Radiator Petcock Question

Pouring the coolant in very slowly and pausing after a few seconds several times will allow much of the air to purge out without much drama.

People tend to pour it in quickly, trapping air

 

^^^^
THIS

 

I wouldn't do that. A loose cap will not allow the system to pressurize as intended. When that happens the cooling system can overheat. The method(URL) I pointed to in my previous post uses the water pump to help push the air to the top - you blip the throttle a number of times.

Out of curiosity, the next time I change coolant on my Tacoma, I'm going to try something specified in the 5th Gen 4Runner Factory Service Manual(FSM). The 1GR-FE in that vehicle is different from the cyl. hear up. In the 4R FSM you are told to refill the system with coolant - install radiator cap, start vehicle, then IMMEDIATELY turn off the engine. Remove radiator cap and if coolant level has dropped - top off and repeat the start-stop-check coolant level business until the coolant no longer drops.

I used this technique on my wife's '14 4R and it worked like a charm. No air pockets in cooling system.

Also - pay heed to Plain Jane Taco's post above this one. That too is a big help.

 

https://www.customtacos.com/tech.ol...6toyrm/06toypdf/06rmsrc/rm2006ta/01600210.pdf

 

And for anyone looking for a good alternative to the expensive OE SLLC....check out Valvoline Zerex pink. It's nearly identical to SLLC and is completely compatible with it.

It's a silicate free P-HOAT formula which is what is recommended for our cooling systems

Available on the shelf at your local Wal-Mart and half the cost of SLLC at $13 gallon. Premixed and ready to use.

Been using it for years in all of our family's Toyotas.

 

Got it done today. The funnel helps. No mess when it bubbles up.
It’s a lot easier if you remove the splash guard.
There are some lines you have to go over top of if you don’t remove it.
As Bishop pointed out, I did have to use a 22mm Socket.
Actually got it started out by hand, but it was hard on my fingers. Lol
Tightened it up good by hand. And so far....so good.

Thanks everyone for the help.