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HighlanderGeneral discussion forum for the Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid.
This is a discussion thread titled "Total Coolant Flush Highlander V6", within the Highlander forum, part of the SUV Forums category.
I am noticing the coolant is getting a little to rustic looking on my HL V6 1MZ. I was wanting to do an engine flush with a prestone flush kit becuase there is about 125K on it now.
3 years ago i pulled the radiator plug and filled it back up with Pink Toy fluid. but that was at 78K. This time around i was thinking about a full flush, draining the block plugs and doing the full system.
Does anyone know where the drain bolts are located on the Engine? I don't see where their at? Also whats the life on the Thermostat? Will it last to 180-200K when I change it again?
I am noticing the coolant is getting a little to rustic looking on my HL V6 1MZ. I was wanting to do an engine flush with a prestone flush kit becuase there is about 125K on it now.
3 years ago i pulled the radiator plug and filled it back up with Pink Toy fluid. but that was at 78K. This time around i was thinking about a full flush, draining the block plugs and doing the full system.
Does anyone know where the drain bolts are located on the Engine? I don't see where their at? Also whats the life on the Thermostat? Will it last to 180-200K when I change it again?
thanks you very much
Change the T-stat! And maybe the Rad. Cap as well. It's time. Maybe the hoses too. Usually the upper hose goes first. The lower rad. hose usually outlasts the upper 2-1. Also, disconnecting the Lower rad. Hose releases alot of sediment.
The Block Plug Drain on the 1MZ is to the right of the Oil filter( a small brass looking down spout). I would not use a Prestone flush...not on a Toyota engine/radiator at least. Reacts with the metals too strongly.
And only use Distilled water for the flush!!!!! Flush twice(let circulate between fills) then drain well. Distilled water is cheap by the gallon in any drug store( approx $1.00/gallon.) . Don't buy the distilled water from any auto parts store. They mark it up crazy.
Just don't use tap drinking water. It truly is bad for the system( a known fact).Treated Water also reacts with the metals! Even just for a flush. Then use Toyota Super Long Life Pink( 50/50 premixed).
Buy two gallons or more...yu will need it. Check the Capacity of the system to be sure. Because if yu have the rear heater option your capacity is more. But I don't believe the 01's had the rear heater option.
BTW, make sure yu remove the Plastic Reservoir Bottle and clean it out well!! This yu can wash in a sink or use a hose. I use a small skinny brush and some dishwashing soap to reach the bottom of the bottle. Then rinse and drain well. It collects alot of muck.
Doing it in this way, your coolant system will be good for another 50-100K.
You do really need to do this servicing more often - coolant looses capability over time (ie., corrosion and rust inhibitors). 30k miles for most vehicles (normally driven) is a good rule of thumb.
You do really need to do this servicing more often - coolant looses capability over time (ie., corrosion and rust inhibitors). 30k miles for most vehicles (normally driven) is a good rule of thumb.
I think going forward I have to agree 30K should be the interval. But shouldn't the $25 a gallon Toyota Pink coolant last until at least 75K? The book says 100K
Since I already bought the Pink yesterday i'll use it one last time. But after a full flush like LT recomended with Distilled water, if doesn't last at least 60K Im switching back to Red
I think going forward I have to agree 30K should be the interval. But shouldn't the $25 a gallon Toyota Pink coolant last until at least 75K? The book says 100K
Since I already bought the Pink yesterday i'll use it one last time. But after a full flush like LT recomended with Distilled water, if doesn't last at least 60K Im switching back to Red
30K change for coolants is an overkill specially with the quality of OEM coolants. My brother's 97 Civic went a whole 10yrs before touching it... I will go 60K drain/fill of radiator without getting into the flush exercise.
BTW, is ur 2K1 highlander speced for the pink stuff.. Shouldn't it be the red full strength coolant and not the premixed pink OAT stufff.
I I was wanting to do an engine flush with a prestone flush kit becuase there is about 125K on it now.
