Embarrassed to show the pics
- Thread starter Herrett
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There are two sides to the "which coolant" question but not much difference between the red and green in my opinion.
I'm in the run the green camp. The cooling capabilities, corrosion inhibition, freeze protection, etc. of the two types are close enough that availability is the deciding factor for me. I run the green because it works well and I can get it pretty much anywhere.
It does look like you need to flush more which means you are in a position to change if you want. Which coolant you run is up to you and there isn't a big difference if you run red or green, or even yellow for that matter, just don't mix whatever you end up running with a different color/type.
I'm in the run the green camp. The cooling capabilities, corrosion inhibition, freeze protection, etc. of the two types are close enough that availability is the deciding factor for me. I run the green because it works well and I can get it pretty much anywhere.
It does look like you need to flush more which means you are in a position to change if you want. Which coolant you run is up to you and there isn't a big difference if you run red or green, or even yellow for that matter, just don't mix whatever you end up running with a different color/type.
That coolant color tells me that maybe they flushed the engine, but didn't have the heater valve open in order to flush the front and rear heater core.
That is a mix of red and green coolant. I highly doubt you have a HG issue.
Unfortunately, I also believe you need a new radiator cap. It is this brown crud that clogs cooling systems over time and caused cooling issues.
You do need to do another flush, but it is not mission critical that you do it right now. You can drive it for a bit, get everything up to temp, get it circulating, and allow it to run through the heater cores.
Then plan another flush in a week or two.
This is expensive coolant unfortunately and maybe you can get the shop to pony up for some of it.
Even if you flush everything and remove the block plug and hoses, there is still about 1 gallon of coolant still in the engine.
That's why when I do it I flush with a garden hose through all orifices, then hook everything back up (with no thermostat), fill it with distilled water, then drive it for a day, drain, repeat until the drained water is clear.
Then I pour in 1 gallon of raw coolant and the remaining coolant is mixed 50/50 as I pour it in.
It's a bit of a procedure, but the brown goo is a big reason my radiator exploded years ago. It clogged the radiator cap and blocked it from properly relieving during a lost belts event. The PO of my truck had redone the HG, then they promptly mixed coolant colors. The PO on mine did very little maintenance and that's why I got it.
The red coolant is much more expensive and harder to find when you're out in the sticks.
The green is much more available and less expensive, but must be changed more often.
Choose one and stick with it. Make sure to do a THOROUGH flush before switching colors, or in this case, to get out all of the bad mix.
That is a mix of red and green coolant. I highly doubt you have a HG issue.
Unfortunately, I also believe you need a new radiator cap. It is this brown crud that clogs cooling systems over time and caused cooling issues.
You do need to do another flush, but it is not mission critical that you do it right now. You can drive it for a bit, get everything up to temp, get it circulating, and allow it to run through the heater cores.
Then plan another flush in a week or two.
This is expensive coolant unfortunately and maybe you can get the shop to pony up for some of it.
Even if you flush everything and remove the block plug and hoses, there is still about 1 gallon of coolant still in the engine.
That's why when I do it I flush with a garden hose through all orifices, then hook everything back up (with no thermostat), fill it with distilled water, then drive it for a day, drain, repeat until the drained water is clear.
Then I pour in 1 gallon of raw coolant and the remaining coolant is mixed 50/50 as I pour it in.
It's a bit of a procedure, but the brown goo is a big reason my radiator exploded years ago. It clogged the radiator cap and blocked it from properly relieving during a lost belts event. The PO of my truck had redone the HG, then they promptly mixed coolant colors. The PO on mine did very little maintenance and that's why I got it.
The red coolant is much more expensive and harder to find when you're out in the sticks.
The green is much more available and less expensive, but must be changed more often.
Choose one and stick with it. Make sure to do a THOROUGH flush before switching colors, or in this case, to get out all of the bad mix.
I know Jason and I guarantee he did a proper flush including the rear heat. He is very meticulous about his work and procedures. You are going down a rabbit hole with this one pic diagnosis. If truck is running at correct temp then id keep going and have him check it at your next appointment.
