6.0PSD

I'm coming up on a coolant change soon and wondering if toyota's coolant is still the only choice we have for the rx300...

I have to check my log when I did the last change but I used full gallon of Toyota red with distilled water... I ran about 100 miles on just distilled and during that driving I drained and added distilled about every 20 miles until and I was draining pure clear water... My final drain I then just added the full gallon on 100 % red and let the car mix it, added 50/50 to reservoir and I was done... Hope to do the same soon but am wondering if we do have any other choices for coolant

fastnoypi

my response on another thread:

6.0PSD

Thanks for the info... I actually came across the asian pink 50/50 and was going to ask about here... I just find it harder for me to purchase 50/50 as I will then need to completely drain everything from block to radiator... It was super easy to run distilled water until clear then just dump 100% in. I am going to try and find a zerex 100% concentrate to use but when I come around to doing this job then I'll just take whichever is locally available even if I have to pay for the toy brand 7 miles away...

The others you have there I never heard of and wonder if they are available locally at any parts store, I have Advanced, PepBoys and Autozone all within 2 miles from me... Walmart is also 2 miles away but doubt they carry any them...

carguy07

Why not just run red? It's pretty good stuff, arguably great stuff.

6.0PSD

I think that I am going to be using either zerex elc or peak final charge elc... They are both available in concentrate... I have a 2006 ford diesel that I switched to zerex elc years back and ford recomended their own gold coolant that has caused many engine issues because of silicates in the gold, so far zerex has done it's job on the $60k truck and really am considering using it in this old rx as well as it contains no silicates... It is Zerex ZXED1 Cat EC-1 ELC and cost about $16 per gallon...

If anyone has any data on why this Zerex would be a bad choice please point it out... I probably will not be doing this until late April so I have plenty of time to do more research and that is why I'm here asking ahead of time...

fastnoypi

Zerex ZXED1 Cat EC-1 ELC is speced for diesel applications. I could be wrong but i think it may contain silicates which is not recommended by Toyota/Lexus. You can call Valvoline from their site to verify.
Otherwise, the Zerex Asian formula is a no brainer at 5year/150k mile intervals. I find it comparable but not much cheaper than Toyota pink super long life coolant.

6.0PSD

No silicates on all CAT EC-1 ELC coolants... Silicates was a big no no that caused many blown 6.0's, reason I switched to a cat ec-1 elc along with adding external coolant filter shortly after I purchased diesel truck new.

Edit: I think im actually due for a coolant change on the diesel as well and that will use 3 1/2 gallons of concentrate so I can actually get a 6 gallon for $83 delivered to my door making it less than $14 a gallon...

Are the silicates the only thing that we need to be aware of?

fastnoypi

I called Valvoline today out of curiosity, the tech mentioned only their Zerex Asian formula line would be recommended for Toyota/Lexus. I asked about silicates in the ELC and surprisingly he did mention it did have them without going into much detail.

tracedumas

interesting post, it brings me to the thought that I honestly have no idea what is running in my old 99 ES300, I just rescently got it, and while I have changed the oil,, and checked the transmission, I have overlooked this, I will be checking my book after lunch, any recommendations for the old beast?

fastnoypi

Any of the Toyota branded coolants..and check post #2 for other compatible coolants

6.0PSD

Unless they have other elc coolants or have recently changed their recipe for the zxed1... ZXED1 falls in the OAT type of coolant... Hope the tech you talked to confused this with another type in their lineup as thousands of diesel owners switched to this one because it contains no silicates...

Here is just a little info that I just quickly found...

"Types of antifreeze

There are only 3 main anti-freeze types/coolant types, at most 4 so far less than the types of car engines !

Green anti-freeze/green coolant
These are the traditional type of anti-freeze most commonly used in North America. Their silicate and phosphate composition provides protection for aluminium and bare iron surfaces. They need to be changed every 30,000 miles or once every two to three years.

OAT anti-freeze/OAT coolant
OAT stands for Organic Acid Technology.OAT anti-freeze contain ingredients such as 2-EHA, sebacate and other various organic acids. Unlike green anti-freeze, they generally do not contain silicates or phosphates. Usually, OAT-based coolants will be dyed a different colour to green anti-freeze. They must be changed once every five years or 150,000 miles.

HOAT anti-freeze/HOAT coolant
HOAT stands for Hybrid OAT. These antifreeze use organic acids but not 2-EHA and usually include silicates to provide protection for aluminium surfaces. HOAT anti-freezes are used by many European car manufacturers, although they are also used by American companies such as Chrysler and Ford. A HOAT coolant will need to be changed every five years or 150,000 miles.

In recent years, anti-freeze manufacturers have been creating universal antifreeze that can be used with all vehicle types. These extended-life coolants only differ in colour. Some may be orange while others may be dyed blue or purple."

fastnoypi

Toyota/Lexus requires a HOAT coolant from what i've read. During the early 2000's there were very few outlets for HOAT coolants but the trend has shifted since then.

Call Valvoline @ 1-800-832-6825 to see if you get a different response regarding the ELC coolant as another recommended compatible Toyota/Lexus coolant other than Zerex Asian.