From a Toyota dealer oil change two weeks ago, the only suggestion was to change the power steering fluid. The coolant was checked at fine. So I pumped out a pint of power steering fluid last weekend when the RX was a little warm and replaced with new ATF. I thought I saw the coolant reservoir level might have been a bit closer to low than full but was above low. Today, while completing the job with a cold engine, pumping out the second pint and adding ATF I saw the coolant reservoir was very low - see photo. I also see sediment at the bottom of the reservoir. I checked the radiator cap as it was cold and the coolant was right at the top. I also checked my records and had a coolant drain/refill 18,000 miles ago. So, based on all this information my plan is to remove the reservoir to get out the sediment and add new 50-50 coolant to the full level. Questions:
1. Am I doing the right thing?
2. Is there a specific 50-50 coolant to use? The manual only says "Ethylene-glycol coolant" and "Do not use alcohol type" - as you can see from the photo the coolant is pink. There seems to be a new "long life" Toyota coolant and regular coolant. Also I presume I have to buy an entire gallon while I probably would only need a quart.
3. Should I be concerned about a leak issue? Of course I can always keep an eye on it. There are no wet spots under the RX.
Thanks.

 

I would suspect a leak with that much loss. I'm in love with the red Toyota coolant, although pink is supposed to be good too, but I have no experience with it. Red is still cut with water, pink is pre-mixed.

I would top it off with either pink or red depending on what is in it now and check for leaks. I can't say for sure if that is pink or red from the pic, it's hard to see it through the plastic.

Mine does lose a splash of coolant from time to time with no visible leaks or issues, but it is much less than what yours has lost.

 

Thanks carguy. I just looked inside the reservoir again in my garage and it does look red not pink. Also the coolant service receipt stated 1 gallon of coolant so I would think it was not a 50-50. I'm going to call the indy who did the service to make sure he uses red and fill with a mix of distilled water and keep an eye on the level.

Thanks again for your response, I did not think anything of mixing 50-50 pink with red but researching it indicates you are right, it's preferable to avoid mixing.

 

Last time I did a full drain (radiator + block + heater core), I needed a 1 gal or conc + 1.25+ gallons of distilled water. 50-50 is a general guideline and the exact mix is listed on the conc jug.

To fill, I just poured 1/2 of the conc down the radiator and then fill up the conc jug with distilled water and used the mix to fill the reservoir. Then poured the remaining mix in the radiator. Then filled up the radiator with distilled water till it was full. After purging, I kept adding distilled water to the reservoir. Just keep track of how much distilled water is used and make sure you do not over dilute the mix.

Dont make the mistake of dumping all the conc in the radiator as you will be left with water for the reservoir.

Bottom line ... 50-50 is a general guideline

Salim

 

Why it will still mix after a couple of drives.

 

The (overflow) reservoir is not in the coolant loop. The reservoir and the radiator only connect when there is differential beyond the radiator cap and there is a very slow process to fill. It will take many drives to slowly come to a balance.

In other words, the liquid in the reservoir would stay there and if exposed to below freezing, the bottle may crack.

Salim

 

Both the TSB and my Toyota dealer said it was fine to mix pink and red. I drained the dregs in the reservoir into an old empty jug, rinsed out the sediment at the bottom of the reservoir and filled to the full line with the 50-50. When running warm it's only an inch over full with plenty of room from overflow. I'll keep an eye for any leaks and presume from Salim it will take a while to blend in with the mostly red. He's right that after a couple of days it's still all pink. But all seems good. Thanks for the replies.