coolant question?

[BlackCam09]

so i was refilling my washer fluid and noticed that my coolant was getting low a little above the L, so i went to pepboys and they told me to get proline 50/50 coolant, do you guys think this ok? The color is green...would i have any problems in the future? i just filled it up with whats already in there and the new stuff up to the F. i'm just a little concerned now after i did it or should i dump out whats in the reservoir of what i put in and go get the coolant at the dealership tmrw. thanks

[gdanaher]

Most of us are going to tell you to get the turkey baster out and suck the stuff out. It likely is going to do little if any harm but the Toyota stuff has a really good track record. Since there was no rush to fill it, you might have thought about posting the question before opening the bottle. Oh well.

[islandboy57]

Sigh, yeah, you're much better off sticking to Toyota's pink Super Long Life Coolant. It's expensive (I think I paid $19 for a gallon) but it's designed to work with your cooling system. I think your existing coolant being a completely opposite color from what you bought off the shelf at an auto store should have been a cause for concern, but maybe not enough.

[BlackCam09]

Originally Posted by islandboy57

Sigh, yeah, you're much better off sticking to Toyota's pink Super Long Life Coolant. It's expensive (I think I paid $19 for a gallon) but it's designed to work with your cooling system. I think your existing coolant being a completely opposite color from what you bought off the shelf at an auto store should have been a cause for concern, but maybe not enough.

i was concerned but it said any make and model also can be mixed with any color. do you guys think i should just dump the stuff out in the resevoir and pick up some toyota coolant tmrw. thanks

[JasonA]

Originally Posted by BlackCam09

i was concerned but it said any make and model also can be mixed with any color. do you guys think i should just dump the stuff out in the resevoir and pick up some toyota coolant tmrw. thanks

Yes, I would. I don't like "universal" stuff. Anything that is acceptable to everything is optimized for nothing.

[islandboy57]

Originally Posted by JasonA

Yes, I would. I don't like "universal" stuff. Anything that is acceptable to everything is optimized for nothing.

+1

Stick to Toyota SLLL coolant and you'll be good to go.

[BlackCam09]

Originally Posted by islandboy57

+1

Stick to Toyota SLLL coolant and you'll be good to go.

thanks, do you guys think any of the stuff in the resevoir got into my radiator already? i got like a 20 min commute to work tomorrow and then was going to pick some toyota coolant after i get off work which is on my way home. Or do i have to flush it all? thanks for the quick response.

[gdanaher]

Likely some did get in, but the whole system holds about 2 gallons, and at this point there is little you can do. Suck out the overflow jar, put some distilled water back in and rinse it out a bit and then fill with the right stuff. Why did you post the question AFTER you did the deed? The truth is that you could dump all the original coolant out and put in Prestone and it would work just fine. Just not as long as the Toyota coolant. It works, just not for long. Your call.

[touringcamry]

I just put some Peak Global in my car. I was a bit concerned at first, as you are, but seems like it should be fine since it is compatible with all coolants. The way I look at it is that since it is compatible with all coolants means it will work and should not do harm if used for its intended purpose.

Toyota pink is some type of HOAT or OAT coolant without 2-EHA and no silicates as I understand it. Peak Global meets these requirements...good enough. I don't know what's in your Proline coolant -- if it's similar to this formulation, I would just leave it be until your next service interval.

If you drove it after putting that coolant in the reservoir or your coolant was hot, then yeah, it's prolly mixed into your radiator because it will pull the stuff in as it cools.

[JohnGD]

IMO you can just dump out what's in the reservoir. But I'm sure you'd feel better getting it flushed.

Proline, Dexcool and other Dex-clones use 2EHA acid, which is a potent plasticizer. In systems not designed for it, 2EHA can soften some plastics and cause leaks. But owners have reported Dexcool worked fine in Hondas and Toyotas alike. Dexcool was also called Death-Cool.

Personally I'd avoid 2EHA in Asian vehicles. So Peak Global or Valvoline Asian Vehicles Formula will work too in your cooling system.

[olympicgold]

Don't worry about replacing and buying Toyota coolant. It will drive and work just fine with the coolant you bought. About 80%+ of people on this forums only use Toyota everything. Oil, ATF, wipers, filter, EVERYTHING. And most of them advise to use Toyota as well. The fact is that Toyota itself makes very little of those things and just slaps Toyota logo on most of things.

[BlackCam09]

thanks for everyones help i appreciate it. some of what you guys posted makes not as concerned now. When it comes to this stuff i don't know much, thats why i was concerned. thanks for the quick responses.

[workerant]

How old is the coolant in there currently?

[islandboy57]

Originally Posted by olympicgold

Don't worry about replacing and buying Toyota coolant. It will drive and work just fine with the coolant you bought. About 80%+ of people on this forums only use Toyota everything. Oil, ATF, wipers, filter, EVERYTHING. And most of them advise to use Toyota as well. The fact is that Toyota itself makes very little of those things and just slaps Toyota logo on most of things.

80% huh? What do you have to back those statistics up?

As it's already been pointed out, Toyota's SLLL coolant has the longest service life. And your cooling system was designed to work with it. Up to you what you wanna do. Either change it or don't, it's simple.

[touringcamry]

Originally Posted by islandboy57

80% huh? What do you have to back those statistics up?

As it's already been pointed out, Toyota's SLLL coolant has the longest service life. And your cooling system was designed to work with it. Up to you what you wanna do. Either change it or don't, it's simple.

Peak Global claims it works for lifetime which is far longer than any Toyota coolant. The pink stuff is only good for 90 or 100 thousand miles on the initial fill. Thereafter, it should be replaced every 30 thousand miles. I don't have the documentation in front of me so I don't know the exact numbers.

The coolant formulation was probably made to work around the materials used in the vehicle, not the other way around. They just need to make sure the coolant does not erode the materials that will use it. Plastics, aluminum, rubber, etc.

Peak Global, Zerex Asian Vehicle are compatible and work fine and not erode or damage anything. Zerex Asian vehicle only comes in 50/50 mix and peak global is available as concentrate or 50/50 mix.

Personally paying $20 for a gal of Toyota pink, IMO, is a bit outrageous since it is half deionized water. Deionized and distilled water runs about 70-90 cents per gallon at the supermarket and if you have a distiller appliance it costs less than 25c per gallon to make at home. The Peak global concentrate I bought was $14 for one gallon. But then again, part of buying 50/50 is paying for convenience -- whoever came up with that idea is a genius...sell half the product (coolant) at the same cost or slightly discounted. Costs a bit more than half to product and bring in nearly twice the money.

Kinda liek when you go to fast food and they ask if you want to get the next bigger soda. It costs 4-5 cents for additional syrup and water but it brings in 15 to 16 cents of net revenue.