5th & 6th Generation (2002-2006 & 2007-2011)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 2002-2006 & 2007-2011
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Is there any reason I should not use a "T" flushing kit/garden hose on this car to flush the cooling system? An auto parts store I go to told me that the "T" flush is only for older cars. If it is OK to use this kit, can someone tell me which is the inlet heater hose? That's the one I am supposed to insert the flushing "T" into.
Thanks a bunch!
Your 2nd question can be answered by doing the following:
- after sitting overnight, start the cold engine and turn the heater on full hot, highest fan speed
- feel both hoses going to the heater core in the engine compartment. The one that always feels slightly warmer to the touch is the supply, the cooler feeling hose is the return.
Your 2nd question can be answered by doing the following:
- after sitting overnight, start the cold engine and turn the heater on full hot, highest fan speed
- feel both hoses going to the heater core in the engine compartment. The one that always feels slightly warmer to the touch is the supply, the cooler feeling hose is the return.
Thanks, but I don't know if the inlet heater hose is the same as what you are calling the supply or the return hose. Coud you clarify? Thanks again.
The OEM coolant is very good. If the coolant still looks like it did when new,I would just flush the system with five or six gallons of distilled water and install new coolant. I replaced the OEM coolant with Zerx Asian Car coolant from NAPA because I didn't want to pay Toyota $24.00[?] dollars a gallon. The Zerex product has causes no problems and I don't expect it will. And it costs about half of what Toyota wants for their pink stuff. Regards.
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The OEM coolant is very good. If the coolant still looks like it did when new,I would just flush the system with five or six gallons of distilled water and install new coolant. I replaced the OEM coolant with Zerx Asian Car coolant from NAPA because I didn't want to pay Toyota $24.00[?] dollars a gallon. The Zerex product has causes no problems and I don't expect it will. And it costs about half of what Toyota wants for their pink stuff. Regards.
When you say "flush" with distilled water, do you mean simply opening the radiator petcock, draining the old coolant, and pouring the distilled water into the top of the radiator and letting the water drain through to the petcock? And from what you said it seems like you don't think the flush kit with the garden hose idea is worth it. Is that correct? Thanks!
Last edited by jebra; 06-06-2011 at 06:40 PM.
Reason: more ideas
If there are no corrosion and mineral deposit problems with the cooling system then a simple drain and refill using a premixed coolant will do. The newer "Toyota Pink" (Toyota Super Long Life Coolant) and Valvoline Asian only come premixed, because they know some cheap shops like to use mineral-laden tap water.
However, do not use GM Dexcool (some call Death-Cool) in systems not designed for 2EHA (2-ethylhexanoic acid, a plasticizer that can soften some plastics in the cooling system and gaskets). 2EHA is very effective inhibitor that's being used in newer American and European vehicles. But AFAIK, no Japanese manufacturers use it.
Besides the Valvoline Asian, Peak Global (getting harder to find now), the only other long life alternative coolant I'd use is Valvoline G-05. It's a proven coolant used in Mercedes, but it has low amounts of silicates. If the water pump is properly designed with a carbide seal instead of a cheaper rubber seal, then there is no problem after a thorough flush with distilled water.
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JohnGD is spot on in many of his points. However, one area where I disagree is the statement "if there are no corrosion or mineral deposit problem..."; so we only flush after the damage has been done?
No. Old coolant can and very often does develop a very low pH (becomes acidic), which is the point at which corrosion will start. Many places check coolant pH with test strips free. If your coolant is acidic (low pH), why would you only change part of it? Sure, it will dilute the acid buildup of the total cooling system a bit, but it will not eliminate (there is a lot of coolant that remains in the block, heater core, and hoses with a plain coolant draining process).
If a test strip shows coolant to be in the caution or danger zone, I would flush it, without question (unless you only intend to keep your vehicle a short time).
JohnGD is spot on in many of his points. However, one area where I disagree is the statement "if there are no corrosion or mineral deposit problem..."; so we only flush after the damage has been done?
No. Old coolant can and very often does develop a very low pH (becomes acidic), which is the point at which corrosion will start. Many places check coolant pH with test strips free. If your coolant is acidic (low pH), why would you only change part of it? Sure, it will dilute the acid buildup of the total cooling system a bit, but it will not eliminate (there is a lot of coolant that remains in the block, heater core, and hoses with a plain coolant draining process).
If a test strip shows coolant to be in the caution or danger zone, I would flush it, without question (unless you only intend to keep your vehicle a short time).
