Toyota "RED" coolant vs. Dex COOl vs. Ol' Green

[95GeoPrizmGuy]

Hello everyone, Long time reader of this forum, but first ever post.
So as my name implies I bought a 95 Geo Prizm which has the Toyota Corolla motor in it (4A-FE 1.6L)...I picked it up for 1000$ and it's in decent shape just needed a tune up and som TLC. When I was looking at the car I noticed the guy had orange (or what once was orange) coolant in it (DEX COOL) and I've heard a lot of horror story's about DEX so seeing as it's a Toyota motor I figured I'd flush out the DEX for Toyota RED( almost the same except "Toyota "red" uses hybrid corrosion protection of OAT and phosphates. DEX-COOL relies on OAT for corrosion protection" Ray H)....So moving on in my super long story...I got the timing belt changed and also got the water pump changed at the same time....the mechanic who did it, flushed the old DEX coolant and put Ol' Green in there... I wasn't pleased, but since I said I didn't want it, he didn't charge and said Sorry...so I figured it could be worse...So the only place around here to get Toyota Red is from the dealer....So i figured I would just let them do the flush and put red in it...and even after i EXPLICITLY asked for toyota red...they put green in!!!!

I went back the next day and they said "well thats what your car calls for" (actually since its technically a "GM" car it calls for DEX, So nice try you liars!)....I don't care if it called for orange juice..i SAID RED!!! i could have went to jiffy lube for green coolant, so they agreed to flush it tomorrow and put red in it...so my question (finally) is: There is no possible way they will get EVERY single drop of Green coolant out of my system and I've heard DONT MIX cause it'll destroy your system...but if theres a small amount (a heater core amount) will it really do a lot of harm? I planned on getting it flushed and have toyota red put in it and about every oil change or 2, drain and add a gallon of red, to keep it fresh...bad idea?

 

[Doog]

Not a bad idea but major overkill. Have them use the Toyota long life coolant even if you have to go get it from a dealer yourself. Then do 1 drain/fill in a month or so and then you are good for 75-100,000 miles. I do a 1 gallon drain fill on my Toyotas every 50,000 and never have any issues because the anti-corrosion additives never get depleted.

 

[95GeoPrizmGuy]

Thanks Doog, So you're saying my idea about draining/filling a gallon every 2 oil changes is overkill? after thinking about it, I agree...so 75-100,000 it is! BUT since there was Green coolant in the system, do you think that'll be a problem? Will the toyota coolant "gel" if mixed with a little green left in the system after the flush? (i didnt make that gel thing up lol...something i heard somewhere, but sounds like bull to me)

 

[Kuato]

The 2 purposes of coolant are to 1) keep the system from freezing and 2) to keep electrolysis from happening - which will corrode the radiator and other parts.

To this end, I've always used the "green stuff". I've had more than one vehicle that I have replaced, in part, the factory fill with green. I've always simply drained the radiator and refilled every 18 months; with this regimen I have never had one corrosion issue.

 

[95GeoPrizmGuy]

You're lucky...every car I've owned has had Ol' Green and corrosion problems...but that's probably because the previous owners of those cars didn't take care of them. I wish I was one of the people I bought my cars from... when it car gets old I can just go buy a new one hahaha

actually i wish i could buy a new car so i could do the maintenance right from the start the right way! instead of buying old cars and trying to bring them back to life and keep them alive!

 

[Dakota1820]

If it was mine id run my hose with water through the radiator and get it real clean and put whatever in it. They're all fine if maintenanced right and the system has no air in it.

 

[Y_K]

I had a Lexus LX switched to Prestone Universal coolant at 90K and the first major repair I had was a starter at 320k. That Toyota Red seeps like kerosene, btw.

 

[Donald]

I would not be as concerned as you seemed to be. The old green was fine but was not as long lasting as the newer antifreeze. I introduced G-05 into my Jeep and old Suburban by doing drain & fills of the radiator as Zerex told me in an email that was OK. You might ask them about doing Zerex Asian or G-05 that way. I would not push for the Toyota Red from the dealer. I think DexCool might not be the best choice for that age vehicle. DexCool has its problems also. Have you considered Peak Global? Another good choice. I think you are good for the next year AS IS.

 

[bullwinkle]

'95 would have had green from the factory, Dex didn't come about until '96 or '97. Why not just use green and change it every couple years or so? The Toyota Red is (allegedly) only good for 3 years, and some of the green AFs such as Zerex are rated for 5yrs/100K with their new low-silicate formulas. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

 

[bullwinkle]

Also, I have an old Mercedes 300D ('82) that I changed from old-style green to G-05/Premium Gold when I bought it SEVEN YEARS ago-and other than being a little brown and needing changed, ZERO coolant problems with it!

 

[Ramblin Fever]

I've got vehicles that came with and require both types - i.e. 3 trucks that came with the old green, 1 toyota truck that came with red.

I don't find either anti-freeze to be better or worse then the other. All trucks are over 115k miles, and my rodeo's have 350k & 202k miles.

My toyota actually killed it's waterpump at only 90k miles, which was a LOT sooner then the other trucks running green antifreeze. And, we've actually found the red anti-freeze to deplete just as quickly as the green.

I've had all these vehicles for quite some time, I've never had a problem with green and don't care to switch either.

 

[partspro]

Not sure what you refer to as 'ol green'. The really old green was quite high in silicates and not good for today's cooling systems. The 'new' green which is really yellow is universal for just about every make and model. High levels of silicate is a major cause of water pump failure, silicate (essentially a form of sand) trashes the pump seals. We have had Engineering analysis done on failed water pumps many failed for this reason.

 

[FusilliJerry82]

Just use Zerex Asian Vehicle Formula.

 

[bullwinkle]

Originally Posted By: partspro
Not sure what you refer to as 'ol green'. The really old green was quite high in silicates and not good for today's cooling systems. The 'new' green which is really yellow is universal for just about every make and model.
I agree with the silicate level comment-but if you're referring to the Prestone universal gold-that has more in common with Dexcool than green. There are still many companies that make a low-silicate conventional green-Zerex, Pride, Peak, AutoZone's house brand, and STP (by Neochem) are a few.

 

[95GeoPrizmGuy]

Hey everyone, thanks for all your responses! Seems like coolant isn't much of an issue as long as you keep up with the maintenance. Since I made such a stink about it to the dealership they decided to put Toyota Red in it for free and flushed it pretty well. To be on the safe side I actually emailed toyota (told them I had a 95 corolla) and they sent me a great response to end the rumors of Green and Toyota Red "gelling" (i know i thought it was absurd when i heard it too) [what i said in the email to toyota] "Hi, I've searched various websites and the FAQ and still could not find an answer. I have a 95 Corolla and when i had the timing belt and water pump changed the mechanic flushed my coolant and put green coolant inside...Seeing as how I always had Toyota red...I took it to the dealer to get the green flushed and get red put in..the dealer expressed concerns they might not get every single drop of green out and that it might cause a problem because they are not suppose to mix..is this true? Even if the green is residual after the flush? will my car be okay if the dealer flushes the green and puts toyota red inside? Thank you!" [Toyota response] "Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Your Corolla should be fine. It's okay if the dealership was not able to flush every drop of the green coolant and replacing it with the Toyota red coolant is highly recommended.

If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us, http://www.toyota.com/help.

Renee Toussaint
Toyota Customer Experience"