Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum banner

Coolant Question....Ouch

18K views 41 replies 16 participants last post by  DEWFPO 
#1 ·
All, I am in the middle of a tune up for our 2007 TRD FJ and want to drain and refill the radiator and replace the thermostat.

Q. Can I mix the stock coolant with aftermarket? I went to the dealer and they want $29 for the 50/50 !!!:flame:
 
#2 ·
Please spend the $29 for the Toyota Long Life 50/50 - Pre-mixed coolant.
You don't want to see or have coagulated coolant in your cooling system.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Any reputable brand of coolant that is designed for aluminum engines (which should be all of them by now) will work just fine.

No major manufacturer is going to use a product in their vehicle that is incompatible with aftermarket items. Imagine if your "Toyota" coolant really would "coagulate" when mixed with Prestone. Every person that had a coolant leak would have to get their Camry towed to a Toyota dealer for coolant? How long do you think that business would last.

(except the GM Dex-cool debacle)
 
#25 ·
Green and the red style coolant Toyota makes WILL cause problems when mixed. They will cause a sludge mixture and you should not mix the types.

Do some research if you don't believe this.

Toyota Red coolant (un mixed, pink is the already mixed water/red) is some of the best coolant on the market as well. This is one area i would stick with Toyota.
 
#6 ·
You can't mix stock Toyota coolant with aftermarket. They are not compatible. Sometimes you get what you pay for. Spend the $$ and get the right stuff.
 
#30 ·
Amazon says they wont ship for 3-4 weeks
This thread reminded me that it had been a while since I flushed my system too. Amazon said 3-5 weeks when I ordered on the 7th, but I got an email update yesterday the 12th that it had shipped and was currently in Portland Oregon in transit. 5 days instead of 5 weeks. Usually when I buy something online it is the other way around. Probably because I'm not in a hurry, if I was it would be backordered til July. :)
 
#10 ·
The Toyota coolant is good stuff and you only have to change it every 5 years. It's not that expensive when you think about it that way.
 
#12 ·
I think my manual says 12 quarts but I only got about 9 out of mine if I remember right. You'll probably need to buy 3 gallons either way.
 
#14 ·
I think my manual says 12 quarts but I only got about 9 out of mine if I remember right. You'll probably need to buy 3 gallons either way.
Anyone know what the capacity of the radiator (only) is?
The two quotes above your question quote are for the whole system, not just the radiator. I don't know how much just the radiator alone took because I did a full system flush when I did mine. Couldn't find it in the Toyota literature either. If I had to guess I would say one jug might do just the radiator, but I would have another on hand just in case. The Toyota stuff is already premixed to 50/50 so if you need another quart or so you would be SOL with just one jug.
 
#15 ·
I have got it from 2011 Service Manual. This is total capacity. Radiator is much smaller.



"2. ADD ENGINE COOLANT

(a) Tighten the 2 cylinder block drain **** plugs.
Torque: 13 N·m (133 kgf·cm, 10ft·lbf)
(b) Tighten the radiator drain **** plug by hand.
(c) Add engine coolant.
Standard Capacity:
Item
Specified Condition
for Automatic Transmission
9.8 liters (10.4 US qts, 8.6 Imp. qts)
for Manual Transmission
9.4 liters (9.9 US qts, 8.3 Imp. qts)

NOTICE:
Do not substitute plain water for engine coolant.

HINT:

TOYOTA vehicles are filled with TOYOTA SLLC at the factory. In order to avoid damage to the engine cooling system and other technical problems, only use TOYOTA SLLC or similar high quality ethylene glycol based non-silicate, non-amine, non-nitrite, non-borate coolant with long-life hybrid organic acid technology (coolant with long-life hybrid organic acid technology consists of a combination of low phosphates and organic acids).
Press the No. 1 and No. 2 radiator hoses several times by hand, and then check the coolant level. If the coolant level is low, add coolant."



I my opinion it isn't good idea to mix different coolants if you are not in emergency.
It is OK to use suitable to your engine coolant of you choice if you replace and flush the system. Even though I prefer to use OEM staff, at least for first 10 years.
 
#16 ·
Please share where/who you purchase from if on ebay. I just looked through all the ebay offerings and once shipping is added non of them were less than the $29 the dealer charges. I was planning on flushing the whole thing this spring/summer so I'll probably order on amazon and wait till they arrive.
 
