Howdy folks, my T100 is overdue for a coolant change. It's got the genuine Toyota red stuff in it and this will be the 1st time I am changing it since I bought it used about 35K miles ago. A good buddy of mine, and ASE certified mechanic 30+yrs, told me he did not like the red stuff, said it can cause leaks, especially around the W-pump seal. He told me to use the universal formula stuff. Is there a "good coolant" vs "bad coolant" to use in my Yota motor?

8lugnuts

 

Well I guess all the Toyotas with the red stuff in them will all just overheat now cause your friend is color prejudice.

Use whatever is in it now so you don't mix colors and cause a jump in global warming.

 

The Toyota red coolant is one of the best or the coolant they use in German cars which was blue. I do not know if they still do use it or not. If you read the ingredients of the Toyota red coolant versus the green coolant you would see a big difference.

My vote for "BEST" coolant would be Toyota factory red coolant.

James

 

I know up here in Canada, and I'm sure in the US there is 'long-life coolant' and then there is 'extra long-life coolant'. The extra long life stuff is used in the newer vehicles.
I cant remember what the difference is other than price. It had some fancy stuff in it from what I remember reading in the ingredients.

 

What difference does coolant make? I used generic prestone stuff from wal-mart. My engine seems to be burning the coolant. I've already replaced the headgasket...but it still likes to burn it. Could toyota red be thicker and not burn?

 

Dont think there is a difference in thickness. I'd check for external coolant leaks...drips or white powdery buildup around the waterpump or hoses.

To check the waterpump take off the timing belt cover(its plastic) and get a mirror or look at it with a good flashlight.

Check your oil and make sure there isnt any coolant in there either...that would mean you have even more to worry about than another head gasket!

Try searching 'coolant loss'

 

DupermanDave, if a motor is "burning" coolant then there may be a serious problem. I once had an '86 K20 'Burb 4x4 which leaked little bits of coolant out of the radiator but only when it heated up and built up pressure. It burned it off before it ever hit the ground.

JamesD: the German shops usually use Mercedes amber coolant (Zerex G05 equivalent)
In all my years owning Saabs & Volvos I never found a more coherent explanation of coolant & cooling systems since finding Mr. SaabTech himself, Tom Townsend. I believe the stock MOPAR stuff is the same as the Zerex Amber (Mercedes) stuff (Zerex G05).

waskillywabbit: "using whatever is in it now" was my thinking until I s/w my old landlord aka ASE Mechanic. He related lots of incidents where he would be replacing timing belts on Yota's because the red stuff would leak out the WPump seal, drip on the belt, cause it to harden, then make it jump a tooth or two over time. He said he observed this on lots of Toyota motors.

Flushing and adding a different fluid may work immediately, but I am wondering what it will do to my seals & gaskets in the long-run. That's why I wanted to know if anyone ever heard of problems with the red stuff and replaced it with something else.

 

Go orange it works with everything (since the green which worked great for 80 years is now non-existant) ethylene glycol is the base of all antifreezes only differant color add different chemicals and amounts for corrosion resistance (and none work)

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackspyder

Go orange it works with everything (since the green which worked great for 80 years is now non-existant) ethylene glycol is the base of all antifreezes only differant color add different chemicals and amounts for corrosion resistance (and none work)

hey blackspyder, I see you're in Huddleston, I'm about 20min. outside of Lynchvegas: Do you mean the GM DEX II stuff (orange)? My Yota manuals are pretty vague about coolant, they simply mention using a ethylene glycol solution. If you read the article at the SaabTech link I posted you will learn just how different the various brands are. But some guys I s/w (mostly Saab/Volvo guys) swear the green stuff causes no long-term problems with gaskets/seals and works just as well as the amber Zerex G05 stuff.

My T100 has been recalled 2X for head gasket issues, replaced both times by the dealer. I don't know if it was coolant related but I want to make sure I use the right stuff when I do the flush-n-fill.

RU sure the green stuff isn't made anymore? I still have an open jug of Prestone from when I had my '86 'Burb, and it's green. I think it's about 3-4yrs old.

Read Townsend's article, it's good.

 

They Still Make the Green but you have to buy in bulk (55 gal. barrels) or pay a premium for it (last gallon I bought a FleetPride for $15 but I had to have it right then and there). I meant the generic coolant (if its Orange, Yellow, or Red is beyond me I'm color blind) its only $10 a gallon and has worked fine for 3 vehicles now (S10, Blazer, Yota) with no ill effects.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFf6F...eature=related

 

Not a big fan of the extended life coolants. Both dexcool(orange) and toyota red after a few years start to form a crystal like deposit all through the cooling system. I use regular old green ethylene glycol antifreeze in everything and flush out the extended life stuff around 100,000 miles. The one thing that can be an issue is if the vehicle is still under warranty-if it is, than use the vehicle specified coolant to keep the warranty valid.

 

If by orange you mean DexCool I don't think you are supposed to mix it. I have read it congeals or whatever you call it and will plug up your cooling system.

Rob

 

I read that and believed it too. Made sense then PenRay Chemicals came to work to explain their new "Additive Replacement" Filters (adds chemicals when the levels get too low) and said that it didn't matter. The Bossman (being the penny pincher that he is) made us start mixing the Red, Green, Pink, and Orange till we had only one kind of Antifreeze (we had 2 but IH can't decide what color they put in at the factory). We've got 100 trucks with 500k+ miles and haven't had an issue yet, but we stay really on top of everything too.

But I was wrong, I meant yellow. Found that AZ still carries green too.

 

so the moral is: if your toy WP fails and coolant leaks on to the timing belt, the mechanic will blame the coolant(red or ???), not the WP failure.
thats a good reason for changing them together




those crazy engineers spent a lot of time and money to lay claim to whats 'best'
best is relative anyways, best/better for a toy motor doesnt cross to bmw best.

 

so the moral is: if your toy WP fails and coolant leaks on to the timing belt, the mechanic will blame the coolant(red or ???), not the WP failure.
thats a good reason for changing them together




those crazy engineers spent a lot of time and money to lay claim to whats 'best'
best is relative anyways, best/better for a toy motor doesnt cross to bmw best.

i put red back in the 3.4, but used green in the 22re for over 300K mi

 

Any coolant will do this if you don't change your coolant often enough. Prestone and related coolants typically do this at a faster rate, and will eat through the aluminum of your head if left unchanged for several years. Not changing the coolant is the #1 killer of head gaskets on the 22R and 3VZ engines.

 

I just use water and that window de-icer stuff you put in your windshield washer reservoir and I haven't had any trouble yet. As long as it doesn't freeze who cares right.

 

napa sells the green and its just as cheap as any other, Im a fan of the green and use that in all my vehicles, tho being a diesel tech I see every color there is, and just so you all know it actually isn't bad to mix different coolants I just don't like too, it also makes a nasty brown color. lol. So my vote is green, but whatever really. lol

 

I was told that there are three MAIN colant manufatures in the USA. And they guy told me they all have to follow the same guidlines and regulations.. So virtually they are all the same... I know prestone I think it is you can mix it...