I wouldnt flush the radiator unless I'm experiencing cooling problems. Flushing it for fun is pretty much useless.

 

I wouldn't say that I'm flushing it for fun. I don't know when the last time the coolant in my car was changed (bought it second hand about 8 months ago) so I would like to flush it so that I know that the coolant is fresh and full of all the goodies such as corrosion inhibitor and stuff. Also, I've been noticing that the radiator fan comes on much more often and much sooner after idling for a little bit.

 

I was also thinking of doing a flush. My thermometer in the car shows it being a little bit hotter than half the temp of the gauge (ok so i have no idea how many degrees that is, but does anyone know). The fan on the radiator has been coming on a lot for me and as my dad does not care for cars very well I was thinking that I need a flush too. Also, about how much coolant is needed for a flush. I just bought a gallon from the Toyota dealer for around $16 and filled half the resevoir, will what's left be enough?

 

No it wont. Heres how you basically flush the engine.

1. You empty the whole cooling system of old coolant, yes that means you basically open the valve on the bottom of the radiator, let the coolant come out (I'd try to get it into a bucket or something, its poisonous to animals). then you might aswell open the thermostat housing, take out the thermostat to let the coolant from there come out. Keep the thermostat out for now, but put back the cover, in some cases you could keep the thermostat in and just reverseflush it.

2. Take a garden hose and put that to the lower hose in the engineblock and open the tap. You can do this for few mins if you see crap coming out like rust. Now at the same time you can reverseflush the radiator aswell, but you need to remove it to do it.

3. Take fresh coolant bottles (you'll probably need two of them) and do a 50/50 mix with water (I've used tap, but distilled is better). But here it gets tricky. Before you start to fill up the radiator, you might aswell pop in a brand new thermostat. Now the thermostat is in, the hoses are connected. Pour the 50/50 mix into the radiator until its topped off. Now turn on the engine.
So the engine is running now, ok, now wait for the coolant level in the radiator to drop, once it drops. Start pouring the mix into the radiator (the thermostat just opened). Pour until the whole radiator is full, the rest you can put into the expansion tank. make sure its at the max line. Make sure that bubbles dont come out anymore and put on the cap.

Now take a coke and look at the work well done.

 

Ok, so that's basically what I was thinking of doing, but I've for a few more questions.

1. I'm a little wary about using water to do the flush, since I've seen my brakes rust in like no time flat when I wash the car, wouldn't flushing it with water also rust the inside of the cooling system really fast?

2. When refilling the radiator, do you fill it from the resevoir tank, or do you fill it at the radiator cap? And is the radiator cap left off while you bleed the system of air?

3. Are there coolant drain plugs on the engine block itself so that I can drain out the old coolant (and the water from the flush) from the engine?

 

1. I'm a little wary about using water to do the flush, since I've seen my brakes rust in like no time flat when I wash the car, wouldn't flushing it with water also rust the inside of the cooling system really fast? <- thats why you dont leave the water in the radiator for a long time, so it wont really matter. Also dont leave the system empty, same problem, it'll rust.

2. When refilling the radiator, do you fill it from the resevoir tank, or do you fill it at the radiator cap? And is the radiator cap left off while you bleed the system of air? <- Fill it from the cap, and yes leave it off when you bleed the system, its almost automatic.

3. Are there coolant drain plugs on the engine block itself so that I can drain out the old coolant (and the water from the flush) from the engine? <- hmm, not really, but it'll drain pretty much via the thermostat housing.

 

instead of water
u can go to your local auto dept store and pick up some coolant flush

 

Procedure addition:

Remember to turn your heater to hot to open the heater control valve. The heatere core needs to be flushed clean, too.

 

Zee, ah yeah, good point, forgot to put that in

 

Prestone makes a coolant flush kit where you splice T into one of the heater hoses. It has a coupling where you hook up a hose and the fresh water under pressure pushes the old coolant out. I usually start the engine with the hose running into the system and let it cisrculate for a while. That way I am guaranteed 100% water in there before I add anything.

I then drain the system as well as I can. I look up the coolant capacity and add exactly half that amount in antifreeze. Top it off with water and you are good to go!

Prestone used to sell a coolant flush chemical. You would do the flush, then add a can of this stuff and top it off with water. You woudl run the car for about 10-20 min and then flush out the cleaning solution. Then refill as described above. I don't think that is necessary unless your cooling sysstem is really fuxored.

Also it has been onserved that flushing a system broke off that one last piece of rust that was holding the coolant in, and now you have a leak.

 

3. Are there coolant drain plugs on the engine block itself so that I can drain out the old coolant (and the water from the flush) from the engine? <- hmm, not really, but it'll drain pretty much via the thermostat housing.

There is a block drain plug on my Celica.

 

I know the 5S-FE also has a block drain plug for coolant.

