Aftermarkent coolant recommendation

[toyocorono]

Is there a good aftermarket coolant substitute that is not as expensive as toyotas long life?..Im about to do a radiator change on my 97 avalon...Thanks

[sseaman]

i would stick with the toyota red, if you change to green then you need to do a very good flush, the 2 types dont mix very well

[KeepItSimple]

The last time I had my '95's system flushed and filled the Red color in the reservoir turned to sewer water brown color in no time at all.Is that normal? It looks awful.

[toyomoho]

Suggest doing a complete engine flush if changing coolants.

I use Zerex G0-5 that is somewhat cheaper and distilled water.

Toyota brand is not that much more expensive if you only do a change every 2 years.

The Toyota brand has no silicates or borates, if looking for an after market coolant look for these points.


As to the coolant in the over flow tank, this happens if fluid gets too old. Perhaps the flush was not complete, the tank can build up a lot of gunk over time on the bottom, the hose between the tank and radiator can start breaking down inside resulting in a black material inside the tank.

[sseaman]

the brown mixture is a form of sludge, in some engines it has been thought to cause head gasket failure. it isn't something that is changed very often so a few dollars shouldn't be a big deal

[jbma327]

The brown is from not having a good flush. I would stick with Toyota coolant because it has a long life and better protection against rush/ corrosion. You can flush your system out with a garden hose on while having the engine run and heater and a/c on full blast while water is flushing out your old coolant. Keep letting it flush till you see nothing but clear water coming out of you radiation drain.

TOYOTA COOLANT FTW!!!!


hope this helped