Coolant confusion...someone help!
09-19-05, 03:28 PM
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Coolant confusion...someone help!
Ok I'm doing a full timing belt job using all Toyota parts this Wednesday. The only thing I have not bought yet is the coolant, because I am hearing 9 million different things from different people on which type to use...I know I have/want to use Toyota coolant, but which one? Red? Green(does Toyota even have this)? Pink?
What coolant was used originally from the factory on a 96'? The previous owner had the car mainained at Lexus it's whole life...the last coolant flush was done at the 60k timing belt job, and they used green. But shouldnt it have been red? It now has 145k and the coolant still looks perfect(green). Should I switch back to red since green has been in there for a while? There are no signs of corrosion whatsoever everything looks perfect and pure. I'm doing this job on Wednesday and need this cleared up please...I have OCD when it comes to my cars and maintenance and this coolant thing is driving me up the f&*king wall! I use all Toyota stuff and want it to be the way it was from the factory...TIA
What coolant was used originally from the factory on a 96'? The previous owner had the car mainained at Lexus it's whole life...the last coolant flush was done at the 60k timing belt job, and they used green. But shouldnt it have been red? It now has 145k and the coolant still looks perfect(green). Should I switch back to red since green has been in there for a while? There are no signs of corrosion whatsoever everything looks perfect and pure. I'm doing this job on Wednesday and need this cleared up please...I have OCD when it comes to my cars and maintenance and this coolant thing is driving me up the f&*king wall! I use all Toyota stuff and want it to be the way it was from the factory...TIA
Last edited by Stub333; 09-19-05 at 03:31 PM.
09-19-05, 03:48 PM
#2
just use the toyota coolant with the 50/50 mix of distilled water since you have it. you probably get someone telling you to do a search , but it seems tome that youve heard all the arguments. the main ones will be how the green reacts with the seals and over time it causes lots of corrosion. i personally dont know, but ive read enough about the coolant argument that i feel like an expert. and yes they have a pink one that supposed to last even longer than the red.
09-19-05, 04:03 PM
#4
Whatever is in it, continue to use it.
If you're going to swap coolants, you seriously need to spend a half an hour flushing the radiator & block out.
Mixing Toyota red, with any normal ethylene glycol based coolant will cause the coolant to become highly corrosive. Worse, when the coolants combine, they form a very hard gel that can't be cleaned. If it forms you're SOL. Ditch every replaceable piece of the coolant system that's possible to change & flush the block.
Toyota red coolant doesn't last any longer. It still needs to be flushed every other year.
If you're going to swap coolants, you seriously need to spend a half an hour flushing the radiator & block out.
Mixing Toyota red, with any normal ethylene glycol based coolant will cause the coolant to become highly corrosive. Worse, when the coolants combine, they form a very hard gel that can't be cleaned. If it forms you're SOL. Ditch every replaceable piece of the coolant system that's possible to change & flush the block.
Toyota red coolant doesn't last any longer. It still needs to be flushed every other year.
09-19-05, 05:04 PM
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Thanks Phoenix. I didnt plan on mixing them...I was going to swap, everyone is like "go back to red." So basically the green coolant in there is not a Toyota product? Toyota does not produce a green coolant, do they? How do I know that the new green coolant that I buy is has the same chemical compound as the stuff that has been in there for 85k miles?
Also what kind originally came in this car in 96'? Didnt red come in the newer models? TIA
Also what kind originally came in this car in 96'? Didnt red come in the newer models? TIA
Last edited by Stub333; 09-19-05 at 05:12 PM.
09-19-05, 05:48 PM
#6
Toyota Red, that's all there is.
Toyota red has a better inhibitor package for aluminum components than the classic ethylene glycols do.
It's not actually any better at cooling. All anti-freeze's suck at cooling. It doesn't actually matter what you use if you stay on schedule flushing it every 2 years, or at least draining the radiator.
Toyota Red has been the OEM fluid since the mid 80's. However, as much better it is at protecting aluminum parts, it's twice as bad at protecting ferrite metals (iron based). It is not used in engine's where iron is used. Namly all the old good ones LoL! j/k. All VZ blocks need to avoid it like the plauge. You wind up with a rusty mess if you leave it in there.
The main things with Toyota Red:
1) Don't mix it
2) It's not a longer life fluid
People using it have problems when they treate it like it lasts longer. Toyota made the same mistake GM did with the first Dexcool. They passed it off as a long life coolant. Ya, thy were superior in the modern engine's, but as soon as they got a little age on them the inhibitor packages were wearing down (which you expect), but they turned highly corrosive. Toyota didn't have the scale of problem GM did, but you can trace half the blown radiators & corroded waterpump impellors back to people that mix it, or don't change it often enough.
Which are the same problems they created it to avoid in the first place LoL!
Sorry I'm ranting at this point.
