Thanks for sharing yet another great video, Timmy.
Your, DIY videos are the best out there, IMHO! If you make a dime on click-throughs, you certainly deserve it.
Showing the care needed, when removing these hoses. Is important. Many have place to much pressure on pipe coming off rear water bypass. Result in leak at pipes pressed in fit on rear water bypass. Or crushed the soft aluminum pipes on firewall side (upper pipes are part of core). You do, much more right than anyone I've seen.
I may not agree with all your procedures or statements. But I do with, 98% of them. We've a few pro shop posting videos and info in here mud. Some of procedure they use, are so wrong. They're teaching how to damaged, yet haven't figured it out yet. I have the advantage, over most anyone in the world. In that I specialize on 100 series 7 days a week. I'm in my shops working on one, every day. I also take my time, never trying to beat the clock (hrly book rate). I just don't care how long it takes, to do a good and lasting job.
I, like
@ranma21. Just use OEM plastic Tee's. Fitment, is always perfect, cost low and readily available. Also heat transfer, expansion and contraction, is as designed for hoses and clamps. Additionally Toyota went with more aluminum and plastic in 100 series and up, to reduce weight gram by gram.
One issue with "most" non OEM tees. Is lower (rear heater core) hose has is smaller ID and most tees have same OD on all three ends. Those OEM brass, are cool and address size. But they will transfer more heat to rubber and clamp. Also the argument, of introducing a metal, isn't even a consideration (KISS) with plastic.
I find the plastic tees, last a very long time. Provided coolant system properly maintained. Once every 10 Yr R&R, is perhaps to often in properly PM system. But it's also the only time I blow out heater cores, is when Tees out. So a good PM, IMHO. But if someone want metal, so be it. But, best to use more restrictive flush schedule, unless aluminum or plastic IMHO. Also may find hoses, don't last as long, do added heat retention of metal.
Two keys:
1) no air in coolant system. The Tee's like the plastic radiator top. Are the high points, air travel and collects in, during cool down. The plastic in air, dries out fast. Which leads to premature plastic failure.
2) Replacing coolant on schedule and or using Toyota coolant is best.
Interestingly, I find the older (Red) systems, plastic last longer. It's my understanding the Toyota coolant has a plasticizer. That by using shorter schedule of 30K miles or 2 yr of Red flushing. The plasticizer is renewed more often. Whereas the SSL (pink), is to depleted at 100K miles or 10yr, then 50K miles or 5yr thereafter.
We see the effects of hot dry air (not fully burped) in system, on radiator top plastic. It, prematurely browns and cracks them.
A stuck cap or system running to hot. Like into 205F plus increases pressure to much. Pressure blows weak plastic.
Personally, I only replace the first hose when R&R heater Tees. Unless other hoses look damaged, like from heat. If engine running to hot to long. Hoses become swollen. Those I will replace. But only about 1 in 100 need the hoses R&R, to date.
You'll know when you see one I've done a coolant service on. The first curved hose on hot side (LH side) coming off rear water bypass joint pipe. Has been replaced. It's clamp at Tee, is turn up for easy access. All other clamps, are place back in factory position in same impression in old rubber hosed (toyota recommends). That one hose I do replace, is since tee plastic may bust within. The plastic may break apart and fall into engine side, where I can't blow out. So i cut hose away from water bypass pipe, leaving plastic side hose and it's clamp on, until on the beach.
My coolant service:
- Wash radiator fins, inspecting fan clutch, serp belt and bearing of pulleys included fan bracket. I use your procedure Timmy, to test fan clutch. Except I use water pressure, instead of rolled up paper.
- Drain block & rad and blow out rad and block.
- R&R tees, and blow out heater cores.
- R&R thermostat.
- R&R cap.
- Fill system with coolant. Use year spec Toyota coolant. 98-03 Toy LL (red) mixed with D-water 50/50. 04-up Toy SLL (pink) pre mix.
- Burping air over next few heating and cooling cycles. (repeat until no air found in rad top under cap)
Ever year in mud, as cold weather hits. We see post:"My cabin heats not blowing hot". I say" check coolant level in radiator". They say: "my coolants level is fine. "Reservoir is full and water temp gauge shows I'm good". I say again: "Check your coolant level under radiator cap". Running cool below half way on gauge, may be false reading. Where ECT sensors, is reading air temp in a low system (the achilles heel, of the 100 series). We want to see gauge center at 3 o'clock. Guess what, 99 out of 100 do find coolant in radiatror low. Top and heater blow very hot!
Below is from 98-03 system FSM. 03-07 system, only change to FSM. Is we use Toy SLL (pink) pre mix (no D-water added).
Note: FSM should state: Fill radiator again, after cool down, then reservoir. Repeat until no air gap found on cold morning before starting engine, under radiator cap. A design issue, that was correct in the 200 series expansion tank. Where we must, get all air out of system.
Note: It states "open heaters water valve". That's a miss print. A holdover from when, coolant didn't flow constantly through the heater cores & pipes. Those days are thankfully gone. Where we had to replace or repair holes in heater cores, pipes and stuck water valves often. Due to stagnant coolant close in cores during summer fall and spring, by valve.
The one hose I almost always replace. If the first hot out flow from engine rear water bypass to tee.
I just use (Dawn) Dish soap as my lubicatan. As recommend in FSM. Seems to with help with install lube and with bonding later.
The hot water pipe coming off rear water bypass. Is one we must take care, to not put side pressure on. Or we break the pressed in bond, result in a leak.
As always, I use new Toyota gasket & thermostat, and make very sure jiggle valve at top to insure proper air bleed off.
Jiggle valve up, new gasket (O-ring) and thermostat. Tip: hold thermostat in place, I use a feeler gauge blade, as I place on water inlet cap. Torque 3 nuts to 14ft-lbf evenly working down nuts in sequence. We do not tighten until leak stops, we're not plumberms.
One other area needs a very close look, is the expansion tank and it's hose & cap assembly.
First, hose must drop straight down. To often I find the hose is caught on shelf, then hose curls upward. It will then suck air during cool down. As hose end stick up above coolant in reservoir/expansion tank.
This one was curled up, still retain some of the curl after attempt to straighten.
Hose and cap, must be checked for obstruction. Easy way, is place palm of hand on open neck of radiator. Squeeze upper radiator hose. Coolant will flow back and forth through reservoir hose.
I've found thes plugged before. Likely someone add a stop leak, which we don't like to see added.
Note: 200 series 5.7, plastic Tees are still used. But the hoses have changed, to have loops in hose, making rubber hose loop the high point.
Also worth a note: 200 series redesigned the expansion tank (coolant reservoir). It works better, when small amount of air in radiator top. It, self burps unlike our 100 series, which require we manually look under radiator cap for air and top until no air. But air can still end up in high pockets.
The 200 series radiator has a design flaw. Where a badge at the top plastic, capture air. This badges plastic then dries out, and cracks. We PM this radiator around 100K 10yr. Or they very often break thereafter.
200 series radiator:
