candace Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 A few months ago my alternator belt broke while driving. I pulled over with the engine running to investigate the sound. Because the engine was being kept cool by the wind while I was driving, it didnt start to overheat until I pulled over with the engine still running. So I replaced the belt and due to the overheating, I put about a gallon of water in the radiator. I never bothered to flush it and replace with antifreeze because I was in Southern California. I'm about to head into the colder climates of northern Utah and southern Idaho and remembered that maybe I need to drain the current coolant mixture and put in a new 50/50 mix because of that gallon of water I added months back. Can I just drain the radiator and poor in a 50/50 antifreeze? Or do I need to completely flush from the block and run hose water through the radiator first? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 (edited) Yes, no and maybe!!!! It depends on what brand of antifreeze was in it. Red, green, orange???? If you don't know then a flush is in order. If you do flush refill with the Toyota red antifreeze. There has been a lot of arguments about antifreeze for Toy's and in IMHO the Toy factory red stuff is some of the best for aluminum/iron combo engines. Look in the photo section, members section, there are some photos of red and green antifreeze Not mixing. Caused a new owner endless grief and lots of $$ spent. Edited April 16, 2016 by WME Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candace Posted April 16, 2016 Author Share Posted April 16, 2016 29 minutes ago, WME said: Yes, no and maybe!!!! It depends on what brand of antifreeze was in it. Red, green, orange???? If you don't know then a flush is in order. If you do flush refill with the Toyota red antifreeze. There has been a lot of arguments about antifreeze for Toy's and in IMHO the Toy factory red stuff is some of the best for aluminum/iron combo engines. Look in the photo section, members section, there are some photos of red and green antifreeze Not mixing. Caused a new owner endless grief and lots of $$ spent. It's a bright green. Leads me to think I don't need to bother draining it and replacing. But I'm not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 Go to Wmart and buy a cheap anti freeze tester and see how good yours is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjrbus Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 (edited) If you do not know what type of coolant it is, then likely not knowing how long it has been in there? So maybe too many unknowns and a flush and fill is in order? There have been endless dissertations written on what kind of coolant to use. The only article I read that made any sense was use the coolant it came from the factory with, as near as I can tell Toyota red was not invented when your machine was built! The book for my 94 says use ethyl glycol coolant and does not specify a brand or color. In any case the pre mix is not going to work at this point unless you completely drain your system and put all new in. I believe you have a 9 qt system (I could be wrong, I don't have that engine) only talking a gallon of coolant so no big deal. HTH Jim Edited April 16, 2016 by jjrbus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candace Posted April 16, 2016 Author Share Posted April 16, 2016 Thanks for the info! Looks like my coolant is good. -37 degrees according to the tester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 -37F is fine but only part of the story. There are other properties in an antifreeze (corrosion inhibitors, etc) that might be depleted. If you don't know your coolant's age, it might be a good idea to renew it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjrbus Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 Hmmm, if you lost and had to add 1 gallon of water and you have a 9 quart system. You must have had pure coolant in your system? I'll second the not knowing age it is time to renew coolant, not because of temperature, but because additives may be too old. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 agreed I have seen aluminum heads totally eaten up from never changing coolant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 Should the mix be done using distilled water? Tap water has many minerals! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
payaso del mar Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 (edited) yes, absolutely. you don't want tap water anywhere near batteries or cooling systems. the water in our area leaves scale on a new faucet in 4 months! if you can't find distilled in an emergency situation, I think reverse osmosis purified water would be your best alternative. Edited May 2, 2016 by payaso del mar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibs Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 You don't want to end up with a head gasket job, drain and fill with distilled water couple time and then get a compatible coolant and refill at 50/50 strength. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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