The Correct Way To Drain/Fill the 4.0 Antifreeze

No.....7 Qts would be 1.75 gallons

 

I need to do this. Subd

 

Lol u got me.

 

any pic ? :-D

 

subd

 

this is straight up inaccurate. there is a driver's side engine block drain plug. see this pic i just took:

 

If you drain the radiator and passenger side, is it really worth going after that one?

 

This helps a lot. I cannot find the passenger side one so I can at least get one. What size hose fits on that?

 

I got only like 3 ounces out of it. Total, I got like 9 quarts out, even though it was completely full and O'Reilly's said there should be 10.3 quarts in the whole thing.

I got 1 gallon from the passenger engine block drain plug and 1 gallon from the radiator drain plug.

 

I'll take a pic for you at lunch if you want. It's accessed by lying on your back and being behind the right front tire. It's about 1 foot off the ground and by the header (below).

 

So assuming there's no problems with the system.. Only the truly OCD would try to bother draining this hard to reach spot?

 

I will drain/replace my 2nd Gen Tacoma coolant soon. Have eve-balled the drivers-side drain cock. To get better access you would need to pull front wheel. That elevates the front; you won't get good drainage. One would have to elevate the rear of the truck to keep the plane of vehicle level. Think I'll pull the splash pan/skid plate and crawl underneath from the front and see if I can simply reach up with my hand and connect a drain hose and loosen nut on drain cock.

My wife drives a 5th gen 4Runner. Uses same block as 2nd Gen Tacoma - more or less. In 2013, Toyota eliminated the drivers side drain cock from that engine. When I changed her coolant last year, it was fairly obvious that accessibility to a drivers side drain cock on that vehicle was a real bear. No doubt in my mind that's why Toyota eliminated it. I'll bet people broke things trying to get to it.

If my plan for the Tacoma does not work, I'll simply drain the radiator and passenger side.

 

yeah I took the drivers side wheel off too.

 

Great write up. Thank you to all that contributed.

I only got 2 gallons out and back in. So just buy two gallons; not three, as I did.

Also, draining by removing the bottom radiator hose does not get it all. I tried.

I replaced the coolant with new, new thermostat, radiator cap, top and bottom hoses and rotated the tires since I took the front off to easily access the block drains both right and left.

I don't like the oem hose clamps - replaced the ones on the bottom hose with SS generic ones.

I do like the EPAuto Spill Proof Radiator funnel. Bleeding made easy. $20 on Amazon - seems fair with all the other adaptors.

In the next couple months, I'll finish replacing the rest of my trucks fluids so it goes another 90K+ miles and 12 yrs...

 

If you have a lift, you will not need to remove the wheel. I believe I removed the rubber skirt, then used a combination of extensions to reach the valve. I don't remember it being difficult at all. Same for passenger side but used less extensions. I also recall getting a small amount of coolant, but could be because I drained pass side first.

Flushing is optional; it will get out most of the old coolant. You top off with distilled water; go for a 10-minute drive; then drain everything again and fill with coolant.

Counterpoint: I don't use Toyota red coolant or equivalent. All my vehicles OEM coolant is flushed out and replaced with universal coolant. As long as the label says the coolant is compatible with all coolers and types, you will be good to go - just stick to reputable manufacturers: Peak, Prestone, SuperTech, etc...

 

V6 Auto. When I drained and filled coolant system I only got out a little less than two gallons. I have seen others had a similar experience, but did not see any explanation why all of the coolant fails to drain. Does anybody know why what comes out doesn't match the capacity of the system? Is there really two quarts or more of the coolant that doesn't come out? If I flushed with distilled water would I ever be able to get it all out? I emptied all 3 drains.

 

Did you remove the front tires to access the engine block drain plugs? If so, did you leave the front-end elevated during the engine block drain? I realize you can't lower the front down if the wheels are off, but if you drained the block with the front-end off the ground, the engine is now tilted back and you will not get a complete engine block drain.
Some people are of the belief that you have to remove the tires to get to the engine block drain plugs. You don't. Ingenuity gets both the left and right side engine block drain plugs out with the vehicle flat on the ground.
Also, you do not have to flush with distilled water. Garden hose works just fine.

 

Fellas....kind of jumping in on this thread. Perhaps this has already been mentioned. But just in case it hasn't, here's an affordable alternative to Toyota's LLC and SLLC and stocked in-store at Walmart.

Valvoline Zerex Asian formula. It's pink in color and is completely compatible with all pink HOAT coolants.

Comes premixed for less than $12 a gallon. Our family has several Toyotas running this.

 

Thanks Lester. I did not remove the wheels and was on a level surface. It was hard accessing the driver's side drain but I was able to reach down through the engine compartment and feel my way around.
I would have hated to flush with a garden hose and leave 2 quarts of san antonio hard water in there. :-(

 

From what ive heard, the pink coolant is super corrosive just like gm's dexcool. Wouldnt it be best to completely flush the system and go with regular green antifreeze?