Coolant Burp

I was attempting to burp the cooling system today and noticed when I took the cap off of the radiator that my coolant was very orange. I am wondering if that is just an indicator that it is time for a drain/refill, or if it is indicative of something else being amiss. Thanks.

 

The Toyota Pink coolant will get darker as it ages but that almost looks like GM DexCool.

If the service history of the coolant is unknown I would reccomend flushing the cooling system and putting the correct coolant in it.

 

This.

Looks like it's been filled with something else. Good idea to flush out but that is a lot more involved than just a drain and refill. IMO a flush is the correct course of action here.

 

That is a possibility. I added Toyota sllc pink stuff to the reservoir yesterday since I noticed it was low. Before I added it, the remaining coolant in the reservoir looked pink; should I be concerned about having possible mixed coolant types? Also if there are any threads/videos/resources for a DIY coolant flush that would be helpful, trying to avoid paying to have it done.

 

It is a process, but worth it.

Plan:
Flush out old coolant with distilled water, then flush out distilled with Toyota Pink. It's okay to have the system have more water than antifreeze, especially if in warm climate like AZ. My Supra only has about a 35% coolant mixture.

Proces:
Drain radiator
Fill with 100% distilled water
Run engine with heater on and coolant funnel still in 1/4-1/2 full for a ~30-45 sec then turn off
Drain radiator
Repeat until it's mostly clear (took 18 gal of distilled on my Supra to fully flush - aka did this like 9 times)
Fill with Toyota coolant, run engine for 30-45 sec and turn off and then drain
If happy with the color, final fill with Toyota coolant. If not, refill and drain again with Toyota until satisfied
Run engine with Toyota coolant in funnel with heater on until heater blows very hot
Close up system and drive like normal
Check coolant level after the first few drives to make sure all bubbles are out
Done

Can also drain block to speed up the process, but you might need additional seals for that.

 

My block drains were a steel fitting threaded in the block, with a tapered brass plug - no gaskets or seals. Pretty easy to get to with swivel sockets and fender liners removed. Mine popped right open without a fight, but your experience may differ..

 

That's why I said may. I don't know the specifics of that engine, but the process is the same.

 

Could be dexcool or just old and nasty pink coolant. Drain, flush, and refill with pink. Any pink/Asian coolant will work. (OEM, Valvoline Zerex, Peak, ect)

 

I agree that a flush is a way to go, however, I unfortunately suffer from being a broke student and don't currently have the time to do it myself or the money to pay for a flush. Is it much of a risk to put this off? Since I already added SLLC pink coolant to the reservoir, does this add any urgency to getting a flush?

 

You don't need a flush just because the color under the cap isn't what you expected. If the color in the reservoir is pink then you're probably fine. Don't overthink it.

 

I've always been of the mindset of mixing is bad. Chances are you will be okay, but it's not something I would do, especially with an unknown preexisting coolant type.

Doing a flush yourself isn't very expensive. A gallon of distilled is like $1.39 (plan on $10-20 in distilled) an then a minimum 2 jugs of the Toyota pink coolant (can be found in the $20 range each) or whatever else is recommended on here. I upgrade many of my fluids but generally stick to factory coolant.

 

You're not supposed to mix coolant types.

Drain it, then if you don't have access to deionized water just shove a garden hose in the radiator and let it run while the lower radiator drain is open. Engine running. Once it drains clean from the bottom of the radiator, drain it again and then refill and burp the system with the pink coolant. A 2 liter soda bottle cut in half and turned upside down can be used for a cheap funnel while burping the radiator.

 

I'll try to do a flush myself, but had a few questions. I found a video in which a guy disconnects a coolant hose, and lets it a garden hose run into the coolant hose until the coolant draining out the bottom is clear (3:13). Is that a viable option or does it need to be distilled water? Additionally, just to clarify it's not a big deal if there's still some water left in the system from the flush. It still gets well below freezing at nights where I am, and my truck isn't garage-kept. If its a concern, do I just repeat the process?

Hope you'll excuse my ignorance, I am not the most automotive/mechanically savvy person and I'm trying to make sure I don't create any more problems for myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJMjN0KtDXw

 

Distilled/Deionized water is ideal, because hard minerals in regular tap water can etch the inside of the block and potentially cause issues. You can pull the lower radiator hose and let it drain from that while running a garden hose at the top of the radiator. Garden hose can be 1/2 to 3/4 flow or whatever. Engine running of course.

After the flush and final drain there won't be enough water in the block to make a fuss over if it's just regular tap water.

I don't know about the 2nd gens, but the 3rd gens have a drain on the passenger side of the engine block.

Otherwise, just refill with pink coolant after the flush and final drain.

As far as burping, turn the heater on full blast and let the engine run. Once the thermostat opens it'll suck down whatever's in the radiator and you can add a little more. You can squeeze the upper radiator hose during the process to encourage burping.

Whatever you drain, 2 gallons or so, it should take on refill.

 

I usually just unhook the heater hoses and pull the radiator hoses off the radiator, open any accessible drains and flush through everything with a garden hose until it's clear then let it drain, hook everything back up, and refill with the right mix of coolant and distilled water.

If you open the radiator drain and both block drains you will drain 95% of the coolant, at that point it takes almost exactly 2 gallons to refill so either 2 gallons of pre-mix or 1 gallon of concentrate and 1 gallon of distilled water.


A spill proof funnel works best to fill so you can let it run with the funnel in place so the air can escape without overflowing.

2 block drains 1 radiator drain, passenger side block drain is easy to get at but the driver's side not so much. If you open the passenger side drain and radiator drain you will get all but about a quart out.

 

It's not ignorance..asking questions is how you learn, man.

How long have you owned the truck?

 

If that the original Coolant just flush it. It's pretty easy, just follow step by step from YouTube. I bought no spill collant kit from Amazon to make it super easy. Buy concentrated coolant from autozone, it's cheaper.

 

Owned for two years, only been getting into DIY maintenance for the last 6ish months.

 

Be sure to only flush with distilled water. Well water and public water is full of stuff that should never be in a cooling system.

 

As a final update, I did a flush yesterday, was tedious but easy. It looks like it was just aged pink coolant, not dexcool or another universal coolant, but I was overdue for a flush anyways. Appreciate the help.