I wonder what happened?

Did the OP introduce "COLD" coolant/fluids to a very hot engine block and thereby cracked it? Or the OP did not put enough coolant? Or maybe the OP had somehow introduced a large pocket of air bubbles and somehow cracked or damaged the engine? Or the OP CONTINUED to drive that 100 miles with an ALREADY OVER HEATED ENGINE and thereby cracked the engine block and/or damaged the cylinder head gasket?

Sounds bad and EXPENSIVE!!!

 

You bring up valid questions to the table lexusrus. I'm afraid that your last hypothesis is a great candidate for what happened...

At the end of the day it's just money that it will cost to fix, so as a solution the OP may have to psyche himself up by chanting "MONEY-IS-MADE-TO-BE SPENT!!...MONEY-IS-MADE-TO-BE SPENT!!" (x4) and get on with it...

 

Another phrase is as follows:

"Who is gonna get my money now??" X4!!!

​​​​​​I've personally done engine coolant exchanges before. So I would like to know what happened to the OP.

BTW, the OEM Toyota/Lexus red/pink coolant lasts like 100K miles!!! There is really no need to change them before it's time!!

 

I have a RAV4 with 102k on it and I can confirm that aside from topping off the OEM pink coolant, it looks as radiant as ever, as in no coloration seen in the radiator or reservoir.
Maybe for the OP's next drain and fill exercise, he could fill up, shake the RX vigorously from the front to get bubbles out, drive a mile and when safe, remove the radiator cap and shake it some more for any more bubbles that make their way up. And repeat as necessary if the temp needle is past the halfway point.

 

I suspect his replacement engine and related costs will eliminate the need for any such inept, unskilled, uninformed, inexperienced maintenance attempts in the future. Sometimes a man's got to know his limitations, to quote Dirty Harry in that classic movie.

The lesson is that one should not be learning self taught automobile maintenance and repair on sensitive areas as the cooling system on a vehicle that costs as much as the RX. Especially when the maintenance is not even needed.

It is apparent from his posts that he did not know how to bleed a cooling system as he thought he could do it while driving far away on a trip! He may not have known about the bleed valve.
He probably poured the coolant in too fast creating air pockets and as suggested above, may have worked on a hot engine leading to other issues. We may never know the answers to these theories.

 

Do we change with red or pink coolant?

 

I just got rx350 with 120k miles on it. Flush or drain and refill?

 

Just do a drain and fill. There will not be anything that needs flushing. Replacing the coolant will protect your system. If you flush and use a garden hose then you have the problem of introducing tap water into the cooling system that must then be removed as you only want to use distilled water. Some of the Toyota coolant is sold premixed and does not need extra water added. See this link with tips on changing the coolant on the 3.5 V6, this is for the Highlander, but 97% is the same. The only differences are the engine and chassis shield covers are different.
FYI you do not have to open all the engine block drains. If you can get to one that is helpful. You can always disconnect some hoses to drain more coolant.

https://www.toyotanation.com/threads...cement.828482/

 

I would do a flush.

 

I have yet to see particles in the coolant in any of the Lexus I have owned fro years. If the drain does not indicate any reason, I would stay with drain and fill.

Salim

 

Another vote for a simple drain-and-fill.

 

I checked my coolant this evening and it's pink. Is Toyota oem pink or red?

edit: i guess red is for pre-2004, and pink is post 2004 vehicle.

 

Pink.
Toyota Super Long Life Pre-Diluted Anti-Freeze Coolant. Part No. 00272SLLC2
This is a 50/50 pre-mix. Available at many places online or your local Toyota or Lexus Dealer.
https://parts.toyota.com/p/Toyota-50...0272SLLC2.html

 

2012 RX 100k miles. Should I replace coolant as suggested in the manual?

when car is cold the coolant level is very low in the tank. Does it go up to max when car is hot?

should I just top off coolant or get it replaced?

can I replace myself by just sucking old stuff out from the top and putting new SLLC in?

 

You should replace it, which means drain and fill but you should take it to a shop as you could have engine failure if you do not replace your coolant properly. The cost is not that much compared to a new engine, which did happen to a member who only posted after he toasted his motor. At least watch youtube videos on changing the coolant on an RX350, Toyota Highlander or Sienna as all have the same engine. Then go to this link and read the instructions on how to change your coolant, then take it to a repair shop.https://www.toyotanation.com/threads...cement.828482/