Quick coolant change
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Joined: Oct 2014
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From: New Hampshire
Quick coolant change
I was feeling a little lazy and didn't want to make a big mess, so I drained my coolant a little differently than usual (usually I remove the shield under the car, lift the vehicle up and drain it from the valve on the bottom of the radiator). This time I just took off one of the two hoses from the overflow tank - the one that goes to the engine - and drained all the coolant into a 24oz cup (four times). Didn't spill a drop. Then I just refilled it, drove it around for a few minutes and topped it off. The whole thing took me maybe 10-15 minutes, and for the first time in my life I didn't spill a single ounce of Toyota coolant!
I was able to get out somewhere around a gallon of coolant this way, which isn't that much less than what I get out of it from the bottom of the radiator. I drive a lot so the coolant gets drained and filled every year and a half or so anyway. I know I'm not getting it all out, I know I'm not flushing the system, I know there is a hole through the bottom cover (but believe me it goes everywhere), and I know this way isn't for everyone. But it was soooo easy and soooo fast, and you don't need to lift the vehicle at all.
If you ever do it this way, make sure you don't lean against the fitting that is attached to the other hose on the reservoir that goes to the radiator. They break easily.
I was able to get out somewhere around a gallon of coolant this way, which isn't that much less than what I get out of it from the bottom of the radiator. I drive a lot so the coolant gets drained and filled every year and a half or so anyway. I know I'm not getting it all out, I know I'm not flushing the system, I know there is a hole through the bottom cover (but believe me it goes everywhere), and I know this way isn't for everyone. But it was soooo easy and soooo fast, and you don't need to lift the vehicle at all.
If you ever do it this way, make sure you don't lean against the fitting that is attached to the other hose on the reservoir that goes to the radiator. They break easily.
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