Red Green Mix Cleaning Flush?

[landtoy80]

Son just bought a 2004 Rav4 and there is a mix of Toyota Pink/Red and Green coolant. I know they are not compatible and cause problems. Is there a flush solution that will clean up what ever buildup the mix made?

I have filled with water right now.

 

[shDK]

At Work, when we need to clean out a cooling system for some reason. We simply dissolve a dishwasher soaptap or 2 if it,s bad, in hot water. Fill it on the already drained cooling system. Drive good and warm. And then flush with clean water till it comes out totally clean. At the end we Ofcourse fill it with the correct type of coolant.

It works great.

 

[Trav]

Go to a GM dealer and get GM Fluid 89021562. When you flush it i would pop the thermostat and heater hoses, give it a good flush out.
Flush the heater core both directions.

 

[simple_gifts]

Those two suggestions are certainly not "Red Green" ones.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Those two suggestions are certainly not "Red Green" ones.


Agreed.

Red Green would never go to a dealer ...

 

[NHGUY]

The lodge van would only use green.

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted By: landtoy80
Son just bought a 2004 Rav4 and there is a mix of Toyota Pink/Red and Green coolant. I know they are not compatible and cause problems. Is there a flush solution that will clean up what ever buildup the mix made?

I have filled with water right now.


Are you sure you have buildup? Just because incompatible coolants were mixed, doesn't automatically mean there is buildup. I would fully flush the system with distilled water to the point where it’s almost 100% water and drive for a bit to make sure everything works including heat. After that, drain the radiator and take a look at the drained water. If it’s no longer clear and has some weird color to it, move on to a chemical flush. Or if the water comes out clear, just put the proper amount of concentrate.

I would be hesitant to use a chemical flush without knowing first if it's even needed on an older system. You never know how it will react with aged materials and can introduce leaks.

 

[Tanama]

Mixing different coolant chemistries simply reduces the long term efficiency and lifespan of the fluid mixture. Most coolants are water, glycols, coloring and a anti-corrosive package. All of them are very stable fluids, so no chemical dangers by mixing. As such, there is no need to perform any drastic or immediate actions.
Simply flush with clean water the system until it is clean and fill with new coolant of choice. That is all.

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Go to a GM dealer and get GM Fluid 89021562. When you flush it i would pop the thermostat and heater hoses, give it a good flush out.
Flush the heater core both directions.


I'd use the GM flush. It's reliable.

 

[landtoy80]

The mixing looks to be done not long ago as there are new hoses with Carquest sticker still on them. The hoses and stickers look brand new.

I just did several flushes with water and distilled water. It came out clean and filled with Pentofrost A1 Red coolant.

 

[landtoy80]

The lodge van's radiator is filled with water from Possum Lake.

"Possum Lake is named after the adjoining lake, which is very polluted and full of discarded motors and car parts."

So the lodge van does use Red and Green coolant.

 

[Boss302fan]

Originally Posted By: landtoy80
The mixing looks to be done not long ago as there are new hoses with Carquest sticker still on them. The hoses and stickers look brand new.

I just did several flushes with water and distilled water. It came out clean and filled with Pentofrost A1 Red coolant.


Great job...

 

[PandaBear]

I looked at those Preston flush's active ingredient and found citric acid to be the main ingredient, so if I want to go cheap I can go to my baker's supply and measure that amount of citric acid, mix in water and pour it in myself.