 

Flashmn

and do a 50/50 mix with water

When I add the 50/50. How do I know how much coolant and water to add. To make the 50/50? Do I add one full thing of coolent then finish it off with water? Or???

 

Flashmn

When I add the 50/50. How do I know how much coolant and water to add. To make the 50/50? Do I add one full thing of coolent then finish it off with water? Or???

1. Get a bucket. Make sure its clean.

2. Pour the gallon of coolant into it.

3. Pour a gallon of distilled water into the bucket.

4. Fill up your radiator and overflow reservoir with it.

I pour the extra back into the container the coolant came in.

 

You can flush just the radiator, or the entire cooling system.
When I flush my rad I usually remove it from the car, or if that is to difficult on your car just remove the lower rad hose and put a water supply to the rad fill and flush away.
If you want to flush the engine, Prestone sells a kit for pretty cheap. It has a drain tee that you attach to one of your heater hoses. You just cut the heater hose in half, insert the tee and attach it on either end with hose clamps. The thing to remember is that once you have installed this it is now a part of your car unless you want to replace the hose you cut in half.
The kit comes with an adapter for your garden hose that you attach and then, flush away.
As for the red and green coolant, there really isn't a difference. Ive been told it has something to do with GM's Dexcool but I doubt this. The reason I like it is because if you have a coolant leak the coolant makes a bright pink crust at the point of the leak making it a lot easier to find than with the green. They are interchangeable, and you can mix one with the other.
So when you have it flushed out, reattach everything and find out how much coolant your car takes. Add half that amount in 100% coolant. Then start adding water. When it fills up, turn the car on and put the heater on hot and defrost. Go back to the rad and keep adding water until the thermostat opens up. You will know this when your cars electric fan kicks on. Feel the air coming out of the defrost and make sure it's hot. If the air is cold and you temp. gauge is reading hot, you probably have an air lock in the system. I usually remedy this by either jacking the fron of the car up so the rad fill is the highest point in the system, or by reving the engine up to about 3000RPM, holding it there for a rew seconds and repeating about four times. If the you have done either of these things and the temp gauge is still to hot shut of the car and start again.

 

Pink Coolant is extended life coolant, if mixed with the green stuff it will degrade the properties to that of regular coolant.

 

LE 2001 V6

My plan of action is as follows.

1. Remove radiator drain plug, drain coolant.
2. Remove the front engine plug drain and lift rear of car so that
more coolant drains out that was trapped in the rear of the
engine block so not to remove the rear engine plug
3. Remove the lower radiator hose where it connects to the
water inlet pipe so that I can
4. Replace the inlet pipe o ring and thermostat
5. Replace both radiator and engine plugs,
6. Fill sytem with "Toyota Coolant" along with distilled water.
First I'll measure all the coolant that comes from draining so I
can I can pre mix the coolant with distilled water.

I would rather not flush with a garden hose because of the minerals in the water that would remain in the heater core and part of the engine block just because of the corrosive minerals in public water.

To solve this I could fill system only with distilled water, turn heater to high (themostat removed) and drain. Repeat this once again. Now I'll know that the only water which remains in the heater core and engine block is distilled water. Also, if I measure the amount that came out during my first drain then I'll know How much to replace.

I give the members of this forum credit for ther knowledge

Q. I need your advise on the above procedure?

P.S. I spoke with a Toyota service mechanic at a dealership and
he said to mix coolant and water for the winter temperature
and another Toyota service mechanic from another dealership
said that he puts in 100% Toyota coolant in the cars.
Have you ever head of such a thing?

THX

 

P.S. I spoke with a Toyota service mechanic at a dealership and
he said to mix coolant and water for the winter temperature
and another Toyota service mechanic from another dealership
said that he puts in 100% Toyota coolant in the cars.
Have you ever head of such a thing?

THX

That's ridiculous unless they sell a premix (50/50) version.

 

The mechanic at the first Toyota dealership service area actually showed me the "Black" Toyota coolant bottle of which he uses.

He said DO NOT use water and I said, "I will probably use distilled water" and he said something about the minerals in water are corrosive and "the coolant that I use is 100% on the cars that I service.

He then said that the ingredients of the coolant are more advanced then the previous coolants and that there is a Toyota coolant that is premixed but very expensive of which he does not use.

Tell me, how can a elderly Toyota service mechanic who appears to have many years experience say such a statement?

Does he know something that we or I don't know?

 

The mechanic at the first Toyota dealership service area actually showed me the "Black" Toyota coolant bottle of which he uses.

He said DO NOT use water and I said, "I will probably use distilled water" and he said something about the minerals in water are corrosive and "the coolant that I use is 100% on the cars that I service.

He then said that the ingredients of the coolant are more advanced then the previous coolants and that there is a Toyota coolant that is premixed but very expensive of which he does not use.

Tell me, how can a elderly Toyota service mechanic who appears to have many years experience say such a statement?

Does he know something that we or I don't know?

Ask him what he's smoking, then send me some!