Power steering and Coolant lower than "witness" marks.

Recently picked up a 23 OR. Ill be honest, I looked under the hood, and under the vehicle. Obviously wasnt a full on inspection, but I pulled the trigger after a few months of searching. I made sure to buy one with the toyota used warranty. It is still under factory warranty as well.

Having a day off, Im going over the truck. Im very embarrassed to notice two blue sharpie marks that I didnt notice before. The photos provided show the levels cold.

Maybe the marks were taken warm. Im certainly going to check that tomorrow when I use the truck again. Im just a bit worried as to why they are there. Im hoping/ assuming it was just part of the check list to certify it for the used warranty. But the marks are only on these two tanks.

Does anyone know if these marks are standard practice to certify. Ive put about 2k miles on the truck and havent noticed any issues, but this is admittedly only the third time Ive raised the hood.

Thanks

 

I guess I should add that both are below the low mark, which I assume (especially with coolant) that thats when they should be measured.

 

Off the top of my head. Some of my marks are “Hot Full, Hot Low”, “Cold Full, Cold Low”. Others are “Full, Low.” My guess temperature is more critical on some than others.

 

Yeh. Now Im looking at the photos I took and see that the power steering one clearly says hot. lol

Idk, just trying to catch anything before warranty is up. Gonna check the diffs when I can.

Appreciate the response. Probably should have had the few beers after I went looking at shit.

 

You could crawl under and see if you have any active leaks.
But all you can really do is, fill them up to the proper level and keep an eye on it.

Well, maybe you shouldn’t do it. You could let the dealership do it.
That way they have notes if the fluid continues to drop.

 

Coolant reservoir level will fluctuate depending on how much is currently sucked into the system. Dexron 3 ATF for the power steering fluid, although some dealers use plain Johnsen's power steering fluid.

You could top both off and if they drop again take it back to the dealer. Have them note it in the system/inspect the truck for leaks.

 

Are you parked on a level surface when checking fluids?

 

I dont see any leaks or anything messy at all. The exhaust headers are a bit discolored, but It appears from normal heat.

Everything looks almost factory brand new. A little surface rust on some of the bolts underneath which is a bit of a bother, but apparently not unusual.

Im probably over worrying, but your comment about getting the dealership to document it is spot on and Im just trying to ascertain if I should be worried enough to take it. Which will cost me time and money.

 

Both are fine. Read your manual on how to check the fluids.

They have ranges, if you had both set to max they would be overfilled in the summer.

 

Maybe someone put the marks there to make them easier to see or they are just part of their pre-check delivery process. Before you add any fluids, check the levels when the truck is fully warmed up from a good drive and fill them to the "hot/full" line if they are low. When the engine is cold, the levels should be between the MAX/MIN line (p/s), and about halfway between the LOW and FULL line (coolant). IMO: the coolant level looks ok. Look for another line under where it indicates "LOW". You may have to look at the far side of the bottle near the bottom. Take care not to overfill the p/s fluid. It's easy to do because those lines probably represent less than an ounce. Check it when it's hot and running.

Welcome to TacomaWorld.

 

All the Toyotas from the Mexican plant have those sharpie marker lines on them.

I also have a bunch of graffiti written on my frame.

 

The closest I could get to level. So no. I will definitely check and compare it to being parked in the opposite direction. I was/ am mostly level with the nose being the higher end. So maybe that is it, but the difference between fluid and the sharpie mark sparked some fear in me.

 

So sounds like its just my own paranoia. Will obviously be keeping an eye on it. I keep vehicles for their whole life and am constantly worried about anything that could be wrong with this truck. Knowing that its new(ish) and under warranty has really been great since I dont always worry away any smell or sound that may or may not be from the truck, like I do in my other vehicles. I just have no faith in anyone or institution and am not in a financial situation where "its no big deal". Things change, but I plan on this truck lasting the rest of my life.

I appreciate the replies.

 

More than likely they (factory) marked them when it was fully warmed up as a final verification. I think you're good on both, but run it by the dealer. That's what
brandy-new truck warranties are for!

 

Definitely will do. I just have limited free time. Honestly the idea that those are likely marks from the factory and are still so fresh looking has alleviated a lot of my worry.

 

it's good to keep an eye on fluid levels, however, being that you didn't make the marks, you also can't know the conditions they were made under. the truck might not have been level, or at a different operating temperature.

i would recommend spraying some brake cleaner on a paper towel and cleaning those marks off, they're only going to mess with you more.

it's not a bad idea to have marks there, and make your own, but my preference is to make those marks when the vehicle is cold, and in my vehicles garaged parking spot-- that way, any pitch of the area i'm checking is accounted for, and i get a more accurate reading.

i would suggest to continue to keep an eye on it, my '14 brz when purchased new, was down to zero coolant in the reservoir after 3 months, but i had never checked it before that time, so it might have had an air bubble from the factory, and since refilling, it's never fluctuated much since.

but all fluids are going to fluctuate a little depending on hot/cold/running/pre-start, and in the case of fluids like antifreeze, it has a water content that will gradually boil off over time as well.

 

If you are in a cold or extreme-cold weather area, that coolant level in the bottle can drop a lot after the truck has been sitting. Mine usually sits about half-way between the indications this time of year, but when it drops to the teens, single numbers or below 0, it can retreat to just a couple of fingers above "LOW" line. It always recovers to "FULL" if I happen to check it when the engine is hot.

 

Makes sense. Ill def make marks on the tanks for when Im in my usual parking spot. I check my fluid levels hot and cold, but have always gauged leakage off differences in cold marks with some thought to ambient temps and systems holding a bit more for whatever reason.

 

Totally normal to feel this way with a new vehicle. Especially when you fork over lots of money for them. Big ticket item for our family. I too like to keep my vehicles for the long haul, 14-15 years or more. If it makes sense, barring no catastrophic failures. Mine is 3 years old and I'm now used to the quirks and nuances of this truck. Still edgy about being hit and dumb ass drivers out there. Great place to learn about these trucks too.

Also a great resource here.

https://youtu.be/b6tRAQ_r0Ms?si=VKeo2AdjjTFxSiSN

 

My truck had the same mark on the coolant reservoir when I bought it new in 2020. It was built in Mexico. I don't have any coolant leaks. I had it inspected while it was up on a rack yesterday. Interesting that SH10151 posted that all the trucks from the Mexican plant are marked the same.