I can't use it because I have a 3vz-fe. If I had your 1mz-fe, personally, I would open the engine drain & flush the block for 10-15 min, or until it looks like nothing but fresh water is spilling out. Give the radiator 5 min.
Buy a bottle of Redline's Water Wetter & use it in whatever ratio it recommends.
For Toyota Red, mix it in water ratio you want. You're in NJ so I would go about 40% Antifreeze & change it every other year.
% Coolant Freeze Boil
20% 16 253
33% 0 256
50% -34 265
70% -90 277
Thanks to mkVI.com for the chart - as always.
Should you use distilled water? Always! Does it matter? Not if you flush it on time.
The idea is purge the oil fluid before the inhibitor package can fully break down.
Toyota red has a better inhibitor package for aluminum components than the classic ethylene glycols do.
It's not actually any better at cooling. All anti-freeze's suck at cooling. It doesn't actually matter what you use if you stay on schedule flushing it every 2 years, or at least draining the radiator.
Toyota Red has been the OEM fluid since the mid 80's. However, as much better it is at protecting aluminum parts, it's twice as bad at protecting ferrite metals (iron based). It is not used in engine's where iron is used. Namly all the old good ones LoL! j/k. All VZ blocks need to avoid it like the plauge. You wind up with a rusty mess if you leave it in there.
The main things with Toyota Red:
1) Don't mix it
2) It's not a longer life fluid
People using it have problems when they treate it like it lasts longer. Toyota made the same mistake GM did with the first Dexcool. They passed it off as a long life coolant. Ya, thy were superior in the modern engine's, but as soon as they got a little age on them the inhibitor packages were wearing down (which you expect), but they turned highly corrosive. Toyota didn't have the scale of problem GM did, but you can trace half the blown radiators & corroded waterpump impellors back to people that mix it, or don't change it often enough.
Which are the same problems they created it to avoid in the first place LoL!
Sorry I'm ranting at this point.
I can't use it because I have a 3vz-fe. If I had your 1mz-fe, personally, I would open the engine drain & flush the block for 10-15 min, or until it looks like nothing but fresh water is spilling out. Give the radiator 5 min.
Buy a bottle of Redline's Water Wetter & use it in whatever ratio it recommends.
For Toyota Red, mix it in water ratio you want. You're in NJ so I would go about 40% Antifreeze & change it every other year.
% Coolant Freeze Boil
20% 16 253
33% 0 256
50% -34 265
70% -90 277
Thanks to mkVI.com for the chart - as always.
Should you use distilled water? Always! Does it matter? Not if you flush it on time.
The idea is purge the oil fluid before the inhibitor package can fully break down.
Last edited by Pheonix; 09-19-05 at 05:54 PM.
09-19-05, 06:58 PM
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Excellent information...if you were by me I would buy you a brewdog! I plan mixing the red with distilled water when I do the final fill up. But can I flush the motor/radiator with a garden hose? If so how can I get the remaining mineralized water out that will be in there from the flush? Thanks and have a good one 
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09-19-05, 07:06 PM
#8
Ya, garden hose is fine. I would hook my pressurewasher throguh it if it was safe but naaaa! If you're still getting ansty, rusty looking stuff after 5 min get a block/coolant cleaner that's used to clean the cooling system.
The coolest thing are the pressure drop fluid changing machines. They hook it up on a special radiator cap & it holds a big vacuum behind the cap. You flick a switch and every little bit is sucke dout, all the hoses deflate. Then it shoves new coolant back in!
Too bad it costs so much to use them LoL!
Coolant itself (iwthout the inhibitors) is very corrosive. Mineralized water is a pile on once the inhibitors run out. But... As long as the inhibitors don't wear out, they can deal with it. That's why it's so important to change coolant every 2 years.
Think of it like oil, just without having to lubricate anything. As it get's old, it can eat away at parts, and starts to sludge up. Coolant does the same thing.
The coolest thing are the pressure drop fluid changing machines. They hook it up on a special radiator cap & it holds a big vacuum behind the cap. You flick a switch and every little bit is sucke dout, all the hoses deflate. Then it shoves new coolant back in!
Too bad it costs so much to use them LoL!
Coolant itself (iwthout the inhibitors) is very corrosive. Mineralized water is a pile on once the inhibitors run out. But... As long as the inhibitors don't wear out, they can deal with it. That's why it's so important to change coolant every 2 years.
Think of it like oil, just without having to lubricate anything. As it get's old, it can eat away at parts, and starts to sludge up. Coolant does the same thing.
09-19-05, 07:08 PM
#9
Originally Posted by Pheonix
Whatever is in it, continue to use it.
If you're going to swap coolants, you seriously need to spend a half an hour flushing the radiator & block out.
Mixing Toyota red, with any normal ethylene glycol based coolant will cause the coolant to become highly corrosive. Worse, when the coolants combine, they form a very hard gel that can't be cleaned. If it forms you're SOL. Ditch every replaceable piece of the coolant system that's possible to change & flush the block.