3 years ago i pulled the radiator plug and filled it back up with Pink Toy fluid. but that was at 78K. This time around i was thinking about a full flush, draining the block plugs and doing the full system.
There is no need to do a "full flush" because there is no corrosion, rust, scale or sediment in your cooling system thanks to the Toyota coolant. Simply draining and refilling your radiator every few years is all that is needed to keep your cooling system in like new condition for unlimited years and miles. That's what I did with my 19 year old Corolla and below is what it looks like today.
The life of a Toyota thermostat & radiator cap is 10-15 years
The life of Toyota radiator and other coolant hoses is 15-20 years
So you don't have any worries there either for many years.
Using a Prestone "T" is actually harmful because it introduces mineral laden tap water into your cooling system which will form calcium carbonate deposits on your radiator core tubes and reduce the heat transfer capability of your radiator. Using a "T" is also a waste of time since there is no corrosion, rust, scale or sediment in your cooling system. Using a "T" also means cutting into one of your heater hoses which will deminish the life of the hose.
30K change for coolants is an overkill specially with the quality of OEM coolants. My brother's 97 Civic went a whole 10yrs before touching it... I will go 60K drain/fill of radiator without getting into the flush exercise.
BTW, is ur 2K1 highlander speced for the pink stuff.. Shouldn't it be the red full strength coolant and not the premixed pink OAT stufff.
Long Life Red can now be replaced with Super Long Life Pink .
The Coolant can last as long as 50-100K, I check mine every year with a Coolant tester. And its antifreeze and boiling point readings are on the mark.
It is the sediment that builds up in the coolant that makes a flush required for the most part.
Every 30K is probably more realistic for this reason.
KathyRicks...I just don't know that any rubber components i.e. gaskets in Rad. Cap, and hose will last as long as yu say they did on your car. My 88 Corolla's upper and lower hoses as well as one heater hose and Rad. cap did fail aoround the 100K mark. My Corolla was purchased new and I maintained it as yu did yours. OE Long life Red was used for my Corolla.
I don't know if DrRuckus was intending on using a Prestone T flush setup or just the Prestone Flush chemical alone. In any event, I agree that yu never introduce PLAIN water or any other chemicals to a Toyota Coolant system except for the OE coolant and DISTILLED water(for flushing purposes).
LT
LT is right, if you do cross the 150K barrier, I would go ahead and replace the upper and lower radiator hoses, hoses to the heater and all the pressure clamps. Rubber hoses definetly fall under some kind of realistic PM schedule.
I have never seen "sediment buildup" in any Toyota cooling system that has always been filled with Toyota coolant. This includes 100% cast iron engines, iron block and aluminum head engines and 100% aluminum engines. I drained the coolant into clear plastic tubs and it has always been clear, not cloudy, and no "sediment" has settled to the bottom.
I own two 34 year old Toyotas that still have their factory original upper radiator hoses and hose clamps. The hoses have "1974" engraved on them. One even has the factory original metric spec heater hoses which I replaced last week only as a preventive measure. Factory radiator and heater hoses are ultra durable and metric spec for a precise fit.
My position on auto parts store hoses is exactly the opposite: they need replacing every 3 years like the Gates Rubber company suggests because they are such poor quality and not built to precise fitting metric specs. I had a 4 year old auto parts store heater hose (the the former owner installed) crack and spew two quarts of coolant into a supermarket parking lot a couple months ago. Very embarrassing.
Lessons learned: Don't replace the factory hoses until they are at least 15 years old (YSPERT agrees with me on this point too) and don't replace them with auto parts store hoses unless you expect to sell the car within 3-4 years.
What hasn't been mentioned is that the coolant hoses most likely to fail first on a Toyota are the very small diameter coolant hoses that are connected to the throttle body and often hard to see unless you are underneath the engine looking upward. These hoses may develop seepage leaks at between 10-15 years and may rupture violently when 15-25 years old. So if your car has unexplained slow loss of coolant, but no coolant dripping on the ground one of the first suspects is a seepage leak from a ver small diameter coolant hose connected to the throttle body.
