Coolant

[BZG Wagon]

Do the brands differ? Or can I replace with any ol' red coolant in my GTT (vs. running down to my local toyota dealership - if they stock it)?

I hear the corosion inhibiters break down after a while - is this correct? If so how often are you suppose to flush your coolant?

Oh and is it worth running some sort of radiator flush through the system?

[YeMs]

the red coolant is good for 100,00ks. as a rule of thumb i always put in what came out. We flush green coolant systems every 40,000ks. We also use a WYNNS Flush and sealant pack with every flush and a flush machine to flush the coolant out. as for brand, i think generally middle-of-the-road price wise is fine. i dont think you need real expencive stuff for a daily, different if it were in a race car that goes through much more extreme heat cycles. and remember to mix it according to the instructions which is usually about 50/50. a stronger mix can do more damage than good.

[fuel]

Nulon is good, you can get it in both red or green coolant at Supercheap. They say it lasts 4/5 years or 250,000kms or something like that, but I change my coolant every 2-3 years regardless of the kms travelled.

[Mr Revhead]

Just make sure you read the labels. Colour is not always an indication of the type.

[Dell'Orto]

Prestone stuff mixes with the majority of coolants out there, red or green.

[Mr Ree]

Just stick to good old toyota red. Its designed for your motor, and its whats currrently in your motor so its the best choice considering it will last the next 6 years or so.

[BZG Wagon]

Thanks for the info.

I think I'll go for this stuff: http://www.nulon.co.nz/products/Red_Long_Life_Concentrated_Coolant/

It's $30 from Supercheap vs. $60 for Toyota Super Long Life Coolant (pink - apparently. Also premixed to make it an even worse deal), which Toyota recomended.

[Akane]

I had toyota red in the system on one of my other car, didn't flush all out, put in green stuff. bad ending.

[solitaire]

where do you get such a huge amount of deminarlised water if you are going with concentrate?

[Bling]

You mean from the tap is no good?

[Makaveli]

From a Lexus/Toyota workshop manual:

"Use of improper coolants may damage the engine cooling system.

Only use Toyota Super Long Life Coolant or similar high quality ethlene glycol based non-silicate,
non-amine, non-nitrite, and 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).

New Toyota vehicles are filled with Toyota Super Long Life Coolant. When replacing the coolant, Toyota
Super Long Life Coolant (color is pink, premixed ethyleneglycol concentration is approximately 50
% and freezing temperature is -35°C (-31°F)) is recommended."

You can buy distilled water from Supercheap Auto, I think they come in 4L packs? Which makes 8L of coolant.

[Rob]

I just looked at this:

http://newcarbuyingguide.com/index.php/ ... event=view

and it seems pretty good

[RomanV]

non-borate coolant

[BZG Wagon]

My car's 13-ish years old, so I'm not sure whether switching from Red (LL) to Pink (SLL) is the way to go.

The Nulon anitifreeze says it's 'silicate, borate, phosphate, nitrate & amine free' so I don't see how it'll be any different (better or worse) than Toyota LL.
I have always used Toyota Genuine Parts - but I can't see any benefit in spending more for TGP radiator fluid in this situation.

where do you get such a huge amount of deminarlised water if you are going with concentrate?

Straight out of the dehumidifer...

[solitaire]

My car's 13-ish years old, so I'm not sure whether switching from Red (LL) to Pink (SLL) is the way to go.

The Nulon anitifreeze says it's 'silicate, borate, phosphate, nitrate & amine free' so I don't see how it'll be any different (better or worse) than Toyota LL.

I have always used Toyota Genuine Parts - but I can't see any benefit in spending more in this case for TGP radiator fluid.

where do you get such a huge amount of deminarlised water if you are going with concentrate?

Straight out of the dehumidifer...

Pardon my ignorance but is that serious? i have 2 dehumidifiers doing nothing and the air in my garage is moist as on accoutn of the wet clay in the unconcreted portion of my garage, could i just start the dehumifiers going and collect?

[BZG Wagon]

I used dehumidifier water in previous cars I've owned - I don't see why it would be a bad thing. Essentially it's gone through the same process of distilling - it's just not purified (so there might be dust, bacteria etc in it).

I supposed you could check the PH to make sure it's neutral? Any chemists out there wanting to share their opinion?

I'll be buying distilled water for my GTT though.

[Mr Revhead]

Never heard of distilled water for coolant. I wouldn't be bothering with that tbh

[iOnic]

Never heard of distilled water for coolant. I wouldn't be bothering with that tbh

Gimmick to rope in pedantic worrying types. Never seen/heard of a workshop (Toyota included) using anything but tap water.

In theory, yes distilled water is better - in practice, good luck noticing any difference.

[solitaire]

Never heard of distilled water for coolant. I wouldn't be bothering with that tbh

Gimmick to rope in pedantic worrying types. Never seen/heard of a workshop (Toyota included) using anything but tap water.

That would be me

glad to hear this stuff... i have enough things to spend money on as it is, babies are expensive...

[BZG Wagon]

Meh - coolant manufacturers recommend using demineralised water. Auckland water is sh*t - even I don't like having it inside me so why chuck it in my car.

Workshops cut corners and work to the minimum standard to get the job done as quick and cheaply as possible - even Toyota (especially Toyota from my experience). Mechanics I know generally apply a double standard ayway when working on their cars vs. customers cars.

Call me pedantic but I don't mind taking a bit of extra care.