It is possible that even though a flush was completed, the heat of driving it softened and released more of the crud that is in the entire cooling system, now giving the coolant the contaminated look.
I would still change the radiator cap, as that crud that's on it (it does not look like a new cap) can harden or cause it to bind during an event.
OP:
You just may need to do another flush at the next checkup as @REKCUT stated.
Cost on red is also not a big difference. With discounted toyota parts prices I can get a gallon of Red for $20 and change. Thats not a mix so when you go 50/50 it puts it at $10 a gallon. It is a bit harder to get on the trail.
Where are you buying this? I've been paying over $45/gallon for it because I cannot get them to ship it. Molle Toyota and Olathe Toyota are within a few dollars of each other on it.
The stuff at the FLAPS is not the same as the Toyota red.
29.60 is list and multiple places give 30% discount.
The last few 80's I did flushes on for a red/green mix issues took a lot more flushing than I ever would have thought to remove the sediment. I did 7 full flushes on one before I was happy with the results.
My go to for a cooling system flush/cleaning is about a 2% acid mixture of white vinegar and distilled water and a bottle of prestone cooling system flush. Prestone cooling system flush does not do much to clean, but it helps keep particles suspended in the liquid - thats the only way you can get them out. Pulling the thermostat while flushing helps too.
My go to for a cooling system flush/cleaning is about a 2% acid mixture of white vinegar and distilled water and a bottle of prestone cooling system flush. Prestone cooling system flush does not do much to clean, but it helps keep particles suspended in the liquid - thats the only way you can get them out. Pulling the thermostat while flushing helps too.
Get a new cap!!!
I've been down the road @peacesells63 is describing and agree that it takes a lot to really clean the system. Based on my experiences and what I see in the photos there is more work to be done before that cooling system is clean again. That's not to say the mechanic did poor work or that it won't run as is, we can't tell either of those from the information provided.
The problem that I had when there was similar gunk remaining in the system of my 80 is that it would eventually clog the rad cap and prevent coolant from flowing back into the rad as the engine cooled. The upper radiator hose would collapse when that happened on my 80. Hitting the rad cap with a jet of water from the hose while opening the return valve (small metal disc in center of the rad cap bottom) would clear it and get it working again. Cleaning out the overflow tank and radiator top would help prevent recurrence for a while as the gunk seems to accumulate in those spots.
On this 80 there may not be enough gunk to cause any issues, or there may be. I'd feel comfortable just keeping an eye on it until it proves it really needs more clearing or until I had confidence it was clean. Simply pulling/cleaning the rad cap and overflow bottle a few times will give you a good sense of how much crud is or isn't in the system and you'll get a feel for how fast it builds back up after you clean which will let you know if you need to flush more or not. If it takes months to get as dirty as it is in the picture again then it's close to clean enough. If it only takes a few days or a week or so to get that dirty again then there's enough gunk to justify more cleaning work in my opinion.
The problem that I had when there was similar gunk remaining in the system of my 80 is that it would eventually clog the rad cap and prevent coolant from flowing back into the rad as the engine cooled. The upper radiator hose would collapse when that happened on my 80. Hitting the rad cap with a jet of water from the hose while opening the return valve (small metal disc in center of the rad cap bottom) would clear it and get it working again. Cleaning out the overflow tank and radiator top would help prevent recurrence for a while as the gunk seems to accumulate in those spots.
On this 80 there may not be enough gunk to cause any issues, or there may be. I'd feel comfortable just keeping an eye on it until it proves it really needs more clearing or until I had confidence it was clean. Simply pulling/cleaning the rad cap and overflow bottle a few times will give you a good sense of how much crud is or isn't in the system and you'll get a feel for how fast it builds back up after you clean which will let you know if you need to flush more or not. If it takes months to get as dirty as it is in the picture again then it's close to clean enough. If it only takes a few days or a week or so to get that dirty again then there's enough gunk to justify more cleaning work in my opinion.
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Don’t forget there is a block drain too if you wanted to fool with that while flushing.
Ditto all above.
