How often you guys change coolant and power steering fluid?

I’m approaching 50k mile on my 2022 tacoma. Do I change the coolant and power steering fluid at 50k?

 

Yes. Along with brake fluid as a minimum

 

Coolent? On a 2nd gen it was 10 years or 100K miles.

 

Coolant - every 2 years or so.
PS Fluid - 60K miles, 120K miles, etc.

 

For coolant, I don't follow a schedule. I test coolant and replace when it's performance has degraded. Modern coolant lasts a seriously long time!

For power steering fluid, no set schedule either. I do the turkey baster swap when it starts to turn fugly black.

 

Only fluid I change on a regular basis is engine oil as recommended by mfr.
Vehicles always lasted forever.
Over thinking and obsessing can be dangerous.

 

Coolant does last a while but it’s also only about $60-70 for a change and not difficult. 50k/5yrs isn’t going to break the bank and coolant becomes acidic as time goes by, it’s cheap insurance especially for head gaskets.

 

Coolant is the only thing protecting the head gaskets, this is a service that I prefer to do earlier than the recommended interval.

Any coolant that meets specifications if acceptable to use, I perfer to use Toyota branded coolant, the dealer sells it for a reasonable cost. It takes 2 gallons to do a full service.

Toyota made draining the coolant very easy.

Get some 5/16" ID hose, it fits the radiator drain & the block drain.

Leave the radiator cap on when you drain the radiator (before draining the block) it will siphon the fluid out of the recovery bottle too.



After you have got all you can from the radiator, draining the block is easy.

Remove the radiator cap now,
remove the passenger wheel,
pop the top plastic clip out
and gently fold the splash shield down.



And find this handy block drain.



A long extension and a 10MM socket.



The coolant won't gush out, just get it draining and go do something else for a while.

Fill it up nice and slow, keep squeezing the top radiator hose to work the air out.

Double check/top up the level in the recovery bottle after a few days.