Depends where you had it done and if the waterpump was included as part of a complete job. I've come across places "do the favor" of draining off your coolant in a clean container, to reuse. Dealerships will likely drain off and use new coolant and add to your bill accordingly.

 

yes i remember the mechanic supposedly used new coolant and didn't charge me for it (i brought the other parts). the reservoir has some dirt/shavings/gunk in it so i may look into changing it if necessary, but i just topped it off with some zerex for now.

one last question -- does the temp gauge on the dashboard essentially indicate if the coolant is functioning properly/is at a sufficient level? i.e. if the gauge never reaches the hot level then everything is fine and no harm has been done?

 

No, the temp gauge is just an environmental indicator to let you know that the engine is operating within an accepted operating temperature range at a given time. Coolant function is dependent of its existing protection level, dilution and components of the cooling system..ie, a leaking rad cap seal can raise your coolant temperatures. Unnoticed, you may blow your head gaskets.

Keep your eye on your coolant levels to notice any loss...then you can systematically review your cooling system components for the cause.

 

The 'temp' gauge is just an indicator and does not function if there is no coolant.

If it is cold in the morning and climbs to 40%-50% mark in 10-15 mins of driving then it is all good. If you see it creeping up to 80% then pull over and shut the engine. If you must drive (safety) reason then turn the heat up all the way up.

Salim

 

Noob here, so please pardon the ignorance. I have a few questions.

Does this procedure flush the system?

Can I do serious damage if I do this?

Does the 99 RX300 have a bleeder valve? If so, can someone post a photo of the location?

My blend door servo is broken. Do I have to use the heater to be successful?

Thanks!

 

Welcome
The procedure outlined is a full drain and replacement. If you do a full drain, replace with water or coolant, then drain again before your final fill..that would be a flush.

No serious damage to the engine, unless you drive it low on coolant. There is no bleeder valve to my knowledge, any trapped air will work its way up to the coolant fill tank after multiple heat cycles. You can attempt to burp any air pockets before heat cycling the engine up to temperature by squeezing the coolant hoses. Your heater does not need to be used to do a coolant flush.

 

I dont have the rx300 here to check but if I recall, there is a nipple to bleed the coolant system over behind the ect temp sensor circled in this picture. As you refill, leave the nipple cracked open to breath and close it before running the engine.

 

There is wealth of information in this thread however I'm thinking of a simpler solution to replace all of the coolant without wrestling with the two engine block drains. Would the have any negative results?

1- Allow the engine to cool for 1 hour.
2- Drain the radiator and overflow reservoir.
3- Fill the radiator with distilled water. Run the engine for 20 minutes.
4- Repeat steps 1-3 twice. This should get [almost] all the existing coolant out
5- Allow the engine to cool for 1 hour.
6- Drain the radiator.
7- Fill the radiator with 1 gallon of Toyota red antifreeze. Add distilled water to top it off. Fill the reservoir with distilled water.
8- Run the engine for 20 minutes. Fill additional distilled water to the higher mark in the reservoir.

 

It will give you 'almost' the right mix of water and antifreeze. I used the word almost as you will not be able to claim that you have 50-50 mix or 55-45 etc, but I guess it will be OK.

Other than one member having problems with the block drain, I have not come across posts that had problem with the bolt head. I find it easy and convenient. [not sure if I spotted both the block drain's on RX]

Salim

 

I bought 4 gallons of the pink 50/50. Do you think this procedure could be done with that instead of distilled water? I know it's a waste but I have never done this before and am not super confident that I can find the block drain plugs and do the normal full flush method...

 

Just draining out of the radiator should be good enough.
Draining out of the block is a plus but not essential. Going by memory, the block drain I used was around the oil filter [just an image in my memory] 2 ft radius].

4 gallons of premix is no different than having 2 concentrated gallon bottles and 2 gallons of distilled water.

Just keep your receipt as there is a possibility that you will not use the 4th bottle.

Salim

 

Thanks Salim! I will try it this weekend, definitely something that's been neglected and I just hit 275,000 miles. I'm also thinking about changing the spark plugs but that one seems a lot more daunting. I found a video where a lady was able to remove them all without taking off the exhaust manifold.

 

It's the intake manifold that comes off for ease of access to the rear spark plugs. It can be done without doing it, but I had Toyota do mine. Also, the coolant change on the RX300 is pretty straight forward. There are pix here on the forum for the drain plugs, just use the "Search this forum" feature and you will find them. Burping the system afterwards is easy as well, especially compared to Nissan's 3.5 liter engine in my Infiniti!

 

Here's a good shot of the rear one. If memory serves me, there are actually two.

 

I thought about having Toyota doing the plugs but they quoted me $750, not including parts!! I will definitely give the coolant a go this weekend. I am still undecided if I will do the multiple flushes or just drain and fill. Since I bought 4 gallons of the 50/50 I may just refill and then do the same to my wife's 2013 Highlander.