Need immediate help: coolant flush question

[umarali]

I have quick question if anyone can answer, i have been searching this forum for hours to get answer but couldnt find a match.
I have 2008 lx570 which is basically same as lc200, i wanted to change coolant, so i bought 2 gallons toyota pink coolant and drained coolant through small cock valve on radiator and drained roughly 2 gallons. Then i started filling in reservior tank not through the radiator cap and filled above the F line in reservior. Put cap back on the reservior tank as well as the radiator cap and started engine let it run and started squeezing big hoses connected to radiator but the level never changed in reservior tank and after about 10 mins or so i looked at temp guage it was up at H level so i quickly shut off the engine. At this point radiator was super hot as well as upper radiator hose was also too hot to touch, i started pouring coolant in radiator through radiator cap and it took good bunch of coolant, then i let it sit for couple of hours to cool off and came back to find out the level in reservior fell about couple of inches but still lil above the F line, cranked it up and let it idle for about 5 mins the temp guage seemed to not rising but the radiator started getting hot as well as upper radiator hose and level didnt change in reservior. I dont know what i am doing wrong, i thought it was simple drain n fill but i guess i am doing something wrong here. Can anyone please help me.

 

[TonyP]

Did you drain the block as well or just the radiator?

 

[umarali]

Just the radiator, not the block since i did not drain anywhere else but the radiator bottom valve

 

[TonyP]

So the radiator and the resi are full?
What does the gauge say when warmed up, driving around a bit?

 

[ToyotaDon]

For coolant to move between the radiator and reservoir it has to pass through the valves in the radiator cap. When the coolant warms up and gets pressurised, the cap holds up to ~15 PSI, then allows the coolant to escape into the reservoir. When the engine is shut off and cooling down, the vacuum valve in the radiator cap allows coolant to flow back from the reservoir.

On systems which have a radiator cap, you cannot refill through the reservoir. If your temp gauge is not showing above normal, then you probably didn't cause any permanent damage. The radiator and hoses will normally get too hot to touch, after all, the coolant is reaching about 200°F.

 

[umarali]

So the radiator and the resi are full?
What does the gauge say when warmed up, driving around a bit?

Yes now the radiator and reservior are full, i did not drive it around i just cranked and let it idle for few mins and temp guage showing halfway like normal. Im just concerned that is there any way to know if water pump or coolant pump is running and circulating the coolant?

 

[umarali]

For coolant to move between the radiator and reservoir it has to pass through the valves in the radiator cap. When the coolant warms up and gets pressurised, the cap holds up to ~15 PSI, then allows the coolant to escape into the reservoir. When the engine is shut off and cooling down, the vacuum valve in the radiator cap allows coolant to flow back from the reservoir.

On systems which have a radiator cap, you cannot refill through the reservoir. If your temp gauge is not showing above normal, then you probably didn't cause any permanent damage. The radiator and hoses will normally get too hot to touch, after all, the coolant is reaching about 200°F.

So like i asked, is there a way to know that correct amount of coolant is filled and circulated. Could there be air bubble in system? Since i dont think it took same amount of gluid which i drained. So when i turned on again the temp wasnt going above half scale which is usually normal temp. I let it idle for about 5 to 10 mins but just scared to drive around just in case if it overheat real fast. How can i check or tell if water pump is circulating coolant between the radiator and engine?

 

[jafo9]

at this point i wouldn't be scared to drive it. if you are worried, you can do laps around your neighborhood. its not uncommon to have to burp the system. i.e., drive it, let it cool, check the level and add as needed. i do this for a few days after i do a coolant flush. no big deal, as there is usually enough in there to keep from overheating. if you are really worried about the temp, you can add a scangauge or a cheaper bluetooth OBDII dongle to watch your temps exactly. i'm not sure about the 200, but on my 80, there is a dead zone in the temp gauge where it won't move off normal until there is a significant rise in temp.

on a side note, i'm not sure you accomplished much draining the radiator and adding fresh coolant. i haven't looked at the exact procedure for the 200, but on my 80 i drained the block and the radiator, filled with hose water, run, drain, repeat a few times and then fill it with distilled water the last time or two and then drain and fill with fresh antifreeze. then run, burp, repeat.

 

[Sandroad]

If the radiator gets hot, the coolant is circulating. The thermostat keeps the coolant within the engine block until it reaches the thermostat opening temperature, then the coolant is sent through the radiator. Do a couple warmup/cool down cycles, adding any needed coolant each time. Eventually you will have added back all you drained out. As others have noted, you do bulk refills through the radiator cap and fine-tune the final level through the reservoir cap.