If you haven't done it already, once you drain and refill with distilled water remember you need to drive around until the engine gets hot enough for the thermostat to open. I also turn the heat on, but I believe with the HL coolant is always flowing through the heater core. I wouldn't mess with the "t" type flush, it's one more point of failure down the road.
My advice would be to replace the thermostat as well, if you haven't already. It's cheap. I personally wouldn't replace the hoses yet, these days they should last a decade. My carolla with 213k had original hoses, and old man Brown's camry with 258k has them as well.
Thank you all for your advice. I have not been able to change the coolant yet. I am picking up a new stock thermostat tomorrow from Toyota.
But this is what i think might have happened. 2 summers ago, almost 3 now I drained the fluid out of the radiator which used to be Red. And added in the Longlife pink coolant. Not all the Red was drained because at the time I did not know to drain the block to. That means half the old fluid is still from the factory. (2001 HL) That must be what has caused it to become gunky. When i look into the radiator its fairly crusty inside and the fluid is a dirty pinkish red color with a thin layer of "gunk" floating on top.
Anyways, with the recomendations, this is the plan. I'm going to drain the block and radiator and also clean out the reserve tank. Then pull the old thermostat out, fill the engine back up with distilled water through the thermostat housing, and fill the radiator. Then start it without the thermostat and let it run for about 20 minutes.
Then drain it down again. install the new thermostat/gasket, Fill the block through the thermostat, and proceed to fill the radiator up. Start it with the cap off and check the levels and add until the level is topped off. Put the radiator cap back on the radiator and fill up the reserve tank.
I'll be using the Toyota Pink Coolant......
Hopefully this will clean the system out and prevent any further damage.... I hope
Last edited by DrRuckus13; 04-21-2008 at 09:41 PM.
The label directions on the pink antifreeze recommends flushing with the pink antifreeze itself, not with plain water. Yep that's going to get expensive, but all this trouble could have been avoided in the first place if you had simply refilled with the factory original (red) type coolant the first time you drained the radiator.
Running your engine for 20 minutes on plain water is not a factory authorized procedure. If your water pump seal could talk I believe it would probably say "don't do that because antifreeze contains lubricants that protect me from abrasive wear".
Thank you all for your advice. I have not been able to change the coolant yet. I am picking up a new stock thermostat tomorrow from Toyota.
But this is what i think might have happened. 2 summers ago, almost 3 now I drained the fluid out of the radiator which used to be Red. And added in the Longlife pink coolant. Not all the Red was drained because at the time I did not know to drain the block to. That means half the old fluid is still from the factory. (2001 HL) That must be what has caused it to become gunky. When i look into the radiator its fairly crusty inside and the fluid is a dirty pinkish red color with a thin layer of "gunk" floating on top.
Anyways, with the recomendations, this is the plan. I'm going to drain the block and radiator and also clean out the reserve tank. Then pull the old thermostat out, fill the engine back up with distilled water through the thermostat housing, and fill the radiator. Then start it without the thermostat and let it run for about 20 minutes.
Then drain it down again. install the new thermostat/gasket, Fill the block through the thermostat, and proceed to fill the radiator up. Start it with the cap off and check the levels and add until the level is topped off. Put the radiator cap back on the radiator and fill up the reserve tank.
I'll be using the Toyota Pink Coolant......
Hopefully this will clean the system out and prevent any further damage.... I hope
I would not leave the T-sta off ...it will prevent coolant flow and actually go against yu. If anything...remove the T-stat core of the old one, then install the remaining T-stat plate. Yu need a degree of restriction for proper coolant flow. It is designed into the T-stat.
Total Coolant Flush Highlander V6
I think going forward I have to agree 30K should be the interval. But shouldn't the $25 a gallon Toyota Pink coolant last until at least 75K? The book says 100K 
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