I appreciate the comments so far...but no one has responded to my original question about using the Prestone flush kit that I purchased. I am instructed to insert a flushing "T" into the heater inlet hose and flush/backflush(?) the system using a garden hose attached to the "T". Is there any reason I should not do this? Could I damage anything in the cooling system? Thanks again.
Will you damage something during the time the flush is happening, provided you are doing it properly, with the consumer flush kit? No.
The positive: You will get out all the old coolant, and if it is acidic, you will have done yourself a positive.
The negative: You most likely will be using tap water to do the flush - which has minerals and chemicals in it that isn't the best for vehicle cooling systems. And that tap water will stay in the vehicle's cooling system after you drain as much out before filling with 100% coolant (no pre-mix). This tap water could have an effect on the life of your water pump (minerals from the tap water getting into the seals) and reducing the life of the coolant (chemicals from the tap water).
The best way to flush a cooling system is to find someone with a flush system that says they used distilled water for the flush.
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What JohnGd said. I can appreciate your enthusiasm to keep your engine in top shape since i always maintained my cars (10 in all) as if they were the last i'd ever own. But the t-flushing kit is completely unnecesary and at worst only adds three more leak points. Don't bother!
If you intend to do a very good job flushing, here is how i would do it. (I've never gone this far but if i wanted every trace of bad goop out it is what i would do). Drain coolant (cool engine.) Refill radiator/coolant hole with TAP WATER. Close everything up and run engine for 10 minutes (to let the thermostat open up). Turn the heater ALL THE WAY ON to allow it to fill up and flush it too!
Turn off engine. Allow to cool enough you can put your hand on the engine and not pull away. Drain coolant again.
WARNING - NEVER ADD COLD WATER TO A HOT ENGINE UNLESS IT IS RUNNING - YOU COULD CRACK THE ENGINE BLOCK...SO JUST DON'T DO THIS.
Refill with distilled water. Close valve and cap and run engine for 10 minutes again. Shut off engine and allow to cool again, maybe 30 minutes. Drain the radiator for the last time.
Add coolant FIRST. DO NOT use any of the "50/50" dilutes because 1- they are a rip off and 2-it will dilute your coolant mixture too much.
Add only coolant at first! You can go up to 70/30 coolant/water and be fine. Do not forget, you can drain the engine all you want, it is still going to have about one or two quarts of liquid in it. Any one who has taken apart an engine has seen this - no coolant drain is ever a complete one, but it does not really matter! So, find out your engine's cooling system capacity and add half that amount of PURE coolant, or a pint or two more, for refilling. Then the rest with more distilled water.
Now you have to let the engine burp to get the level right, for good measure, so put the cap on and run the engine again for 10 minutes or drive th car somewhere, to the antifreeze recycle center no doubt because you need to be "green" and stuff. Then let the car cool for an hour or more. Check reservoir bottle, top up if necesary, take off the cap and inspect the level. It ought to be right at the top. OK now you are done with this for another XX000 miles!
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Very good comments.The only problem using a shop to service the cooling system is that the shop may not have or want to get the right coolant for your car. They like to sell what they carry and finding a shop that will install Toyota pink/red or Zerex Asian Car coolant could be a problem. Maybe they will let you bring your own coolant. I wouldn't install one of those flush systems in any car I own. Like someone else said, just two more potential leak sites. Regards
Will you damage something during the time the flush is happening, provided you are doing it properly, with the consumer flush kit? No.
The positive: You will get out all the old coolant, and if it is acidic, you will have done yourself a positive.
The negative: You most likely will be using tap water to do the flush - which has minerals and chemicals in it that isn't the best for vehicle cooling systems. And that tap water will stay in the vehicle's cooling system after you drain as much out before filling with 100% coolant (no pre-mix). This tap water could have an effect on the life of your water pump (minerals from the tap water getting into the seals) and reducing the life of the coolant (chemicals from the tap water).
The best way to flush a cooling system is to find someone with a flush system that says they used distilled water for the flush.
I like your +/- explanation. I am leaning toward doing the "T" flush with tap water, followed by filling the radiator with distilled water, running this through, annd draining. I will repeat the distilled water fill, run, flush, and then fill the system with coolant. I know it won't be perfect, but it seems like I would be combining the best ideas from the replies to my post.
As soon as you introduce tap watger into the system, you have contaminated it and it will take more distilled water to purge it than it would take to just use distilled to begin with.
Drain and contain the original coolant, add distilled water, close and run, drain and contain again, and then add new coolant.
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An auto parts store I go to told me that the "T" flush is only for older cars. If it is OK to use this kit, can someone tell me which is the inlet heater hose? That's the one I am supposed to insert the flushing "T" into.
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