Coolant change necessary?

Took me longer to read this than it did to change the coolant.

 

what he said ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

Anyone know what size of clear hose for the drain?

 

I don't know. I just happened to have a stash of hoses from various things I've collected over the years. I found something that fit. That's all I remember.

 

Maybe it’s the same size as the block drains 7/16?

 

Nothing wrong with universal anti-freeze - I use Walmart's SuperTech green anti-freeze. The directions state it is formulated for all makes and models and all colors. No need to buy overprice corporate anti-freeze. All the vehicles in my household (except the 2018 RX350) were flushed at 100K and the OEM coolant replaced with green universal coolant. Never had any cooling issues. When I replaced the water pump, as preventive maintenance in the ES350 at 200K a few months ago, the inside of the block was clean as was the inside of the water pump. There was sediment at the bottom of the coolant bucket, but no more than when I dumped out the OEM coolant. Which brings me to my second point - it is good practice to do a coolant flush. I've never done one where there was no sediment at the bottom of the catch bucket.

Here is how I flush:
1-Loosen then hand-tighten the radiator drain cock and the engine block drain valves.
2-Bring engine to normal operating temp, to ensure the thermostat opens and coolant picks up as much sediment as possible as it circulates.
3-Quickly drain the radiator coolant. You can let it cool some, but not a lot so that the sediment doesn't fully settle down. Let coolant drain some before loosening, but not completely removing, the radiator cap. Loosening the cap will help the coolant drain quicker and smoother at the drain cock.
4-While radiator is draining, drain coolant from the engine block valves.
5-When coolant stops draining, fill the system with distilled water.
6-Bring engine to normal operating temp, adding distilled water to top off, and to avoid overheating the engine.
7-Repeat steps 3 & 4, once. (less you be stuck in this cycle.)
8-Fill system with appropriate level of concentrated universal anti-freeze - 5 qts for V6; 4.5 qts for the I4. 9-Top off with distilled water, accordingly. Check coolant level weekly for a month or so.
If you are going to replace the thermostat, jump in after step 4