink.
6) You should probably flush and start new if you have no clue what's in your cooling system and two different colors running around in there. But if it is a new-tech green of the non-silicate variety you may be just fine. It's the uncertainty that would bug me.
7) I have never heard of NOT flushing a high mileage cooling system. I have flushed plenty of them. Maybe AT's, but I have never owned one.
8) The new Zerex p-HOAT Asian Formula, Toyota red, Toyota pink or other phosphate system is what I would use and then stick to it.

Ashland.com

You can get the Zerex Asian at NAPA for a lot less than Toyota stuff, but may have to order it.
9) If you want to go green, change it at 30K max. Frequent changes will trump chemistry unless you have a bad mixture.
10) I have no clue about orange, yellow, fuchsia, lavender or any other aftermarket stuff except the Zerex. But if its new stock (not 10 year old green) ethylene-glycol (almost all are) and no silicates or borates and you change as directed, you are probably good. I just can't speak to it.

There are plenty of posts on how to flush and fill. If you have to mix, use distilled water. As I said, just my opinions.

For years I flushed with a garden hose and dumped in green. Sigh...I got a headache trying to sort this stuff out the first time I looked at it.

 

[brian2sun]

9) If you want to go green, change it at 30K max. Frequent changes will trump chemistry unless you have a bad mixture.

This one stands out to me and I think it's good advice. I may run green, but I have always flushed it about every 2 years/24K.

 

[notrayray]

Great info Durk!

 

[BTO]

There are plenty of posts on how to flush and fill. If you have to mix, use distilled water. As I said, just my opinions.

For years I flushed with a garden hose and dumped in green. Sigh...I got a headache trying to sort this stuff out the first time I looked at it.

It's been a while since I flushed a cooling system. The last one was probably my old Grand Prix. The problem I had with that one was getting the tap water out. I finally settled on this method.

Use a prestone flushing tee in the heater hose. Back flush system using Cascade dishwashing soap as a cleaner. Back flush some more till completely clear. Drain. Divide cooling system capacity by two and add that amount of coolant. Top off with distilled water. Loosen bleed vent to evacuate trapped air. Usually would not take much if any distilled water because not enough tap water would drain out. The problem was there was no way to drain the block.

 

[TheDurk]

It's been a while since I flushed a cooling system. The last one was probably my old Grand Prix. The problem I had with that one was getting the tap water out. I finally settled on this method.

Use a prestone flushing tee in the heater hose. Back flush system using Cascade dishwashing soap as a cleaner. Back flush some more till completely clear. Drain. Divide cooling system capacity by two and add that amount of coolant. Top off with distilled water. Loosen bleed vent to evacuate trapped air. Usually would not take much if any distilled water because not enough tap water would drain out. The problem was there was no way to drain the block.

My system would not work for most as I have zero metals and zero calcium hardness in my mountain well water (actually too soft to drink, according to $400 worth of tests, but it tastes great.) So I don't obsess about water left behind. I used it in all my cars before the Toyota including a BMW. I don't bother with a cleaner or a tee. I learned on tractors as a kid and there ain't no stinkin' heater on those and nowhere to put a tee if you tried.


I pull the thermostat and bottom hose. Run the garden hose in the top hose out of the the engine and let it run out the bottom until it's clear and cold coming out plus a few minutes. Then run it through the radiator for a while. Fill her up with H2O and drive the 10 mi. to town and back (no thermostat) with heater wide open. Drain, replace 'stat, add coolant calculated for 50/50 and top with distilled. Burp air from system.

If they stop using red and have only full-strength pink I don't know how I am going to get the water out of the block and heater core. Theoretically there IS a block plug but I have yet to find it.

 

[bak3rme]

urgh..ok so resavoir is completly empty today. and i notice some stuff on the bottom...black stuff. just called cherokee county toyota and gunna get the system flushed and put the red back in. 79.95 bucks.

 

[Clemsonfan15]

I don't want to start a new thread so I figured I post in here.

bak3rme-If you want me to delete these posts just let me know


About a week ago I was just looking around my vehicle and decided to look in the engine bay. I was looking in the radiator overflow tank and noticed I had almost no liquid in there. Maybe 0.25". There was also some dark stuff in there that looked like dirt. I have no idea how long it has been empty.

So I went and got some Prestone antifreeze that is guaranteed to work with all models. That antifreeze is a lime greenish color. I filled the overflow tank up to the top mark.

I've been checking the tank every few days now and have noticed that the antifreeze in the tank is a very dark red. There is no sign of the lime green color. What could this mean? I thought the Toyota antifreeze was a light red.

 

[LogwoodInnMan]

New guy here needs help w/ radiator flush... Block plug??

Im preforming a Radiotor Flush. I can't find the plug on the block to drain the coolant from the block. I know I know... I'd like to do a complete flush. Can anyone show me where this is, maybe know of a picture that I can look at or something... I am not having much luck.

3rd Gen
1999

3.4
V6


Thanks so Much.

Miles

 

[TheDurk]

I think that block plug is an urban legend. I never could find it....

 

[JohnsD90]

Just an FYI. From the research I've done, Toyota red coolant didn't come out until '99. At ~$30/gallon I personally think it's a waste of money to use it in pre-'99 trucks since they came with green from the factory. That's not to say that the Toyota red isn't better, but I think it's overpriced and I don't believe it's twice as good for more than twice the price. I've been using Prestone in mine for the last 9 years with no cooling system issues. I agree that mixing them isn't good though.

Ive been using prestone too, like it was either prestone or riding around with no coolant, and guess what, it still F*ing runs, 10k miles on the prestone ive put in it, and is no hotter than the red **** is.