Here's a photo showing how to approach the engine block drain (1FZFE):
Here's a photos of a replacement OEM block drain cock, if your's is the original it will be a solid brass plug:
IME a busy mechanic generally doesn't have the time to do repeated cleaning/flushes of a cooling system so IMHO the only way to ensure the system is completely cleaned out is to do it yourself and that can a full day, maybe two, if you drive it a few times in-between flushes, let it cool down, etc.
Controversial topic by some but you can use a cleaner/flush product. IME most are safe if you follow the directions, but might have to be repeated in a clogged system.
You can buy ~ 6 one gallon jugs of Distilled water from Wally Marts, takes three gallons per flush ie: after things are cleaned up using regular tap water you'll want to flush out the tap water (chlorine/minerals).
As mentioned above, you can pull the overflow tank up and out, then take it inside the house and wash it out well with dish soap. Then reinstall. With a clean overflow tank you can see over time (after cleaning) what's remaining in the system as it will often end up in the overflow tank.
Here's a couple cleaners that have been around a long time:
Take your pick and prepare to get wet
Here's a photo showing how to approach the engine block drain (1FZFE):
Here's a photos of a replacement OEM block drain cock, if your's is the original it will be a solid brass plug:
IME a busy mechanic generally doesn't have the time to do repeated cleaning/flushes of a cooling system so IMHO the only way to ensure the system is completely cleaned out is to do it yourself and that can a full day, maybe two, if you drive it a few times in-between flushes, let it cool down, etc.
Controversial topic by some but you can use a cleaner/flush product. IME most are safe if you follow the directions, but might have to be repeated in a clogged system.
You can buy ~ 6 one gallon jugs of Distilled water from Wally Marts, takes three gallons per flush ie: after things are cleaned up using regular tap water you'll want to flush out the tap water (chlorine/minerals).
As mentioned above, you can pull the overflow tank up and out, then take it inside the house and wash it out well with dish soap. Then reinstall. With a clean overflow tank you can see over time (after cleaning) what's remaining in the system as it will often end up in the overflow tank.
Here's a couple cleaners that have been around a long time:
Bar's Leaks 1211 10 Minute Flush (Sodium citrate and some cleaning-type alcohols to break down slime/sludge)
Prestone® MAX Total Cooling System Cleaner (Sodium citrate and a surfactant ie: detergent to help break down/remove slime/sludge)
Take your pick and prepare to get wet
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Don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer here but the OP’s brown sludge is a red flag.
The cylinder head and head gasket have several small coolant holes in them. When coolant gums up like that (usually from mixing incompatible coolants) those little holes in the head gasket can literally block off completely - preventing any coolant flow through them.
While other larger coolant holes in the HG that aren’t blocked with gel will continue to flow coolant normally, the overall flow pattern through the head changes (for the worse) when the little coolant holes start plugging up.
Pay close attention to the engine temperature while driving. If it’s normal- that’s great. If it seems to run hot more than you remember — this might be the reason.
(This very thing happened to my engine (FJ60 2F).
The cylinder head and head gasket have several small coolant holes in them. When coolant gums up like that (usually from mixing incompatible coolants) those little holes in the head gasket can literally block off completely - preventing any coolant flow through them.
While other larger coolant holes in the HG that aren’t blocked with gel will continue to flow coolant normally, the overall flow pattern through the head changes (for the worse) when the little coolant holes start plugging up.
Pay close attention to the engine temperature while driving. If it’s normal- that’s great. If it seems to run hot more than you remember — this might be the reason.
(This very thing happened to my engine (FJ60 2F).
I'd add to this that it's only effective monitoring if he has a gauge installed (or wifi dongle for phone). Otherwise the temp needle won't move unless it's starting to overheat. If you hit that point, clearly there's a problem... but it could be running warmer than it should due to gunked passages, though not overheating, and the 80's gauge will still be in the middle.
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- #40
Thanks for all the tips and guidance. Great pic of the red coolant with fins visable Will defibately jump on this. In the interim, no sign of increased temps but i bought a scangauge II today with solvefunctions mount to get true readings
