changing radiator coolant in 2004 Corolla

Just to add to this, I talked to an auto parts manager who has a 2008 Corolla and he said normally we just top it off and do neither. Suggestions?

Be sure the heater valve is left open. I leave the engine turned off and flush through the heater hoses as well as drain the radiator, then I remove as much remaining water as possible with compressed air (almost a necessity if you buy 50/50 premixed coolant).

Yeah, don't listen to auto parts managers for advice.

Change it as your owners manual recommends, and / or purchase an inexpensive coolant tester and see for yourself (test when hot, unpressurized, don't try opening the radiator cap when hot).

Hot/cold cycles on the coolant is what mostly reduces it's properties ("wears it out").

I usually drain the coolant out with the engine cold, and then fill with water. And maybe some radiator flush. Then I run the engine for the prescribed amount of time and let it cool. I mean COLD. Then I drain again and remove one of the heater hoses (Of course, all of this is done with the heater set to HOT). I make an 'adapter' by getting a piece of heater hose jsut smaller than the car's heater hose, plug it into the heater hose and turn on the water. Did I say to make sure the engine id

*COLD*? I let that run, drain the system again and then put in the coolant/water mixture (50/50) and let the engine warm to ambient temp, and then top off after the thermosts open, keeping an eye on it for about 20 mintues. This seems to work quite well.

A 2004 with 3,500 miles? Coolant should look new. I'd accumulate a few more miles and bear in mind what Ted Kennedy said..er, Ph@tboy about short trips where the engine doesn't get to operating temp...

("Ph@tboy...sorry...

"hachiroku ...

What do you do with the old coolant?

I leave it in big open pans for the dogs in the neighborhood! They love it for some reason. ;)

I believe that the engine coolant (not "radiator" coolant) is the pink Toyota Super Long Life coolant, and the maintenance schedule just calls for checking its quantity and condition until replacement is needed.

Use a coolant tester, available at auto parts stores, to check the freeze protection, and also look at the coolant to see if it is translucent. If the freeze protection rises above -20 F or it starts to look murky, replace it with Toyota Super Long Life coolant. Do not mix the coolant with aftermarket green-yellow coolant because the coolant starts to look murky right away.

As long as you replace it before it starts to look really rusty, a drain and refill should be sufficient.

Thanks Ray for the advice. I guess I messed up on the terminology but at least you knew what I meant. To be fair tho, I think "some" did you this terminology in the 60's or 70's but regardless I agree with you !! thanks for the advice !!

Thanks, I'll do that.

thanks for the help !!

You are welcome.

The coolant is referred to as "engine coolant" because the coolant is cooling the engine. The radiator is cooled by the air that passes through it, so "radiator coolant" would be air.

By the way, I believe that the Toyota Super Long Life coolant comes pre-mixed from the factory so you don't have to worry about using distilled water or getting the incorrect concentration.

You are right of course.

That's good to know. Shoot I was just there at the dealership yesterday (first time in years) to do a safety recall on one of my Corollas and could have saved a trip. Oh well, next time.

By the way, in my case I don't need to worry about -20F around here as it rarely goes below 30F (Texas) in winter so I'd probably want 0 degrees for safety but more likely I'll look at the color. Appreciate your help again Ray, thank you.

I liked the link Hachi! Especially the factory Olds ad. The touted safety features, dual master cylinder, severe impact compressing steering column. Glad they were thinking of my safety! I've done a lot of work in the distant past on those cars. The 425ci engine was the power plant for the original '66 Toronado when it launched.

If you haven't bought it yet, try you're local CarQuest dealer. For some reason they are selling it for about $5 less than Toyota, but it's not prediluted (which means you're not paying for water!)

Ironically, the -20 F protection level also means that you have better protection against overheating. A higher freezing temp means that the coolant is diluted and is more likely to overheat.

Excellent point. I completely forgot about that (shame on me). Thank you Ray or as the younger generation would say.... you're the man.

Thank you for the tip... I'll check that out !!