Aron9000

Car is a 1992 SC300, it has the toyota red stuff in it now. Last change I assume was in 2010 at 55k miles, when they did the timing belt. Car now has 82k on it.

So do I just bite the gag ball, take it up the well you know, and pay $35-50 for red coolant from the dealer??

Or is there an alternative I can use? I've heard that you should never mix coolant types, ie traditonal green with toyota red, and that red GM dexcool is the devil. Apparently dexcool has something in it that eats at the rubber gasket seals.

Justin2JZ

Always use OEM coolant. You can cause corrosion in the internal components if he wrong coolant is put in. Join sewell lexus online and enter your CL username youll get a discount. $21 online.

http://lexus.sewellparts.com/accesso...1999/4369.html

eknine9

iTrader: (8)

Toyota Red is preferable.
Green coolant is completely fine in the iron block of the SC300, but there are concerns for how it interacts with the aluminum block of the SC400, it's honestly probably fine on the SC400 too but whatever, I dont need to know since I have a 300.
Don't use orange Dexcool in anything... ever.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

^^ This is true. The iron JZ block is more tolerant of coolant types than the aluminum UZ block. All cylinder heads are aluminum, however. I have used Toyota "pink" 50/50 pre-mixed coolant ever since I installed a Koyo radiator.

CatManD3W

iTrader: (18)

I only use Red Toyota Coolant in both my Tacoma and SC300.......I purchased mine from Toyota dealership for $28....You only need one....

Dont cheap out on the cooling system of your ride....

The proper way to replace the coolant in the system....is to drain the old coolant out of system.....Fill up the system with distilled water and drain....Then 1 Gallon of Toyota Red to 2 Gallons of distilled water....

Aron9000

^ Don't know how you'd fit that much liquid into the cooling system. Manual says the capacity is 9 quarts, 2.25 Gallons. Or 4.5 quarts coolant, 4.5 quarts water, which I've always been told you mix coolant 50/50 with water.

BTW, will coolant go bad just sitting on my shelf until I do this 3 years down the road again?

CatManD3W

iTrader: (18)

It will not fit all that liquid you are right.....you do 1 gallon of Toyota Red and 1 Gallon of Distilled water..i.e 50/50......but your system will not be completey full.....The extra gallon of distilled water is to top it off....

Ramblerman

As long as the coolant is safe for all aluminum engines (it will say on the jug) it should be ok, but dealer recommended is always safest bet.

turbodremz

iTrader: (18)

Traditional Prestone green for me for the last 16 years I have owned cars. Never trusted the pink or red stuff, especially the GM crap that GM admits to it eating through synthetic and paper gaskets. Not sure about the Toyota stuff, never looked at it.

Prestone undiluted, distilled water, and either Water-Wetter or Royal Ice additive.

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

Toyota red on all my toyota's that I care about. 1 gallon of the non-diluted stuff, then top it off with your favorite garden hose or distilled water depends how picky you are.
Don't get toyota pink unless you like paying the same for half the coolant and a half gallon of distilled water.

I have used the green prestone before on my toyota pickup and it works fine and is definitely more cost effective, wouldn't waste toyota red there it would have just blown a headgasket or something in 3k miles anyways to spite me, but I don't drain the SC that often so it gets the good stuff.

generally if I get a toyota with the red stuff in it I will continue it, but if someone switched it to the green usually green is what it will get.