drseth

Hi,

I am a "new" owner of an 1997 Ebony Teal Pearl LS400, with 134K miles. My elderly mother primarily drives the car, but not enough to keep the battery from having to be jumped, after sitting for a month or so. The battery is a year old Interstate, so I drive the car 30 minutes to my house, and put a charger on overnight.

I checked around on the search on the forum, but did not find any specs for the coolant. The reservoir is down about 1/4 way down, and I cannot determine the color. I have Dexron II, as well as the generic Prestone that is ok to add to any automobile. The Owners Manual was vague on specs of the coolant. Which is the best for this car?

Also, it would be fantastic if someone would post a sticky that details preferred fluid specs, the better filters and their codes, as well as tires that have the best ride and longest mileage.


Thanks,

Seth Anderson
Moon, VA

j2b4o

Toyota red or equivalent. Should have it at places like napa, parts authority and car quest. Or any place that deals largely with shops. Mixing fluids usually leads to gelling.

Banshee365

What color coolant is in the bottle now?

UNCNOR

iTrader: (1)

See the back page of your owners manual.No manual,email Lexus.com/owners for a free owners manual.Good luck.

Losiracer2

I use Zerex Asian formula which will work fine as well.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

As mentioned, you need Toyota Long Life or Super Long Life coolant to match the factory spec. Avoid universal coolant, ESPECIALLY DEX COOL.

dicer

Dexron II ? That is outdated automatic transmission fluid. X2 with Puredrifter do not use DEX cool. The prestone green is way better, but its best to use the proper Toyota red stuff. And don't put automatic transmission fluid in the cooling system. The only place Dexron goes in these cars is the power steering system. Only Toyota automatic transmission fluid in the transmission, type IV.

OneJay

iTrader: (14)

If you only need to add a little fluid, just add some distilled water.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

Shining a flashlight on the opposite side of the reservoir tank should give a base color. If you will tend to DIY on the car buying a jug of the Toyota premixed pink or unmixed red coolant is my suggestion. I would check the radiator pet ****, hoses and thermostat housing for signs of leakage.

Acquiring a new car my suggestion would replace the fluids to rule out age related issues. Coolant, power steering, partial transmission drain, differential and brake fluids. The power steering fluid my recommendation is Mobil 1 ATF synthetic. This can easily be sucked out with turkey type baster or soap hand pump. Doing that a few times the system will have fresh fluid without much hassle.