Radiator Flush...

Good thing this happen at home, instead of on the road. Replaced the radiator lastnight.

 

Aftermarket radiator was $203.00, dealership wanted $302.00 plus tax.

 

Way back in the day, I used the garden hose flush kits on my cars. Then I discovered how bad mineral deposits were for radiators and cooling passages...now I go with distilled water only, and I don't know of any way to "flush" with that, unless I get a 100 gallon tank and put it up on stilts for pressure.

My last car, I would drain the radiator and engine and then refill with 50/50 distilled water/coolant mix. Not really a "flush", but it got the job done.

 

Anyone know of a DIY guide with pics for a 2nd Gen?

 

x2 ^^^^^

 

It seems there are several opinions on coolant servicing the 2nd Generation Tacoma (05-011). Here is what I've done in the past and it has served me well. First, remove the skid plate to get access to the radiator drain cock on the diver's side of the engine and drain into a anti-freeze drain pan that you can pickup at any parts store. Once the radiator is drained, close the drain cock. Next, there is a coolant drain cock on the driver's and passenger's side of the engine. Driver's side cock is above the starter and below the exhaust manifold. The Passenger's drain cock is above the engine mount. Open and drain both cocks and then close them. Third, move the thermostat housing, remove the thermostat from the housing and reattach the housing (it is smart to buy a new thermostat housing assembly with thermostat, Amazon has the best price). Fill the radiator with distilled water (3 gallons should be sufficient). Start the engine, run for 10 minutes with the heater wide open. BEWARE OF FLUSHES, they can etch the aluminum material of the engine. Distilled water will not damage the internal walls of the engine block plus the distilled water will add in removing what residue of the old antifreeze is left in the engine. Fourth, open radiator drain cock, drain the radiator and close the drain cock. Fifth, open both engine block drain cocks, drain and close the drain cocks. Now is the time to replace the thermostat with housing assembly. Sixth, fill the radiator with the Toyota 50/50 Long Life Antifreeze (again Amazon has the best price). Be certain you have three gallons on hand. Leaving the radiator cap off, start the engine and turn on the heater full blast. This will circulate the coolant and leaving the cap off will remove any air bubbles. I also press the upper and lower radiator hoses a few times while the engine is running. Add coolant as necessary to bring to full level. Finally install a new radiator cap. Remount skid plate. Check for leaks. You are all done.

 

My procedure:
I don't worry about flushing; the quality of the coolant these days is good for 10 years. If there is debris in the system, it's probably better to leave it alone rather than hope the flush ejects thru the flush taps, rather that it being trapped in the radiator or other point in the engine.
At about 8 years, I'll drain, replace upper/lower radiator hoses, refill with Toyota coolant and call it good.

 

Changed my coolant today and also replaced serpentine belt, radiator hoses, and thermostat. I also changed over to Walmart's Super Tech cause it says it's for all models and types of coolants. I flushed all the old coolant with distilled water. The

$34 Lisle 24680 Spill-Free Funnel, Standard Adapters, 11 x 7 x 7"es

Lisle 24680 kit came in very handy to re-fill the radiator and purge out air gaps.

As has been mentioned, you drain coolant from the engine block from two drain valves, one on each side of the engine and accessible via the debris flaps in the tire wells. The driver side is hard to see and a challenge to access - I had to remove the tire and use a wobble extension to open the valve. Also used a 20-inch piece of 5/16 ID tubing to draw the coolant into the drain container. On the passenger side, you can leave the tire in place if you have enough extensions.

Next challenge was replacing the thermostat. It has three hard to reach 10-mm nuts. The fan shroud makes very difficult to access the nuts unless you have smallish hands. I removed a bracket and a bolt to better access the inner nut; also used a magnet to hold the nut in place to screw it back on.

Switched out the hose clamps with the standard worm drive style. And, as I've done before, I put a tiny amount of silicone inside the hose ends to make the hoses easier to install and remove.

Test drive revealed no leaks or problems. Full speed ahead ...

 

It's not for a flush but coolant change
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/61-2nd-generation-2005-2015/393435-coolant-change-1gr-fe.html

 

Second time for belts, hoses, and thermostat - how many miles on the truck and when did you change it first time ???. Thanks for any reply.

 

I was a bad boy; I kept pushing off the coolant change. This was the first time replacing, at 139K miles. My test kit showed coolant was good down to zero degrees but the kit does not test for akilinity, which can lead to chemical electrolysis. I didn't think to check for electrolysis corrosion with a voltmeter before disposing of the coolant. There was hardly any debris in the old coolant, and the hoses are in excellent condition, inside and out. They do have a light white film inside. Radiator inside looks good. I ordered a bottle of Lubegard Kool-It to provide further protection from chemical eletrolysis, but I realize I may have done some damage already for delaying so long. And the only reason I changed it now was because I notice deep cracks in the belt.

 

My 2 cents.

If you buy a truck new or one used that you KNOW was properly maintained, then flushing is not needed.

Drain radiator and both engine block drains(passenger and driver side of block) and do not wait for 100K to do so. My drain intervals are time-based; not mileage-based.
I never keep coolant in an engine more than 3 yrs. and I don't care who made it or what claims come with it.

Then again, there are people here who go forever w/o changing anything and they seem to do OK.

Go figure.

 

I agree with you on time based intervals rather than mileage based. Example: My father has a 99-02 Tacoma. I'm not quite sure on the year but it's a late 1st gen. He doesn't drive it at all anymore. I would say it has less than 40,000 miles on but all the fluids except the oil are over 12 years old, no Bueno.

 

Thanks for reply. Hopefully you'll be fine. I just drain from the radiator drain every 30k or so - I don't touch the engine - bin using Zerex Asian - it less then Toyota and has HOAT. Wonder what the average life of the belt is ??