what type antifreeze

[fishercat]

I'm flushing out my cooling system on our 95 SR5. The fluid is very rusty brown. My better half had a container of Orange Motorcraft antifreeze in the storage compartment. Is this safe to use? If it had orange in it, is it safe to change over to conventional antifreeze after flushing the system?

 

[Koz]

Toyota red.

Koz

 

[fishercat]

I read about the Toyota Red, but I'm on a budget and the Toyota dealer is miles away! Will it hurt to convert to the conventional green ie Prestone?

 

[greasefingers]

The most important thing is that you change it every 30 k miles. And stick to it. Nothing is worse than gunk growing in the cooling system. There are a lot of dissimilar materials in the cooling system that also aid corrosion (even to aluminum). There are additives (only a couple percent) that do not last much past 30 k miles, so changing it is so so so good to do.

The toy engine has more aluminum than many other engines. Maybe the Toy coolant is more suitable for this?

The only two fluids that I buy from the dealer are the antifreeze & tranny fluids. One would be crazy to chance anything other than the Toy AFT, since there are many electronic devices now in a tranny.

 

[Jeff Kleb]

My girlfriend's 2002 Highlander has the green anti-freeze in it (I changed twice since new) and a reputable shop told me that the green stuff is interchangeable with the original pink stuff. Her owner's guide says to use a quality ethylene glycol type - which Prestone and Peak both make. It is sold at Wal-Mart, Pep Boys and Advance Auto; as well as other retailers.

HOWEVER, I was told that the reddish-colored coolant in my 2005 4Runner IS NOT interchangeable with any other type and is of a 'synthetic' nature - much like the transmission fluid. There is only one type which will work properly and will not harm the engine, water pump, etc., etc.

Consult a knowledgeable mechanic for some sound advice, as I don't know much about 1995 Toyota engines. I would assume that any 'name brand' would work, provided that it says that it is suitable for aluminum engine blocks & heads.

Good luck!!

 

[Koz]

Toyota coolant was developed to meet the specific requirements of our engines and provides maximum protection without the use of harmful silicates. Silicates, a main ingredient in other antifreeze coolants and can actually damage the water pump seal, causing leakage. Toyota coolant is a high-performance, non-silicate coolant that provides better protection for metals without deterioration of the water pump seal. Why use something else?


Koz

 

[Uneek]

For an older truck, you could probably use Prestone, Peak or Toyota Long Life Coolant.

Toyota Long Life Coolant is red. It needs to be mixed 50/50 before you put it into your cooling system.

Toyota Super Long Life Coolant is pink. It comes premixed 50/50. All you need to do is pour it into your radiator and coolant resevoir. TSLLC, if I recall, is factory filled with all 2004 and newer Toyotas. TSLLC is good for 100k miles before flushing. Short description of TSLLC.

If TLLC is mixed into a TSLLC filled cooling system, it will shorten the change interval down to 30k miles. TLLC filled systems can be flushed and filled TSLLC to take advantage of the longer flush intervals.

 

[slyangel9]

Any idea how much we are talking about for this Toyota Red per gallon? Is this a special order or do Toyota dealers carry this stuff.

 

[greasefingers]

I paid $ 15.21/gal concentrate ..so you get 2 gallon of 50/50 mixture