Hi guys!
We had the 4Runner ready for a winter trip in 2 weeks. It was parked inside the garage for the whole last month. I started the engine for 15 minutes a couple of weeks ago to keep engine alive, and everything was good. I saw a few drops under the engine this morning, it's coolant. I can't identify the leak origin because it's under the intake, I can't see and I can barely put my hands in that area. It's dripping over the oil filter and the diferential. A few drops, it's not a big mess, but I'd like to solve it before the trip.
Do you have any idea what the problem is? I'm going to take some photos to help the diagnose.
Help please!

 

Mine dripped down in the areas you mention when there was a seep from the thermostat housing,

but there are several different small hoses for the idle air control and throttle body heat as well as the intake manifold gasket itself to look a above those areas.

 

Is your engine bay very clean? If not, I recommend spraying some engine degreaser and hosing it off (cover distributor and fuse box with plastic bags)

Then get an engine inspection mirror and a strong light source and poke around the throttle body and intake plenum. It's the most likely place your leak is originating from. As mentioned, it's usually just a gasket or hose clamp problem.

 

22reperformance has a nice hose collection.
lcengineering probably too.
Replace everything.

Replace the radiator too if its the original one.

I hope it's dripping Toyota red coolant?

 

 

Besides the three hoses under the intake, there is a water pipe that bolts directly into the intake manifold from underneath and is sealed by an o-ring. This is in a 92, not sure if an 88 has that?

 

It's a very complicated area to work, I need to start dismounting I guess.

The engine bay's clean. After looking around with a flashlight and an inspection mirror, I can't find the origin of those drops, it'll be easy to find if it leaks more, but's only a couple of drops per day, on the floor at least.

I didn't replace the hoses, but they look in perfect shape, no cracks or signs of degradation, I'll take a better look, and probably change them for peace of mind.
Radiator is original, in very good shape and it's not leaking. New thermostat, new water pump. New fan clutch, new belts. The truck doesn't overheat, the cabin heaters blow hot air, the front and rear seats one. I replaced coolant and flushed the cooling system around 6 months ago. I used Toyota Red. We drove the 4R for 5000 miles since then. Everything was good.

As far as I know, we don't have the green coolant in EU, my 4R has all its maintenance records from a Toyota delarship, it uses Toyota Red coolant since it left Japan, 30 years ago.

I can see, from underneath the truck, a water pipe that bolts into the intake manifold two bolts looking down, with a drop of coolant in their head, I think those rings're the problem, but the leak can come from other side. Anyway, the question is, how can I access to that area to work, I need to start dismounting some parts. How did you replace yours?

Thank you very much for your help, guys!

 

I replaced that o-ring when I was doing a head gasket job, so had everything off. O-ring (there is only one) part # is 96711-24017, 2 bolts that secure pipe flange to intake are 90080-11227 (mine were rusted). Again, this was for a '92. If you have to remove upper plenum to gain access (not sure you have to?), gasket for that is 17176-35020 & EGR gasket would be 25628-35020. If you do have to remove the plenum, you will also need 2 crush washers for the cold start injector. I don't know part #s for that, I just bought a metric crush washer kit that has every size you will ever need for all fuel fittings on your truck & was only $11: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N2WHZ13/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

With the right combination of luck, wobble, extensions you can do it without removing anything. Cleaning it, machining it so the seal seals, not possible. So if it look rusty, take off the entire intake plenum. Them you can do all the other small hoses easy and fast.

 

Germany has pink and green off the shelf.
The Toyotas where not engineered around green, that is for certain.

I used green.
Now I don't.

 

i sometimes forget that some users are not located in north america.

on the other hand, i gave my '87 a pretty good "torture test" a few years ago. took it on a cross-country trip to see the american desert southwest. daytime temps were routinely over 100*F, and almost always in the 90s. spent four days in death valley, did some 4wheeling (slow speeds), air temperature was 124*F. in the end, put 8500 miles on it in 31 days. not one instance of running too warm/hot. needle stayed where it always does once at operating temp. all on green coolant. that same coolant now has 80K miles on it. i'm ok with that.

 

It has the same performance. Water without coolant "cools" best.
Not red will simply eat away at aluminum cooling channels until you keep blowing headgaskets and cannot even grind enough off the head to get it sealed because it has eaten away so much. Like 150K miles about. Just sharing my experience of driving one and the same truck, since 32 years

 

i've run prestone green coolant in every Toyota my family has ever owned and they all went high miles. Never even heard of red coolant.
Somebody please explain the technical difference. I'd like to know if I am doing it wrong. I have seen the wrong coolant eat freeze plugs on chevy V6 engines of the 90s. That is a known problem.

With regard to Toyota 4cyl head gaskets, my personal experience is original thermostats make it about 120k miles, fail and then overheat the engine warping the head. It's not the head gasket that fails but the head and gasket are collateral to the thermostat. Only the 6cyl had weak factory head gaskets back in the late 80's.

 

My 4R has the maintenance records from the same Toyota dealer until I bought it, they used Toyota Red Coolant. When I replaced all the fluids, I just put the same coolant I read in the records. I don't really know the difference, but anyway, as far as I know, we don't have green coolant in The EU, besides that the 22RE is not a common engine here, we have the 3Y, 4Y and a bunch of Toyota truck diesels. The 4Runner first gens were imported with the 22RE only.

 

I saw a couple of drops on the white board I put on the floor this morning, I removed the front passenger wheel and the oil filter access panel, but I can't find the ˟˟˟˟˟˟ leak, I'l ltake another look in the morning with better light.
Thank you guys!

 

The toyota red has an anti corrosion additive that most greens do not have. However if you flush your cooling system when you should corrosion should not be a problem.
To many on the road in North America with 300,000+ miles on stock motors running green coolant to make me believe that if you don't run red it will ruin your engine. But to each their own.

 

 

I do try to change mine at least every 100,000...

 

 

I have this same question. I want to know when Toyota first started using their own Toyota Red coolant in their vehicles. The first time I start seeing Toyota Red coolant mentioned in Toyota service literature is in the early to mid 1990s.

For reference, my 1987 Factory Repair Manual only states "Use a good brand of ethylene-glycol base coolant, mixed according to the manufacturers instruction."

My Owner's Manual gives the most information about coolant type under Winter Driving Tips:
"Make sure you have ethylene-glycol coolant in the radiator.
This is the type of coolant your new Toyota is delivered with and the type your dealer will always use. In addition to preventing corrosion and lubricating the water pump, this coolant will prevent freezing and subsequent damage to the engine block."

The above description is pretty vague and does not say anything about the coolant needing to be of the non-silicate type such as Toyota Red.

So far, I cannot pin down when Toyota officially started using Toyota Red.

I am currently using Prestone's universal green coolant as that is what was in it when I got the truck. Just note that if you are switching coolant types, it is essential to flush out all of the old coolant. Different coolant types usually do not mix well.

I hear Toyota Red might be phased out in the not too distant future as Toyota has been using the Toyota Pink Super Long Life coolant for new cars for a while now.