NewSlang

Hello, I was just wondering how I would be able to tell if my transmission fluid was low and if it needs to be replaced completely or just topped off. I've had my my ES 300 for a year and a half with about 54,000 miles on the odometer and haven't touched the coolant at all, but it seems a bit low. From a glance it looks healthy, still a red color but upon further inspection inside the reservoir their seems to be little particles inside that look like dirt and the level seems to be a bit low. The picture attached is the level after driving for about 5-10 minutes. The reservoir doesn't have a hot and cold reading, just a FULL and LOW reading. Should I drive the car a bit more to get a hot reading or is this accurate? As always any and all help is appreciated!

Arsenii

Hello,

Here you can find an Owners Manual for your car, Page 201 states that when the engine is Cold, the level should be between Full and Low marks, and it should rise as the engine warms up. As for how to check if the coolant is still good, you can use a hydrometer that you can get for about $3 at car parts stores, like this one; other than that, you can use a multimeter - set it to the lowest DC setting, put one lead in the coolant and the other to Ground, the lower the number, the better, if it is above 300mV, then it is time to replace the antifreeze. System capacity is about 2.4 gallons. Toyota sells a gallon of concentrate for about $25 (P/N: 00272-1LLAC-01), while it doesn't necessarily have to be a Toyota coolant, it is a pretty reasonable price in my opinion. To change it, there are plenty of good videos online that you can reference.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

LeX2K

Full/low is the same as hot/cold. When in doubt replace the coolant it's cheap maintenance.

NewSlang

Sorry for replying so late but I've been looking online and I am reading that I should fill the coolant up to the full line when the engine is cold, yet the manual states that the coolant should be in between the full and low line if it is full. So I am a bit confused. Should I fill it to the full line when the engine is still cool, or up to the middle in between full and low when it is cool? Also, I know this is redundant, but how would I know if the engine is "cool" or "hot" and where should the coolant be when it is truly "hot"? Again I appreciate all of the answered anyone can provide!

Arsenii

"Cold" is when you can comfortably rest your hand on the metal Radiator Cap. The level, as per instructions, should be between "Full" and "Low" marks, where exactly, it doesn't matter, as long as it is right in between those two lines. The more the better, not because the cooling will improve, but rather because if your car were to develop a leak, you will have more coolant in reserve to compensate for it.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

wmj259

If do you decide to drain the radiator, be careful using the butterfly valve, as it could break and you'll be stuck. I would recommend the bottom return coolant hose

NewSlang

So a little update. Considering that I would want to flush the coolant and replace it and considering my coolant is already low, I've decided to have the flush and replacement job done by a local Lexus dealership. I've looked online for the average price for this job and found that it generally ranges from $100-$150. However, my local Lexus dealership quoted me a price of $235. Is this right?

Arsenii

Well, I am not aware how much dealerships charge for the job, we parted ways ever since they charged me $150 to just start diagnosing my alarm system; that said, it is way overkill for such a job. For the price, you may as well do it yourself.. Try calling Toyota dealerships, or even some standalone service stations, just to see how much would they charge.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

NewSlang

So I got in touch with two Toyota dealerships near me. One flat out refused service on my car on the basis of it being a Lexus and not a Toyota product. The other quoted me a price of $240, $5 more than my local Lexus dealership. I guess prices have gone up as a result of the pandemic?

goose300

If you've got some basic tools, honestly a radiator flush is one of the most satisfying things to do on your own. $240 is definitely a rip off, and who knows how much they're actually cleaning out of it.

I followed ChrisFix's video on "super flushing" the cooling system on my old 99 Camry 4cyl a few years ago and it's really easy and very satisfying if it's a dirty coolant system.


You can get cooling system flush from any parts store, and distilled water is pretty cheap (at least where I'm located), and probably buy concentrate Toyota branded coolant to use from either a dealer or online.

If you do follow the procedure, easy way to nail the 50/50 ratio when you don't know the exact amount of water left (assuming if you've flushed with a few rounds of distilled water) is to just measure out half the amount the cooling system takes and just pour that much concentrate in and fill the rest with distilled water.

Also Toyota dealers refusing to service Lexus' is quite classic. One time they didn't want to sell me Type-IV ATF an claimed that I HAD to go to a Lexus dealer because they're formulated differently for each car. Never rolled my eyes harder.

Oro

This.

Cheap production techniques nowadays make radiator taps fragile little butterflies.

Take a screwdriver and disconnect the lower radiator hose. Let it drain. Reconnect it.

Open the rad cap and fill it until full. Run it until hot and the heat flows freely inside. Refill again. Be done.

Less than $10 if you want. I use this pHOAT in these cars now; fully compatible with the old toyota red, stronger, and cheaper. $5 rebate, mix with $1/gallon distilled water to a 60:40 mix.

https://www.target.com/p/peak-1gal-l...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

Paying $240 for a service that requires $10 in supplies and takes 20 minutes to perform by unskilled labor doesn't make a lot of sense to me, no matter my personal hourly rate elsewhere in the economic spectrum...

FromFL

Never thought I'd see a recommendation of using a non-OEM fluid on this website! I do use Prestone all makes, all models universal. It has no silicates which is all I care about.

NewSlang

So I'm going to have the job done next week I suppose. I honestly don't want to mess this job up when it comes to measuring the concentrate with water but perhaps I'll do it myself next time when the time comes! Thank you all for the responses! For now, I was hoping to fill up the reservoir to the recommended amount according to the manual but I was just wondering; would anyone know if Zerex Asian 50/50 (Toyota, Lexus, Scion) is compatible with Toyota Red when it comes to topping off? I have a bottle of Zerex but even though the the label features red coloring, the actual coolant is pink. I believe this coolant is actually based on the newer Toyota Pink formula. Would this be safe to use to top off in my reservoir for now?

Arsenii

Below is the comparison of Red and Pink coolants, that said, this does not relate to manufacturers other than Toyota, they are free to use whatever color they deem suitable for the specific application. Mixing different coolants is not always a good idea if you are not a 100% sure they are compatible, while it won't necessarily blow the engine apart, it may or may not degrade the performance of a coolant. With all that, I would probably not risk it, since, at least from the picture you posted, your level looks pretty alright, and should cover you until you will go to replace the coolant. If it is really rubbing you the wrong way though, you will be much better off adding a little distilled water (it specifically has to say that it is a distilled water) than some random coolant, since that reservoir is not that big to really mess up the ratio.



Hope this helps and best of luck!