 

[marques]

So like i asked, is there a way to know that correct amount of coolant is filled and circulated. Could there be air bubble in system? Since i dont think it took same amount of gluid which i drained. So when i turned on again the temp wasnt going above half scale which is usually normal temp. I let it idle for about 5 to 10 mins but just scared to drive around just in case if it overheat real fast. How can i check or tell if water pump is circulating coolant between the radiator and engine?

I just saw this post here. I had initially replied in the "What have you done to your 200 Series this week?" post. Anyway, regarding the question about how do you know if you have the right amount of coolant in there, just drive it some, park it overnight, and check it in the morning with a cold engine. Remove the radiator cap, and if it's full of coolant, you have the right amount of coolant in there. If it's not quite full, top it off. Then put the radiator cap back on, and also top off the overflow bottle as needed.

 

[umarali]

If the radiator gets hot, the coolant is circulating. The thermostat keeps the coolant within the engine block until it reaches the thermostat opening temperature, then the coolant is sent through the radiator. Do a couple warmup/cool down cycles, adding any needed coolant each time. Eventually you will have added back all you drained out. As others have noted, you do bulk refills through the radiator cap and fine-tune the final level through the reservoir cap.

Thank you everyone whoever pitched in you guys really helped my confidence. For anyone who do this in future let me write procedure in short:

DIY: PROCEDURE TO DRAIN AND REFILL RADIATOR COOLANT:

Note: I bought 2 Toyota Super Long Life Coolant (pink) from dealership @ $24.99 each. - For radiator only flush 2 gallons are more than enough.

1. Remove small plastic shield which is close to bumper on the passenger side secured with 3 of “10mm” bolts on one side and 2 small phillips screws on the other side- this will reveal the drain valve of radiator which is yellow in color in my case.

2. When radiator is cooled down then open the radiator cap. Now place some drain pan which can hold atleast 3 gallons under the drain valve and open the valve. Let it drain, it will drain slowly and eventually dies off slowly.

3. Close the radiator drain valve at the bottom, make sure it is only hand tightened.

4. Start pouring coolant in radiator directly( not just reservior) until it fills up. Once its filled, slowly squeeze big black hose on right side of radiator coming from top of radiator going towards engine. This will get rid of few bubbles in the hose. Slowly squeeze several times until level in radiator is stabilized.

5. Now start pouring coolant in the reservior which is attached to the back of radiator and fill about half inch above the F line.

6. Now put back the radiator cap as well as reservior cap and start the engine. Factory manual states to idle at 2000 to 2500 rpm and make sure AC is turned off. BE SURE TO KEEP EYE AT TEMP GUAGE, IF TRMP STARTS RISING ABOVE NORMAL TEMP WHICH IS ABOUT HALFWAY THEN TURN OFF THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY AND CHECK COOLANT LEVEL IN BOTH RADIATOR AND RESERVIOR. Be careful opening the radiator cap since it will be hot at this point and also pressure built up. I used a folded towel, placed on top and slowly opened and let steam escape which was really hot so i do not recommend doing this, just let it cool down before opening.

7. If temp stays within normal range(which is halfway to the guage) then let it idle for atleast 10 mins so that thrmostat opens up and coolant starts circulating. Keep eye on reservior, if the level drops below F line then add some more. Drive around block keeping eye on temperature, then check levels again and keep adding as needed until the coolant level stabilized. It took me couple of warm ups for level to stabilize.

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

@umarali, I’m glad you are learning and we are always here for you, but I highly recommend a Haynes manual for the same years Tundra. It will further help show the right procedure for maintenance and can only help even more on top of the Toyota service manual.

Overheating your motor, even for short periods is a quick way to wreck seals and gaskets, causing leaks, and then with less oil, comes more bad things.

When I used to work in a shops, about 3/4 of our average work was repairing what owners messed up in their own vehicles.

I agree with what @jafo9 said, you’ve only exchanged half your coolant, not really accomplished what you needed to do. I recommend dumping your radiator again along with the engine block. There are two “spouts,” one on each side of the motor that you can get to through the wheel well. Also unbolt and dump your expansion tank. And now that you know, only fill from the radiator cap, it’s not a VW.

Fill till you can’t fill it anymore, and squeeze or burp the upper radiator hose. Run the engine, and burp it again. You can’t get the air pockets out of the motor by just squeezing the upper radiator hose while the engine off. If you have air pockets in your motor, because you never got the air bubbles out, it will allow pretty intense hot spots to happen and mess up the motor in the long run anyway.

Also, don’t worry about filling the expansion tank more than above the Full line. When you first do the coolant exchange. Coolant can only make its way from the expansion tank to the radiator if there is suction. And that can’t happen with low coolant in the radiator. So once the coolant in the block and radiator heat up enough to “overflow” into the expansion tank, then when it cools, suction happens and coolant can be sucked back into the radiator.

