Normal coolant level
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Joined: Nov 2017
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From: California
Normal coolant level
My 06 is350 was recently in the shop for some minor things and mechanic said coolant was low so they topped it off & pressure tested the system and no leaks were found. Now About a week later I am noticing that my coolant level while cold is just below the low mark on the reservoir. User manual says to add coolant if it is below the low mark but it was just topped off and there are no leaks. Is it common for coolant to be this low when engine is cold despite what manual says? What am I missing?
Thanks.
Thanks.
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From: California
Right and if there was a head gasket problem it would have been obvious on the pressure test correct? Also is it ok to top off to the full line when cold? I don’t want coolant to explode everywhere...
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From: California
Ok. For some reason I recall reading a thread where people were having problems due to topping off the coolant but maybe I am not remembering correctly. I will fill it so it is between the low and high marks to be safe.
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Joined: Dec 2005
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From: NJ
If they accurately performed a pressure test, and it passed, then you'll be fine. Just top if off and monitor it for any additional odd coolant loss. BTW, are you using the pink Toyota coolant?
FYI, any pink crust forming around the tank's cap is unfortunately normally.
FYI, any pink crust forming around the tank's cap is unfortunately normally.
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Thread Starter
Rookie
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 76
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From: California
If they accurately performed a pressure test, and it passed, then you'll be fine. Just top if off and monitor it for any additional odd coolant loss. BTW, are you using the pink Toyota coolant?
FYI, any pink crust forming around the tank's cap is unfortunately normally.
FYI, any pink crust forming around the tank's cap is unfortunately normally.
Rookie
Joined: Apr 2018
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From: Hawaii
Pink crust is normal. Mines has it around the overflow tank cover top. I'm at 150K~ and I'm not sure if the WP has been replaced. I would monitor it and inspect the water pump surroundings. Also, check around the top radiator housing if there is any seepage. It's covered in plastic, you'll need to remove all that plastic covers. If your loosing noticeable amount of coolant in a few days when checking at the same time and place (i.e. in morning before driving to work on a even surface), I would be concern.
10th Gear
Joined: Nov 2017
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From: Victoria
I had pink crust on the overflow tank cap. Its the rubber o ring that seals the cap and the tank. Easily replaced bought a replacement cap from Lexus comes with all relevant hoses attached. The old cap felt loose, the new one had a bit of resistance to install but no more leaks.
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From: California
There has never been any pink crust on the fill cap. When I last had my car worked on (about two weeks ago) the cooling system was inspected and they said there was some pink crust on the water pump and the coolant had to be topped off. They then pressure tested the system and it was normal. Now when I just checked the coolant a few days ago it is slightly below the fill line. This is all I know as I am currently away from home and can’t inspect anything myself at the moment. The previous owner did have a coolant hose replaced at 99k miles due to it leaking but this is the only service record for the cooling system available. If there currently are no leaks and my car is loosing coolant what the heck could be going on?
Rookie
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From: Hawaii
There has never been any pink crust on the fill cap. When I last had my car worked on (about two weeks ago) the cooling system was inspected and they said there was some pink crust on the water pump and the coolant had to be topped off. They then pressure tested the system and it was normal. Now when I just checked the coolant a few days ago it is slightly below the fill line. This is all I know as I am currently away from home and can’t inspect anything myself at the moment. The previous owner did have a coolant hose replaced at 99k miles due to it leaking but this is the only service record for the cooling system available. If there currently are no leaks and my car is loosing coolant what the heck could be going on?
If all the major hoses look good, I would suspect water pump (pink crust usually indicate it is leaking) or internal combustion. Again, headgaskets failures are not common for the 4GR.
Racer
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: fl
Having just done my WP over weekend. The WP has a bleed off on bottom that is sort of like a fail indicator. I’ve read somewhere that this is a sign of failure, other than annoying bearing rattle I had. I am at 90k miles on original WP. I’ve seen others fail at 60k miles.
So overall these WP aren’t known to last that long. Luckily they are very easy to replace. I could have done it in 2 hours. Took me longer since I recorded the steps for my DIY YouTube video.
So overall these WP aren’t known to last that long. Luckily they are very easy to replace. I could have done it in 2 hours. Took me longer since I recorded the steps for my DIY YouTube video.
There has never been any pink crust on the fill cap. When I last had my car worked on (about two weeks ago) the cooling system was inspected and they said there was some pink crust on the water pump and the coolant had to be topped off. They then pressure tested the system and it was normal. Now when I just checked the coolant a few days ago it is slightly below the fill line. This is all I know as I am currently away from home and can’t inspect anything myself at the moment. The previous owner did have a coolant hose replaced at 99k miles due to it leaking but this is the only service record for the cooling system available. If there currently are no leaks and my car is loosing coolant what the heck could be going on?
But yeah, if there's any pink crust around the weep hole on the WP, replace it.