Low coolant, empty reservoir- RESOLVED

Hey guys,

New to TW and Toyotas in general! I just got back from a 200 mile road trip.
Checked all my fluids the next day and found my coolant reservoir empty. I did not check it since I bought it. I’ve had it for 4 months about Now and has 4000 miles on it. Seems to be running fine. I will probably just too it off and watch it.
If it falls low again I’ll bring it to the dealer for a coolant system pressure test. Anyone else have this issue? Also I had to top off my transmission and rear diff fluid as well from factory. I was having loud clanking noises from my transmission and my rear diff seemed noisy. Both have been remedied.


2022 Tacoma sport access cab.

 

Fill it and keep an eye on it.

 

If you’re able, check under your truck for any signs of the pink coolant. I had the same thing happen to me and found out the coolant pipe on the back of the engine was leaking. Everything ran fine and no other signs. Just a suggestion since it just happened to me a few months ago.

 

In B4 "that's not normal, take it to the dealer right now".

 

Was it a steady dripping from the hose?
I have no leaks when it’s running or sitting. My guess is it was like that from the factory and nobody bothered to check it. Either that or it’s burning coolant which is very unlikely since it’s a brand new 3.5 motor.

 

I will give it another shot. If it does it again then taking it in.

 

It must have been and when I crawled under the truck and shined a flashlight in every nook and cranny, I found a big mass of crusted coolant all over the bypass pipe. Was probably a fine crack that was leaking for who knows how long. But you’re probably right about being low from the factory cause my truck is a 2017, yours is brand new.

 

Could be just from factory under filled
When the truck is cold, add some pink stuff to the reservoir cap, not the radiator cap.
drive the truck for a couple of days and check, if still low, repeat.
If there's no leak and no burning coolant, you should soon reach a point that the level in the reservoir stays between cold and hot and stay there.
If you have to repeat again and again, then something else is going on.

 

Hoping this is a one time fill. Thanks for the info mate. I wonder if they fill it to the line in the factory and then it lowers as empty parts of the coolant system start to decavitate as coolant moves in. I noticed they did put a fill line from the factory that was even higher than the max level. They probably fill it higher at the factory and then it lowers. The dealer I bought it from is a “as is/no negotiation” dealer. From what I’m seeing with having to top off my fluids this dealer did not do the pre inspection. They probably don’t feel the desire to check any of the fluids, so crap baskets.

 

How do people not check their stuff over more carefully? I look at my engine every weekend check my fluids go over my truck looking for anything new that pops up. At least this way I can say for sure what it looked like to begin with then go from there. If you never look at the start how do you know this didn’t come empty? Which has happened I wish I was so rich I could ignore any problems on anything I purchase in perpetuity. Or maybe it’s because I’m an older guy who learned to take care of his stuff.

 

While you have a valid warranty, it is always best to take it in just to get the issue documented in your records. If you topped off the transmission fluid, did you check it at the correct temperature? My Sport came one quart low of transmission fluid. I checked it at the correct temp range than took it to the dealer to have them re-check it and put a quart in so it got documented.

 

I’m not rich by any means. I don’t inspect my truck every weekend.
I check once between oil changes.(sometimes I forget).

I wouldn’t have bought a Toyota if it needed weekly inspection.

Is that negligence? Maybe.

Do I have other things I need to worry about? Yes.

And I too would not have inspected the fluid levels on a new truck. They actually have a person that is supposed to do just that. It is called a PPI. PrePurchase Inspection.

I guess maybe I trust people too much?

 

The rear coolant bypass on the back of the engine is known to leak even on brand new models.

 

There are more important things In life than my truck.
I bought a Tacoma so I would have one less thing to worry about. My FIL is 95. My MIL is 91. My SIL has no husband so I have to check her water softener and other things.
My daughter married a guy who does not know which end of the hammer to hold.
Everything above is more important than checking my fluids, but I manage every few thousand miles.
Remember what is important, and no, I am not made of money, just a lot of responsibility.

 

You might want to take this back to the dealer and start screaming Lemon Law and demand they replace your engine with an extra Million mile warranty at no charge.
Just kidding, but i did find this funny...

Hahaha I thought those people only existed in fiction books, wtf.

 

We all have things we do and don’t know.
I know people just as mention above, they don’t know how to basic DIY stuff.

But those same people are also the ones that an do advanced medical procedures.

I know a few doctors that have no idea how a car works. Nor do they care to know. They would rather know how the human body works.

 

Disappointing to hear. AMD thought they may have revised the part in 2018 but can't confirm.

 

I expect anything during the current state of the labor shortages everywhere.

 

I did the good ole fashion pump up to the fill hole for the trans. I then drove it around and everything seems fine. I only added like .4 quarts. Which is oddly the same amount of transmission fluid that goes in the R156F manual tranny. Maybe they just mixed up the transmission or they just fill them all to the 2.3 quarts. The 6 cylinder (RC62F manual tranny) gets 2.6 qts of fluid and the 4 cylinder gets 2.3 qts.

 

My buddy has a 2016 and I don’t think he had any issues. Maybe they replaced it already or he got lucky.