After you know that your levels stay the same from heating and cooling, then when everything is dead cold, top your expansion tank to the full line.

 

[Malleus]

Haynes?
https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInf...nfpb=true&_pageLabel=ti_home_search_docs_page

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

Haynes?
https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInf...nfpb=true&_pageLabel=ti_home_search_docs_page

Yep. It’s a great addition to the Toyota Tech Manual because they have actual pictures, of a 5.7, having whatever procedure done. Plus it’s $25 and it works without an internet connection.

 

[umarali]

Great info man, i really appreciate u going in depth explaining. I will definitely try to drain engine block as well next time since it does make sense draining and flushing whole system. Thanks again everyone who responded with their inputs.

 

[EatsManyHotDogs]

Yep. It’s a great addition to the Toyota Tech Manual because they have actual pictures, of a 5.7, having whatever procedure done. Plus it’s $25 and it works without an internet connection.

I wish they had a Haynes manual for the LC200 but you're right. I didn't think about it sharing the engine with the Tundra, and using the Tundra Haynes manual. Off to Amazon I go to order one up!

 

[Fisher23]

Is there any reason to only change the radiator fluid vs. also drain the block and replace the thermostat?

 

[dcs111]

@umarali, I’m glad you are learning and we are always here for you, but I highly recommend a Haynes manual for the same years Tundra. It will further help show the right procedure for maintenance and can only help even more on top of the Toyota service manual.

Overheating your motor, even for short periods is a quick way to wreck seals and gaskets, causing leaks, and then with less oil, comes more bad things.

When I used to work in a shops, about 3/4 of our average work was repairing what owners messed up in their own vehicles.

I agree with what @jafo9 said, you’ve only exchanged half your coolant, not really accomplished what you needed to do. I recommend dumping your radiator again along with the engine block. There are two “spouts,” one on each side of the motor that you can get to through the wheel well. Also unbolt and dump your expansion tank. And now that you know, only fill from the radiator cap, it’s not a VW.

Fill till you can’t fill it anymore, and squeeze or burp the upper radiator hose. Run the engine, and burp it again. You can’t get the air pockets out of the motor by just squeezing the upper radiator hose while the engine off. If you have air pockets in your motor, because you never got the air bubbles out, it will allow pretty intense hot spots to happen and mess up the motor in the long run anyway.

Also, don’t worry about filling the expansion tank more than above the Full line. When you first do the coolant exchange. Coolant can only make its way from the expansion tank to the radiator if there is suction. And that can’t happen with low coolant in the radiator. So once the coolant in the block and radiator heat up enough to “overflow” into the expansion tank, then when it cools, suction happens and coolant can be sucked back into the radiator.

After you know that your levels stay the same from heating and cooling, then when everything is dead cold, top your expansion tank to the full line.

Hey quick question regarding your notes on coolant exchange - I recently changed my radiator and while under the hood, I went ahead with the water pump etc changeout. I did burp the cooling system squeezing the top hose as you described, but only to do the initial fill. My coolant levels have remained steady ever since and for approximately 1,500 miles... Should i be concerned that I did not remove all of the air from the system? I have not had any gurgling in heater core, or signs of overheating from engine? thanks

 

[marques]

Hey quick question regarding your notes on coolant exchange - I recently changed my radiator and while under the hood, I went ahead with the water pump etc changeout. I did burp the cooling system squeezing the top hose as you described, but only to do the initial fill. My coolant levels have remained steady ever since and for approximately 1,500 miles... Should i be concerned that I did not remove all of the air from the system? I have not had any gurgling in heater core, or signs of overheating from engine? thanks

I don't think you need to lose any sleep over this. If the system had any air, it would have been sucking coolant from the overflow bottle during cool down and you would have seen the level drop over the last 1,500 miles. You can remove the radiator cap when the engine is cool to verify 100% the radiator is full, but if the coolant level is steady and not dropping, you're good to go.

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

Hey quick question regarding your notes on coolant exchange - I recently changed my radiator and while under the hood, I went ahead with the water pump etc changeout. I did burp the cooling system squeezing the top hose as you described, but only to do the initial fill. My coolant levels have remained steady ever since and for approximately 1,500 miles... Should i be concerned that I did not remove all of the air from the system? I have not had any gurgling in heater core, or signs of overheating from engine? thanks

I agree with @marques. I think you nailed it. The 3UR has a water passage design that is difficult to get air bubble stuck it. Toyota learned their from their failure of the 3.slow, so it’s pretty easy these days on modern Toyotas. Drive with confidence.