Coolant question (1 Viewer)

[1978FJ40project]

I have a new aluminum radiator being delivered today which I am going to install on my 1978 FJ40 this weekend. The manufacture is recommending Zerex Coolant / antifreeze .... I live in Southern California , so what would everyone recommend? There are so many options ... 50/50 antifreeze coolant, Red and Blue ( it says for Asian Vehicles ) , Original Green , Extended Life .... any help would be appreciated

 

[php74]

Green 50/50 if that’s what you’ve been using. I hadn’t heard of Zerex until I just looked it up. The radiator manufacturer probably has a deal with them or something ; )

 

[JackA]

Make sure to only use distilled water too

 

[1978FJ40project]

You mean to delude the coolant or to flush the radiator ?

 

[navydivedoc]

You mean to delude the coolant or to flush the radiator ?

Both

 

[Steamer]

You mean to delude the coolant or to flush the radiator ?

I feel distilled water for flushing is overkill since it won't be in there very long but that's just me. And when the flush is over you'll want to flush all that chemical and debris it dislodged, out of the system. That would be a lot of distilled water to do that. After a flush I drain it then put the garden hose into the radiator fill neck with the radiator and block drain wide open. I throttle the the hose so it just slightly over flows and let it flush for awhile. I'll even run the engine a bit to circulate the water while flushing. I remove the thermostat for this because it won't open with all the fresh cooler water flushing through. That's my method anyway.

Champion radiators recommends the green stuff and I use it my Champion. Champion says the Toyota pink stuff can harm the radiator which I find hard to believe. "CHAMPION COOLANT RECOMENDATION". Maybe Champion get a kickback from Prestone.

Speaking of Prestone and it may be old news but I just recently discovered how many different coolants Prestone makes. I use the one listed as "All Vehicles". It looks like the old green Prestone I've used for decades but the color isn't listed for it. And they list another one as green.

"PRESTONE COOLANTS"

 

[1978FJ40project]

Thanks Steamer - sound advice

 

[Dizzy]

Distilled water, even if it costs ten or twenty dollars and weighs a ton. Tap water stinks when you spray a garden hose into a bucket and put your nose near it. It is corrosive in water pipes, and probably more corrosive when hot. There will always be some tap water left in the heater cores ect.

 

[BRShap]

For what its worth the owners manual says to use the hose to flush.

 

[1979 FJ40ish]

Be sure you draw a vacuum on the cooling system to make sure you get all of the air blocks out of the cooling system. I tried all of the tricks on this site for getting blocks out of the system without using vacuum. With vacuum I added well over an additional quart.