Thanks Salim. This DIY is for drain, right? Sarah mentioned she flushed in some of the posts. To do a flush, what else needs to be done in addition to whats is detailed by Lexmex in this DIY?

 

There are various kits adapters sold for flushing the radiator.

Essentially one runs fresh water till the water draining out is clear.

I have never had a need to flush as I have changed the coolant on schedule with Toyota coolant.

Salim

 

I used several gallons of the pre-mixed pink Toyota Super Long Life coolant to do the "flush" I didn't want to introduce any fresh water into my radiator at all.

 

hey guys, i noticed that my coolant level was well below "low" today (cold engine) and i remember it being this way before too. is there a specific time to check and is the coolant sitting throughout the system at this time which would explain the low level, or do I need to fill it up? Nothing has ever leaked so I don't know why it's so low. I had the timing belt changed a year ago so i wouldn't say it's due to any neglect.

 

Top it off and watch the level over the next few weeks. There are a handful of possibilities that can attribute to coolant loss. You can take the RX in for a coolant system pressure test to make sure you dont have any pinhole leaks. Our stock radiators have plastic crimped end tanks that fail over the long run.

 

Do i need to flush the coolant if i don't know what my mechanic used? I have some asian zerex in my garage.

*coolant in reservoir is red/pink*

 

That would be the best course of action. Mixing different types of coolant can result in sludge.
I suggest flushing it with distilled water first (it's cheap!) and then pour in the Zerex.

The reservoir should be at full with the engine cold. The extra space above the F line is for heat expansion of the coolant.

 

that's mixing coolants that may not be compatible with the same vehicle at all though isn't it?

 

The resevior has two level marks, hot and cold. If you have coolant in the tank at the cold (low) mark while the engine is cold, you should be fine. Check again when hot and it should be at the top line.

 

if you are close to due for a coolant change, do a flush. If you are in SoCal or never experience freezing temps, you can top off with distilled water up to the low mark and observe any coolant usage. I would not top off multiple times with water as your concentration will eventually be too weak for the anti-rust inhibitors to do their work.
Even though your existing coolant is red/pink, personally i would not mix in the asian zerex with your old coolant and save it towards your flush/refill. ..but Asian Zerex is compatible with Toyota Red/Pink coolants if you choose to top off with it.

 

Just a note on Toyota coolant. Long life Toyota coolant is not compatible with Super Long Life Toyota coolant. Super long life came out after the RX300. The RX300 uses just plain old Long Life coolant.

As Fast said, top off the reservoir with distilled water for now until you know if you are leaking coolant. The dilution will be miniscule and then fix the leak and flush the coolant after the fix.

 

Also remember the 50-50 mix with concentrate is a not the optimum mix ratio.

Read the instructions and adjust for your local climate.

Salim

 

Just an FYI Asian Zerex only comes pre-mixed 50/50 ready to use. No dilution necessary.

 

Isn't the super backward compatible? It's definitely like an inch below the cold low.

Had timing belt changed a year ago so prob unnecessary to flush?

 

if its backwards compatible it would also be forwards compatible. LOL I think you are confusing two separate issues. You can use Super in a vehicle designed for Long life but what we are talking about is mixing two different fluids that are not compatible. You would need to flush the long life out and refill with super long life but you cannot just add super to long or long to super.