V6 Antifreeze/Coolant Change How-To

Just did a change on a 3rd gen Tacoma. I filled the radiator and ran the engine with the heater on and didn’t really see the coolant level drop. I also didn’t get any coolant overflow into the reservoir. I spent almost 45 min revving the engine and squeezing the hoses. I drove the truck last night and this morning and coolant temps seem normal with an ultra gauge attached. I did a 4.0 V6 coolant swap in my Tundra and remember filling the radiator, than waiting for the thermostat to open and topping off the funnel and until no more bubbles came out and the coolant stopped dropping. Is this normal?

 

Basically, yeah. You might have been lucky with the air bubbles. If you change your fluid with the nose of the truck slightly elevated, it helps drive the air bubbles up. I changed the fluid in my wifes Altima and it took like 3 minutes of running before no more bubbles came out and the fluid level was perfect. Changed the Tacoma and it took like 20 minutes of squeezing and adding fluid to get all the bubbles out so it's just a roll of the dice. Just keep an eye on your temps for the next few days to see if you need to add more. Sometimes the shaking while driving will help move the bubbles to the top. Also you need to make sure you allow the truck to get to operating temperatures in order for your thermostat to open up. Bubbles wont rise through a closed thermostat unless you drilled a small 1/16th or 1/32nd in hole at the top of the valve core. Modifying a thermostat like that doesn't sit well in my stomach so I haven't done it but others have had good luck with it.

-J

 

I think the truck is fine. It’s been a couple days of driving and the temps have been stable. The coolant level in the reservoir went down twice but has since stabilized. I was expecting the air bleed to be more obvious. The 4.0 was a lot easier, and I could actually see when the air was burping through the coolant funnel and filling the engine block. Anyways, thanks.

 

Should I have any concern for this yellow pollen looking like substance coming up after changing the coolant?

 

It's probably just what you say it is, pollen. Hard to tell from the photo but it doesn't look like oil bypassing the head gasket. With the engine running and the nose of your vehicle elevated slightly, are you witnessing tiny bubbles forming in the coolant? My money's on pollen.

-J

 

Hopefully normal, I noticed the same type of thing when I changed mine a few months ago. I was planning to change it again before the end of the year just to be extra safe since the process was easy enough.

 

Thanks for the reply. I did have the nose slightly elevated and did get a bunch of bubbles when going through the process. I'm not too sure about tiny bubbles forming. I do park under an oak tree so it's definitely plausible that pollen has found its way through the entire vehicle over the years. So far, I haven't had any issues since draining and refilling.

On a side note, great tutorial, OP!

 

Nice Writeup!!! I jusr did mine the other day. I have access to a twin post lift. I lifted it and took the tires off and it was much easier to get to the block drains. Was able to get them both as you said with a lot of extensions and a swivel joint.

 

This exactly what I want to do. I don't feel the few quarts left in the system will jeopardize the new coolant that I top it off with

 

Thanks for the write up. It's slightly annoying to do on the driveway but I got it done, glad I have a few choices of extension and wobbles, and now I know it's done right. Mine probably wasn't ever changed in 12 years and 150k and some of coolant from the bottom of the radiator was more brownish orange than pink but the stuff coming out the block was the right color. I'll be back at 250k to do it again.