Coolant Flush

[Johnny A]

My '09 'Rolla S is rapidly approaching 70,000 miles and I think it's about time to flush the cooling system before winter sets in. I was wondering if anybody has done this themselves and the degree of difficulty for someone who is minimumly mechanically inclined.

[thestone11]

70000 miles on a 09...wow...that's alot of driving. You should check some local shop for prices first...then decide whether is worth while to do it yourself.

[LeanBurn]

I haven't done it on the corolla yet, but on all my other vehicles it turned out to be a not complicated but longer process of disconnecting rad hose to drain, reconnect rad hose, fill with water to rinse out old coolant, then get the water up to temp so the thermostat opens, drain, reconnect rad hose, then start adding new coolant until the mixture is correct.


Many shops have a machine that pumps in new while pumping out old. I may go that route this time as its a bit of a hassle.

[TLeong13]

the way i did it on my other cars (should be same on the corolla) get the car warm (temp gauge in the middle) shut the car off, open the drain plug on the radiator letting the coolant out, close drain plug, add distilled water into the radiator, start car, open drain plug turn the heater on full blast and keep pouring distilled water into the radiator until just water comes out of the drain plug then pour in the coolant comes out from the drain plug then close drain plug.

[Exit9]

To avoid coolant system problems, I would recommend you buy the OEM Toyota Long Life Coolant from the Toyota Parts Department and not experiment with other brands. If you want to get the story on possible coolant problems with other brands of coolant, see link below:

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=355968