Toyota red coolant doesn't last any longer. It still needs to be flushed every other year.
If you're going to swap coolants, you seriously need to spend a half an hour flushing the radiator & block out.
Mixing Toyota red, with any normal ethylene glycol based coolant will cause the coolant to become highly corrosive. Worse, when the coolants combine, they form a very hard gel that can't be cleaned. If it forms you're SOL. Ditch every replaceable piece of the coolant system that's possible to change & flush the block.
Toyota red coolant doesn't last any longer. It still needs to be flushed every other year.
09-19-05, 09:39 PM
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Not to backtrack, but, even if I fully flush the engine, will it be good to use the red coolant after using the green for 85k+ miles? I just read some more threads regarding this and the opinions are evenly split...it's a tough decision. I just want this engine to run for a long time! (and avoid a blown headgasket) This is a daily driver not a performance car to me if it makes a difference...
Last edited by Stub333; 09-19-05 at 09:42 PM.
09-20-05, 06:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Stub333
Ok I'm doing a full timing belt job using all Toyota parts this Wednesday. The only thing I have not bought yet is the coolant, because I am hearing 9 million different things from different people on which type to use...I know I have/want to use Toyota coolant, but which one? Red? Green(does Toyota even have this)? Pink?
What coolant was used originally from the factory on a 96'? The previous owner had the car mainained at Lexus it's whole life...the last coolant flush was done at the 60k timing belt job, and they used green. But shouldnt it have been red? It now has 145k and the coolant still looks perfect(green). Should I switch back to red since green has been in there for a while? There are no signs of corrosion whatsoever everything looks perfect and pure. I'm doing this job on Wednesday and need this cleared up please...I have OCD when it comes to my cars and maintenance and this coolant thing is driving me up the f&*king wall! I use all Toyota stuff and want it to be the way it was from the factory...TIA
What coolant was used originally from the factory on a 96'? The previous owner had the car mainained at Lexus it's whole life...the last coolant flush was done at the 60k timing belt job, and they used green. But shouldnt it have been red? It now has 145k and the coolant still looks perfect(green). Should I switch back to red since green has been in there for a while? There are no signs of corrosion whatsoever everything looks perfect and pure. I'm doing this job on Wednesday and need this cleared up please...I have OCD when it comes to my cars and maintenance and this coolant thing is driving me up the f&*king wall! I use all Toyota stuff and want it to be the way it was from the factory...TIA
i havent read the label yet on the pink stuff but red toyota is the green stuff also
09-21-05, 10:06 AM
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I agree not to use any Green coolant.....however, Toyota does now have a pink super long life (good for 5 years or 100,000+ miles) which comes either already mixed 50/50 or you can buy it just straight. As long as you get all 100% of the old stuff out, there should be no major issues switching to the pink Toyota stuff. 
09-22-05, 01:56 PM
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Well everything went well, with only a few little hold-ups. The crank pully needed to be heated up first then it came right off...the hydraulic tensioner was a little stubborn.
What gets me is the fact that every part that I replaced that had 147k on them could have lasted at least another 50k miles! None of the idlers including the waterpump freewheeled when spun, and the timing belt itself had no cracks when flipped inside out...and this belt already had 85k miles on it! I contemplated just replacing the belt and returning everything else I bought but I just threw everything new on for the piece of mind...(T-Belt, acc. belts, both idlers, w-pump) I didnt get the hydraulic tensioner but if that gives me a problem I can easily replace it being that it is easy to get to without taking everything back apart.
As far as the coolant I filled it back up with what was in there, new green stuff...I didnt fully flush it, I just opened the radiator and block drains and blew basically everything out with an air hose...there probably was a little still it the block so I just used the green for now to play it safe...maybe I'll eventually get it powerflushed and swap to red. But still opinions are so biased as to what really is better, I called Lexus twice and spoke two technicians...one said stay with the green, the other said used red!
What gets me is the fact that every part that I replaced that had 147k on them could have lasted at least another 50k miles! None of the idlers including the waterpump freewheeled when spun, and the timing belt itself had no cracks when flipped inside out...and this belt already had 85k miles on it! I contemplated just replacing the belt and returning everything else I bought but I just threw everything new on for the piece of mind...(T-Belt, acc. belts, both idlers, w-pump) I didnt get the hydraulic tensioner but if that gives me a problem I can easily replace it being that it is easy to get to without taking everything back apart.
As far as the coolant I filled it back up with what was in there, new green stuff...I didnt fully flush it, I just opened the radiator and block drains and blew basically everything out with an air hose...there probably was a little still it the block so I just used the green for now to play it safe...maybe I'll eventually get it powerflushed and swap to red. But still opinions are so biased as to what really is better, I called Lexus twice and spoke two technicians...one said stay with the green, the other said used red!