Is it critical to change coolant at 100K?

[tmontague]

Originally Posted by RMcG

Thanks to everybody. I don't have a garage, just the parking lot of the apartment I live in. I am inclined to do this myself if it is realistic for me to do this. The cheapest I can find anybody to do it for me at a garage is about $150 (USD). And I think it would be more if it requires flushing, rather than just replacement.

Is this something I can do myself pretty easily?

I was looking at some videos and they were talking about burping the system and other stuff which seemed complex. In addition, the maintenance schedule says it should be changed at 120 months (ten years) and the car is almost 11 years old. So I am thinking that maybe the age is factor in addition to the mileage of 100K.

Any other comments would be appreciated.

Thanks,

R.

Do it yourself in the parking lot - here's how:

Buy a large oil drain pan (or equivalent plastic container) and slide it under the front of the car where the drain petcock in on the bottom drivers side of the rad. Look for a yellow plastic knob, you can reach it from the top of the engine bay. It may be stuck but be careful because you can break it.

Drain the coolant out from this pet cock (remove rad cap to speed this up and make sure coolant is not hot!). This will take 20 mins or so to fully drain, but once it stops draining close the pet cock and re fill with fresh Toyota coolant (50/50 mix) from the rad cap.

Fill until it over flows. Then squeeze both the upper and low rad hoses a few times and if the coolant level drops at the rad cap, re fill until it is at the top.

Keep the rad cap off and start engine. The coolant level will drop, refill it again until it is full and put rad cap back on then turn off engine. Make sure your overflow reservoir is full of coolant to at least the F line if not more.

Turn the car on and go for a drive. 20 minutes in current temps should be enough to get coolant up to operating temps, go for a jaunt on the highway and back.

Get back home and park the car. Check the coolant level in your overflow reservoir, it likely dropped some. Fill it back up to the F mark. Once your coolant is cool enough, remove the rad cap and if the coolant is not at the top then fill it to the top and replace the cap.

Drive the car as your normally would over the next week but after every day check the overflow reservoir and refill it so it is at the "F" mark. After a week of this you no longer need to keep checking it.

The yaris burps the air out of its cooling system very well by itself as the fill neck is properly situated as the highest point in the system. As it burps air itself it will pull coolant from the reservoir tank which is why you need to check it after you drain and refill the system.

Your only potential issue may be needing to use pliers on the drain petcock valve to crack it open. It is easier to do from under the car but can be done from above. Just be cautious not to crack it. Warmer temps help keep the plastic more pliable.

You can easily drain the overflow reservoir by removing the small diameter hose from the radiator fill neck. Once it is removed lower it in the engine bay so that is points into your drain pan. Once it is lower than the outlet on the reservoir, coolant will automatically drain from it.

[RMcG]

Originally Posted by tmontague

Do it yourself in the parking lot - here's how:

close the pet cock and re fill with fresh Toyota coolant (50/50 mix) from the rad cap.

.

Thanks tmontague for the detailed instructions and the encouragement. I plan to do it myself. It's not just the money, it's --- it's ---- it's, well it's being human.

ONE QUESTION: you say re fill with fresh Toyota coolant. Does that mean I should use a special Toyota brand coolant?

I added to my last post that the car is almost 11 years (131 months), whereas the maintenance schedule recommends a change at 120 months (10 years). But I checked the coolant and it appears pink and clear without particulates. And the level is about 1 inch above the "LOW" line on the plastic overflow container. So I think I am OK to wait until I get back from the trip.

Any more comments will be appreciated.

Thanks,

R.

[tmontague]

Originally Posted by RMcG

Thanks tmontague for the detailed instructions and the encouragement. I plan to do it myself. It's not just the money, it's --- it's ---- it's, well it's being human.

ONE QUESTION: you say re fill with fresh Toyota coolant. Does that mean I should use a special Toyota brand coolant?

I added to my last post that the car is almost 11 years (131 months), whereas the maintenance schedule recommends a change at 120 months (10 years). But I checked the coolant and it appears pink and clear without particulates. And the level is about 1 inch above the "LOW" line on the plastic overflow container. So I think I am OK to wait until I get back from the trip.

Thanks,

R.

Most of us YW member recommend Toyota brand coolant instead of other aftermarket brands. That being said, full disclosure - Toyota coolant here is only found in 50/50 mix and is not cheap. I found a company (Recochem) that makes various coolant for all different type of manufacturers and the name they brand it with is "OEM". It is sold locally to me and I can buy a pure concentrate that I mix myself with deionized water. I looked up the MSDS and the ingredient are essentially the same as Toyota's. I go with this instead of Toyota's own coolant and it has worked wonderfully for me.

I would recommend you look at getting Toyota stuff and if it is reasonably priced than stick with that.

Like I said before, you will be fine to do the coolant change after your trip. I doubt the corrosion inhibitors are fully depleted. If they were, driving isn't the issue, worn out coolant will eat away at your engine block regardless of driving or sitting in a driveway. Dip your fingers in the coolant and rub them back and forth, it should feel somewhat slippery.

[RMcG]

Originally Posted by tmontague

I found a company (Recochem) that makes various coolant for all different type of manufacturers and the name they brand it with is "OEM". It is sold locally to me and I can buy a pure concentrate that I mix myself with deionized water. I looked up the MSDS and the ingredient are essentially the same as Toyota's. I go with this instead of Toyota's own coolant and it has worked wonderfully for me.

An undiluted OEM Reochem coolant (that is for Toyota, and is compatible with the Yaris according to the website) is sold through Rock Auto, see RECOCHEM 86174POEM

I may buy this as I want to depress the freezing point more than -34 Fahrenheit, and it is also cheaper than the standard pre-diluted Toyota brand 00272-SLLC2 (I think is the correct number). Some websites like Amazon, Ebay and ToyotaPartsDeal.com sell the older undiluted coolant 00272-1LLAC-01 and some Toyota dealerships in cold parts of the US (e.g., Alaska) still stock this older undiluted (00272-1LLAC-01) coolant. These dealerships dilute the 00272-1LLAC-01 coolant 60/40 (coolant/distilled water) to get a freezing point of minus 56 Fahrenheit.

QUESTION: Does anybody have any opinion about whether the (apparently newer) Reochem would be better than the (apparently older) Toyota brand 00272-1LLAC-01 ? They are both undiluted and are about the same price.

Thanks,

R.