knuckle-head move -- radiator flush

Doing a radiator flush I filled the over-fill reservoir to the top. Don't ask. I see it has a over-fill by-pass but how exactly do these things work. During the 1st heat-up & flushing process it pulled all the fluid from the reservoir draining it completely so I filled it up but during the 2nd heat up phase it hasn't done this and the reservoir is still full. I guess it will blow it all out the drain on the top?

 

Turkey baster?

 

idle the engine with the radiator cap off, and casually squeeze on the big hoses. you should be able to see the coolant flowing with the cap off, add coolant if you don't see any flowing, once the thermostat opens and the engine is warmed up check the level.

put the cap back on last.

you might want to suck out some of the fluid in the resovior.

 

The extra should just dump out of the overflow hose, onto the ground.

 

another question is how lean or rich of a mixture can you run. we don't have the 50/50 stuff here. its just the 100% full strength and my accounting tells me I am somewhere in the 50% but it could be a bit lower. I know I can go to 65% with no problem

 

+1 on keeping the Toyota red.

A few years I ended up getting a jug of 100% that I diluted myself with a second jug.

But I think they only sell the 50/50 now.

 

here all they sell is the Toyota long life red @ 100%. there is no premix sold in the area I am at. Its Toyota branded antifreeze

BTW -- I am back in Mexico right now not Redmond WA.

 

Yea, those things should be a standard item in any well equipped tool box. Cant tell you how many times ive used one for different jobs

 

Toyota's current red coolant is an OAT (Organic Acid Technology, like DexCool), which like most Japanese coolants contains phosphates but no silicates.

It differs from DexCool primarily in that it lacks 2-EHA, which Toyota seems to believe creates some problems with gaskets.

From what I've seen the current Honda Coolant is about the same despite the color difference.

If you own only Toyotas their coolant makes a lot of sense.

Universal antifreezes, which are usually some version of a DexCool clone, often contain 2-EHA, which is something of a no-no.

In my own fleet, which includes the Tacoma which came with the red fluid, a Honda which has the pink coolant, a DexCool GM & two Fords, I've settled on G-05 for the foreigns, which is factory fill on Ford, Chrysler, Mercedes, and some others.

The slight trace of silicates doesn't seem to cause any problems in years of use, I and it's pretty much as close to a universal coolant I've been able to find.

I flushed my Tacoma @ 110k when I got it & will flush it around 150k for good measure. The G-05 is about half the price of the Toyota stuff

 

Imagine how I feel! I have to carry 12 different types of coolant in the parts room because I have no idea who is bringing in what car! lmao. The worst is the Mercedes coolant at MY cost of $25 per gallon.

 

I work in fleet; Chevys, fords, chryslers, Internationals, Cat's & freightshakers all get the same kool-aid

 

We get everything in here from Mercedes to BMW, Lexus, Toyota, GM, Ford...yadayada.