[Guest]

I've got the red Toyota antifreeze in my radiator.

I got one of those Toyota coupon books, and they're advertising
"Genuine Toyota Antifreeze/Coolant" that "does not contain silicates
that may harm water pump seals". I was about to get some, at $16 (per
gallon, I think the volume is) then I remembered I have some Prestone
antifreeze, pre-mixed with water (50/50; I'm lazy that way) that says
it can be mixed with *any* color of antifreeze.

Has anyone had any real-world experience with the Prestone antifreeze,
vs. the Genuine Toyota antifreeze? Is it really possible to mix these
two with no adverse effects?

I didn't notice any silicates in the "ingredients" section of the
Prestone antifreeze - are silicates really a problem with the water
pump seals?

 

[Guest]

Ever heard the expression "asking for trouble?"

That's what you're doing by mixing Prestone in with the Toyota coolant.

General experience with Prestone is that it works in the sense that
your engine doesn't instantly self destruct - in other words it still
runs the same, but over time you will see more deposits in the
radiator.

With the Toyota coolant, mixed with distilled water, the coolant stays
pristine for _decades_ when changed regularly. Have never found this to
be the case with Prestone. Of course, it is to be expected they will
promote their brand.

Here's an interesting anecdote. I used to ask the local dealer parts
people for a discount on parts. With the prior manager, and frequent
purchases, actually used to get reasonable prices. Now the current
parts people have a little scam they like to run on me. When I ask for
a discount they just mark up the "retail" price. Here's a funny one for
you -- bought a gallon of Toyota coolant last week for $19.95 - now
here's the funny part, they boosted their "regular" price to $32.83 -
that would be for a single bottle of "00272-1LLAC-01 - Antifreeze" - so
consider your $16 a bargain.

 

[Guest]

I have a 91 had an 84, mixed prestone and use prestone, never have had
an issue. But now from what I learn Toy fluid is unique, and may be
better but how can I know. Today most all cars have aluminum blocks and
heads so I realy dont worry. To be safest use Toy stuff, its a hard call
either way. Toyota charges a premium on everything so of course they
want your money, for thermostats , plug wires and major components I
agree they are better.

 

[Guest]

m Ransley wrote: "how can I know"
============
Ans.: open the radiator cap after 5 - 10 years and see if the upper
tank tubes look as clean and clear as the day they were new.

 

[Guest]

Tubes are not clean, but was it running 30-40% antifreeze and city water
for 1 year? Aluminum radiators are everywhere, so I still am not sure.

 

[Guest]

Daniel wrote:
> Ever heard the expression "asking for trouble?"
>
> That's what you're doing by mixing Prestone in with the Toyota coolant.
>
> General experience with Prestone is that it works in the sense that
> your engine doesn't instantly self destruct - in other words it still
> runs the same, but over time you will see more deposits in the
> radiator.
>
> With the Toyota coolant, mixed with distilled water, the coolant stays
> pristine for _decades_ when changed regularly. Have never found this to
> be the case with Prestone. Of course, it is to be expected they will
> promote their brand.

Ok, I'll get some Toyota coolant. Is it a bad idea to store the gallon
container in my garage (where it gets over 100 degrees F in the
summer)?

I already added maybe 1/2 cup of Prestone to the Toyota coolant a few
months ago when I thought the coolant level was too low. Was this a
critical mistake?


> Here's an interesting anecdote. I used to ask the local dealer parts
> people for a discount on parts. With the prior manager, and frequent
> purchases, actually used to get reasonable prices. Now the current
> parts people have a little scam they like to run on me. When I ask for
> a discount they just mark up the "retail" price. Here's a funny one for
> you -- bought a gallon of Toyota coolant last week for $19.95 - now
> here's the funny part, they boosted their "regular" price to $32.83 -
> that would be for a single bottle of "00272-1LLAC-01 - Antifreeze" - so
> consider your $16 a bargain.

By the way, what volume of coolant does the 96 Camry (4-cylinder
engine) need? That way I can pre-mix the Toyota coolant better when I
flush the old coolant out...

 

[Guest]

Heat wont hurt for storage, it a 50 50 mix for corosion protection is
recomended, use distilled water.

 

[Guest]

You'll need one gallon of coolant.
Capacities are in your owner's manual.
For some reason, I seem to be the only one that reads in the Factory
Service Manual, the recommended concentration is "more than fifity per
cent but not more than seventy per cent" - so I run 60 per cent coolant
to 40% distilled water.

 

[Guest]

"m Ransley" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
> I have a 91 had an 84, mixed prestone and use prestone, never have had
> an issue. But now from what I learn Toy fluid is unique, and may be
> better but how can I know. Today most all cars have aluminum blocks and
> heads so I realy dont worry. To be safest use Toy stuff, its a hard call
> either way. Toyota charges a premium on everything so of course they
> want your money, for thermostats , plug wires and major components I
> agree they are better.

I see this is a contencious point, and I dont want to cause
aggravation,..but here's my opinion:

If the Toyota engine uses the same metal in the head as other alloy-head
engines, I dont see why commercial aftermarket coolant is not OK. Having
said that, if the Toyota product is roughly the same price as the others,
I'd pick the Toy' product. However if this is not the case, I'd use a premix
not pure glycol which needs diluting, as tap-water can have precipitants
which will clog the radiator and possibly damage the pump-seal. The town
water where I live has vast amounts of some additive which leaves hard
flakes of chemical(s) in even cool systems such as evaporative coolers, so
the premix is essentail usung distilled water as it does.

Make sure you stick to the time-limits on the containers. Generally the more
potent the mix (more glycol usually) the longer the life.

I use 4 yr premix without any crud build-up I can see when I had to drop
some out due a t/stat replacement after a year.

Jason

 

[Guest]

You know, this whole damn thing about Toy AF has me a little ticked.

I don't like paying $18 a gallon for that "special Japanese magical
coolant."

On the other hand, how much coolant am I using each year?. So, just to
be a good sheep, and to err on the side of caution and protect a $17K
vehicle, I go ahead and pay the extra $12 and get the Toy coolant. The
bottle last me, what three years....

I have always, well since the 70s, used only distilled water for any
auto uses -- Coolant, batteries....