aznlapin

Hey everyone.
So two nights ago I went ahead and changed my coolant with 50/50 Toyota Red and distilled water, plus Purple Ice. I got the radiator plug and rear plug to drain fine. Tried the front plug, but apparently it was rounded, which meant it was impossible to open. Whatever, I still got about 8-8.5L to drain out. I Poured back in a gallon of Red and just over a gallon of water. That filled the radiator and the reservoir to the max. The math worked out, so it seemed fine.

Checked the next day, the level was still good. Went on a 70 mile drive. Didn't check the coolant level after getting home. Just checked it tonight after a short drive (5miles) and noticed the reservoir was completely empty (below L line). Immediately refilled reservoir with 50/50 mix.
PS: The temperature needle never went above halfway...

Now for the questions:
1) Did I do any damage by driving with the coolant reservoir empty?
2) Is it normal to lose that much coolant in 36 hours? (Never had a leak before)

I made sure to tighten all the plugs, except for the already rounded one... but I'll double check if they are leaking tomorrow.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

fastnoypi

you should be fine, you probably had some air pockets but after your drive, the natural vacuum effect pulled coolant from your reservoir back into the engine.

aznlapin

That makes me feel a lot better. Thanks

If I see anything amiss tomorrow I'll report back

Lexmex

Happened to me and that's why I think I mentioned carrying the jugs of water and checking it out for a few days after.

aznlapin

Yes, you did in your DIY. Funny thing is that I had a gallon of distilled water sitting in the back seat, but totally forgot about checking the reservoir level until I got home.
Lesson learned.

salimshah

Bit of caution in winter months ..

Dont be in a hurry to bring the overflow reservoir to cold level with just distilled water. If the overflow reservoir has predominant amount of water it can freeze.
First make sure your level under the radiator cap is full [here you can add water ... assuming there is enough concentrate in there.

So you must mix with concentrate or build it up slowly by letting it sucked in and out of the engine side.


Salim

Khalidch

At Walmart prestone is available and my rx is already using that prestone coolant.so i want to change the coolant .is it necessary to flush/clean the radiator before putting the new coolant or just flush and redline +prestone+water will do the trick. I the most importantly i want to thank Lexmex Salimshah tuned rx and all others who contributed in and made mine and other lexus owners life easier.

salimshah

Thank you for the complement, in reality we just choose to write more often. [That includes the increased possibility of writing wrong stuff ,,, only applicable to me ]. We value all contributors.

How old is the current coolant and are there suspended particles in the coolant?

If there are particles, then I would say flush. Else do a complete drain (from block and radiator) and fill.

Instead of tap water, please get distilled water. Not a must but reduces build-up.

Personally, I would give a few more $$ to get toyota red. I cheat a bit and do not run 50-50 mix. I do about 1:1.25

Redline additive is a great product. Not sure how beneficial it will be to a daily driver RX. Wetter breaks down the surface tension which helps in better heat transfer. I think there is always plenty of cooler fluid in the radiator.

Salim

Khalidch

That is really quick Salimshah .Thank you man i found u always there when someone really need advice.That make you peoples efforts more value able .so i should get Toyota-red redline and distilled water .is it matter if some of the green stuff remains there some where trapped.??

fastnoypi

thanks all for posting locations of the drain plugs.
Just a little contribution to those who are impatient of waiting to drain the coolant, i've figured out a quick way that worked for me.

First undo the radiator cap.

Then Undo the radiator petcock till it is dripping steadily and/or attach a piece of 3/8 hose to the nipple to allow coolant to drain in a bucket. Follow Lexmex's posts #48-50 for reference.

If it is draining slow but steady, replace the radiator cap.


Disconnect the closest coolant hose under the throttlebody ..in the pic, the one with the white dot on the hose.


(You may need to remove the hoses off the throttlebody to get to the clamp) and pump 5-10 psi air into the coolant hose if you have an air compressor. A balloon inflator or bike pump with a cone tip attachment will work too.

The light air pressure will force most of the coolant out till it is virtually all air. At this point you can opt to close the radiator petcock and open both front and rear block drains. I opted to fill with distilled water, get the RX up to temp and drain again.


Edit: I did the method above after i was reattaching my intake manifold. I could have accomplished the same pressurizing method by removing the rad cap and placing my hand over it, while pressurizing through the coolant overflow tube.

salimshah

Did you mean to say "Toyota Red Concentrate and about 50-50 mix with distilled water"?

I am noticing my coolant temp gauge near the 2nd mark (half a mark below the mid point). I may have to change my thermostat or the temp gauge.

Any one tried water wetter?

Salim

fastnoypi

Sorry I was describing my flush. I filled with straight water then drained again.
My final fill was Zerex Asian formula. A well known accepted substitute for Toyota pink.

I've tried water wetter in my past vehicles, honestly I don't see the difference in cooling compared to 45/55 mix of coolant to water when I lived out in the AZ desert and Vegas. I would not suggest more water than that over a longer period for protection issues.
Another reason i dont use water wetter is the "brown scum" associated with it. Feel free to google with the key words : redline water wetter brown
IMO, cleaning the radiator fins and straightening any bent ones with a radiator comb will help get the most efficiency.

sarah

I flushed the coolant about 5 years ago using pre-mixed Toyota Super Long Life coolant.
(the pink stuff) I did a pretty thorough flushing and it took over 5 gallons of the stuff.
(one complete flush, followed by another complete flush two weeks later)

Like I said, that was abotu 5 years ago. Is that coolant supposed to last a LONG time
or should I flush it again now? I compared the color of the pink coolant in the
reservoir to leftover coolant in the Toyota bottle. They are identical in color and
clarity. (both perfectly clear pink, like new)

Thanks!

kasak

I got my RX in 2008 and I never got any coolant flushing/drain done. I will try the drain soon. And do another drain within a few months. Where do you dispose the liquid that drains out?
If we out the red toyota coolant, do we have to tell any shops not to add (top off) any other coolant?

salimshah

imho, just drain and flush coolant. No need to repeat in few months.

Check with your county about disposing of coolant. My understanding is that the coolant is poisonous for small pets and the smell/taste makes it very appealing to them.

Salim