radiator flush problems....

Today I decided to flush my radiator. I purchased 3 gals of Toyota coolant pink long life. I also purchased prestone radiator cleaner and 5 gals of distilled water. Here is what I did after reading several posts and talking with a few people.

I removed skid plate and attached a 3/8" ID tubing to radiator spigot and drained radiator. I removed about one gal of pink coolant. There was a small amount of deposits in the fluid. I then added the prestone cleaner and about a gal of distilled water. started engine and ran for 10 minutes with heater on high then the radiator kicked in and I let it run or cycle for about 15 minutes.

After it cycled for 15 minutes, I allowed the engine to cool and drained the radiator. The contents was still pink but slightly clearer in color. I added more distilled water until the radiator was full. I started the engine with heater on and the radiator drain open and continued to flush the remaining 3-4 gals of distilled water through and drained. after all the water had gone through the radiator I started pouring in the Toyota coolant. My problem is that now i have only used 1.5 gals and it takes 2.5 gals. I've burped it and driven a few miles down the road. What have I done wrong??? I read where some people drained the block and some didn't. I'm at 89k miles and wanted to do it right. Thanks for your help and go easy on me as this is my first radiator flush.

 

yea you definitely should have drained the block, I have a picture of the passenger side drain.


you can see my black hose running to it. once you locate it, you will easily find the driver side in about the same relation to the uca.

its a 10mm brass nut that I could only break loose with a ratchet and a train of wobble extensions.

 

is it the bolt directly above the uca bushing in your pic?

what should I do? go get another gal of coolant from Toyota tomorrow and drain the block and the radiator? Do I need to flush with distilled water again? radiator cleaner again too? Thanks

 

By not draining the block your water diluted the coolant that was left there and used up some of the space for your new coolant. I'd get a antifreeze hydrometer and see what the mix is in your truck. Ideally if you use a coolant cleaner the "whole" system should then be evacuated to get all the cleaner out.

I would have loosend the block drains and taken off the lower radiator hose too. Used garden hose water to flush the rad out, fill with water and cycle it, then drain it again. Fill with all fresh stuff and top off when needed.

 

I would definitely flush it again with water to try and get rid of the cleaner.

and no, its not that bolt, the one just left of it. the dark line is actually the hose I had connected. you can locate each drain by looking just behind or inline with the rear uca hingepoint on both sides.

 

Ok. I just went and looked at my truck. I think I found it. There is a brass bolt with a small pipe underneath it that you attached a 1/4" ID tube too. Is that it? Just attached tube and loosen bolt and that open flow to the tube?

 

The radiator itself should hold 2 gallons. Sometimes it acts like it is done draining but its not. Jiggle the hose a little and it will start running again, you have to open the valve all the way to where it feels like its about to fall out. It takes awhile but it will slowly drain at least 2 gal out. On a first gen the whole system only holds 10qts so leaving a little in the block, heater core and hose is not going to hurt anything. I drained 2 full gal of coolant, added 2 gal distilled water and turned on heater and drove. Then drained 2 gal out again and added 2 more gal of water and drove with heater on again. It took 6 gallons of water to completly flush the old coolant out. Then added 2 gallons 50/50 back which shoul have put me about 60/40 water to coolant.

 

Yes that is it.

 

Thanks Tim

 

try this link,if you have not found it .A VERY GOOD example of the procedure.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/88414-correct-way-drain-fill-4-0-antifreeze.html

 

today i redid the radiator flush.

followed these instructions:
At 88,000 miles, I changed the coolant in my 05 Tacoma PreRunner, 4.0 engine in the follow manner:
Step1 - drained the radiator by opening the drain plug on the driver's side of the radiator.
Warning: removing the skid plate is an absolute must in order to accomplish this.
Step 2 - on the passenger side of the engine, just above the engine mount is a drain point for the engine block, simply slide a 3/8" inch (brake hose is great) over the drain point and open it by a 10MM socket.
Step 3 - now close both drain points (the radiator and engine block).
Step 4 - I actually removed the thermostat housing and removed the thermostat that is spring loaded inside of it. Reattached the housing without the thermostat .
Step 5. Disconnect the top radiator hose which is on the passenger side. Take a garden house and push it into the radiator neck. Start the engine and let it idle. Turn water on to garden house. At the point you are doing a flush of the cooling system. You have water running through the radiator and throughout the entire cooling system and it exits by way of the disconnected top hose. Warning! It is a great ideal to ram a 1" house into the top radiator hose and have sufficient length to run to a drainage pan.
6. Step 6 - water goes clear and come out clear.
7. Shut the engine off - open the radiator drain and drain the radiator and close the drain. Open the engine block drain, drain it and close the drain point. Regardless of what you have been told, there is no drain point on the driver's side of the engine on a V6 4.0 engine.
8. Now remove the thermostat housing and reload the thermostat.

My problem is that i can only get 1.5 gals of coolant in it? what am i doing wrong?

 

How much coolant did you get out of the radiator its self, it should hold about 2 gallons. It took me probaly about 15 to 20 minutes to completely drain the radiator. The first gallon drained pretty fast the second gal took forever.

 

drained blcok and radiator dry. they drained for at least 20 minutes.

 

Why can I only get 1.5 gals in

 

same thing happened with me... i only got about 1.5 gallons in. no big deal, just keep the .5 with you and check it periodically. your truck wont blow up.

 

How long ago was that for you? It unnerves me knowing this

 

Like mid may. And I live in louisiana...90 degrees in a cool day here. I watch my water temp n the scan gauge and there is no problems. Stays around 182-188 deg F.

 

You only opened one block drain? There are two, one on each side.

 

Some people say there are two. Some say one. I drained passenger side. I looked for 15 minutes for drivers side and did not see it. I looked through wheel well, above engine, and below engine. Nothing.

 

There are two drains, which explains why you have trouble fitting all the 2 gal. of coolant in. There is a video in the coolant drain/refill thread that shows where.