#17 ·
I've worked such a long time on different projects and if you would buy the colored coolant every single time then you'll be broke in a few weeks, I really kinda tried with my projects this, mix the coolant with normal tap water, no water temp increases, no nothing, even though I live in one of the hottest places on earth. I kinda find the coolant thing not satisfying enough for me to believe that this thing doesn't boil as fast as normal water and stuff, but hey that's just me..
 
#21 · (Edited)
It is OK use distillate water in an emergency. Tap water has lots of calcium, which creates permanent deposits and degrades thermodynamics in the cooling system rendering it less efficient over time. You, probably, did not use enough water to see the effect, but it is there.
Most important the coolant has anti-corrosive additives. Also it lubricates water pump seal, which extends its life.
Proper coolant doesn't freeze and boiling temperature is higher, than water. It doesn't mean the engine will overheat with water. That means when temperature is above water boiling point, you will have much higher pressure in the cooling system, and pressure release valve will open earlier, than with appropriate coolant.
In high temperatures water is much more prone to the cavitation as well, which destroys the water pump quite fast.
 
#22 ·
Lucky you. My dealership charges 100% of list for everything. If I ask nicely, they'll sometimes give me a 10% break.

Last week I picked up 1 qt. of Type WS ATF and it was $10.55 before tax. Ouch, and they want me to come back and buy another vehicle from them......

DEWFPO
 
#24 ·
#28 ·
One bottle of Water Wetter treats 3-5 gallons of coolant. You don't need two. I've used it a long time too. Since I've started using it I've never needed to replace a pump or had any cooling related issue, including 300,000 miles on a Tacoma. Good stuff.
 
#29 ·
If you're replacing the thermostat, I don't think you can really do the radiator only. You're going to need to drain enough from the engine that it won't come pouring out when you pull the thermostat.

When you open the drain on the radiator, you're going to empty most of the coolant from the engine too (unless you close the drain after a gallon or so comes out). That may get the coolant level below the thermostat if that's all your after. If you let the radiator drain completely, you'll only get a couple more quarts out by opening the drains on the block.

Are you doing this only to replace the thermostat? If your coolant is close to 5 yrs old, why not just do a full drain/replace?

If it was me, and the thermostat was still working ok, I wouldn't bother to replace it. I'd wait until it's about 10 years old and then replace it and the hoses and maybe the water pump all at once while you've got the coolant out for the second change.
 
#31 ·
I ordered the full strength Toyota Coolant a couple of days ago from Amazon and it shipped the same day.

DEWFPO
 
#32 ·
I didn't know they made full strength in a type suitable for FJs. Thats a better way to go as long as the price isn't too high. You can get gallon jugs of demineralized water real cheap to mix your own. I buy them just for rinse between draining and filling. Next time I'll get the full strength. Thanks!
 
#33 ·
Toyota diluted 50/50 (yellow cap) was $20.84 (P/N 00272-SLLC2)



and the full strength (red cap) was $26.33 (P/N 00272-1LLAC-01)



DEWFPO
 
#34 ·
Any Idea as to what the actual refill capacity is after a complete drain out?

It seems the full strenght would be a better deal if the capacity is more than 3gl.

I should really get busy and change mine!
 
#35 ·
I'm getting ready to do this in a few weeks so I don't have any 'real' data for you but Toyota says the total capacity is 10.4 qts for the 5AT's and 9.9 qts for the 6MT's. I've never, ever been able to get everything out of all the nooks and crannies of the cooling system whenever I've done a flush so I know it'll be less than 10.4 qts. for my 5AT for sure; so the 2 undiluted gallons I ordered should be more than enough for my needs.

After I do mine I'll measure everything I got out of it and post it back here.

DEWFPO
 
#36 ·
I bought 2 undiluted gallons. I got about 9 qts out so I only used a little of the second gallon of coolant. 1 gallon of undiluted isn't quite enough though and if you want to go a little stronger than 50/50, you could use a little less water.

When I bought the undiluted, the parts guy told me it isn't specified for the FJ. I checked my manual and sure enough, it says to use the pre-diluted. I really don't think it'll hurt anything though. It seems to be working just fine for me.
 
#37 ·
Called my normal dealer, Classic Toyota.

$22.50/gal for the pink coolant
$9/qt for ATF fluid
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top