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newbie to toyota radio and coolant questions

2K views 30 replies 16 participants last post by  75aces 
#1 ·
i have a radio with 8 track cassette but there is a button lower right says CD is this a generic thing to keep cost down for radio or is there really a super hidden place to put a CD?
i have a hole near the top of the coolant resavoir is that normal so nthe coolant in this car is an open loop system?
thanks
 
#2 ·
The corolla had an option for a cd player. I never seen the optional cd player. Don’t know if it was a single din or it was double din.

Is your coolant overflow container cracked? That’s not normal. Would need to replace it.
 
#14 ·
What year is your Toyota? You may have a rare and very valuable radio/8track player! You may want to have an antique dealer give you an appraisal! If you can find an 8 track tape somewhere, you may want to check to see if it [the player] is still functioning. I'm guessing your Toyota is 40-50 years old! How many miles has it put on during the last 4 or 5 decades?
 
#16 ·
I doubt that is an 8 track tape deck, probably is cassette. I have a radio in my 1999 Tacoma truck that has an option for an external CD player and in fact I added one. I am going to put the same kind of installation in my 1997 Celica, since the CD in the radio has quit. I did have an aftermarket radio back in the early 90's that had a "CD" button but in reality it was a cover you pulled off to insert the audio plug from a portable CD player.
 
#20 ·
A breather hole is ok in your overflow since the vacuum from the radiator sucks fluid from the bottom, ditto with the wind screen fluid.
Don't sell that 8track remote unit that plays CD's is a real gem bro. Big demand $ for this, casettes are so so.

Sorry Steve.
 
#21 ·
First off, are you a millennial? Cassette tapes and 8 track cassettes are 2 different things. Both play back recorded music. Cassette tapes are small and have 2 holes with gear like wheels that the deck uses to operate the tape. 8 track cassettes or plain 8 track tapes are about the size of a tall thick slice of Texas Toast and I don’t think any factory Toyota has even came with one of those. Your radiator is a closed loop system based on pressure, the cap maintains a set pressure in the system and if the pressure gets too high it opens enough to let the pressure out. On the coolant reservoir, once coolant has left the radiator, it is in an open loop part of the system, it needs a hole (usually some sort of built in straw that feeds out the side) for the pressure to be allowed to escape otherwise it wouldn’t have anywhere to go defeating its purpose. I have seen some overflow reservoirs that have a hole, almost looks like a finger hole so you can grab it like a bowling ball, it’s just a weird design, not a good one being it allows contaminants to easily get in, maybe somebody replaced the one in your car with one of those.
 
#23 ·
Was option cd changer on back of radio you will see where to plug up toyota changer, check ebay for one. Cheaper to go to Crutchfield buy a new head unit. My 03 camry had jbl with 6 disc system cd jammed, played but no way to change stuck cd. Got alpine cd am fm Bluetooth ect 150 with mounting kit and cables to keep jbl amp working. Have had for 2 yrs sounds great plays perfect took an hr to install. Good luck
 
#25 · (Edited)
1) Where did you find this mythical 8 track cassette deck (those were like 60-70s tech)? The 98-02s had the following units available:

1_ AM/FM radio unit 2 speakers,
2_AM/FM radio with Tape deck (regular cass) single din with 4 speakers
3_ AM/FM radio with cassette 4 speaker
4_AMF/FM radio with CD 4 speakers

The CD button was on all 4 speaker units regardless of the unit purchased, as Toyota made it so dealers could install a seperate standalone CD units mounted in the double din area or the cd changer as a dealer install if the customer wanted it. Later on, some customers realized you could tap into that CD connector, to add in an aux cable. However with single din prices that are equivalent to 2 applebees entrees, why bother. Swap it for a new headunit with bluetooth, usb chargin, and a proper amperage out.

2) The coolant system has an overflow tank. Its not pressurized but will pull coolant when needed into the pressurized system, and push flush back into the bottle when needed. If the system has excess fluid then then there is a formed spout at the corner of the overflow bottle where it will come out.
 
#30 ·
GM the GOAT for doing this, as that double din opening opened the sky up for upgrading to a proper unit in the future. Navigation and nowdays carplay etc easy install since you already have a dash mount thats accessible.

For the rest of folks, single din was a major PITA. If you search the older thread on this forum, a couple of the OGs began sticking in a double din unit on the glasses holder (its double dine for sure), but the placement of those units were piss poor. Single din pop up units, had poor placement (block those center vents) and well those single din nav units were extremely expensive (nowdays its cheaper but 2 decades of times have passed).

At the time of product design, Toyota was still practicing market specific product design, so the 8th gen corolla launched earlier in other markets had a really nice dashboard that included a top center infotainment stack which was double din. For some reason, (well mostly economic bubble collapse in Japan) the product planning team were basically told to cut costs and this single din design was implemented. Short end of the stick.
 
#31 ·
As you said, marketing and focus groups. Majority of corolla owners wanted basic transportation. It was an extended period of time when cassette was an option. When manufacturers moved away from cassette to cd, Toyota was too conservative. Camry got majority of refinement.

For the longest time, 6th and 7th gen owners had no radio and ac. Unless you got the DX and LE. Power windows and locks were for the higher trims.

The alpine with the flip up monitor was cool, but opened some doors for the tech of today. Many didn’t know of the 3 cd changer in the dash. Or the cassette changer in the euros.

I’ve had cars with am/fm radio. 8 track was before my time. Pull out and detachable face decks were the rage in my day.
 
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