What is the shelf life of Toyota pink coolant?

[ekincam]

I bought a jug of Toyota Pink Coolant about a year ago but never used it - I haven't even opened it. What is the general shelf life of coolant? Is this stuff still good?

I currently have green coolant of some sort in my car. How can I be sure that I drain everything out before I put the pink coolant?

My plan is to set the heater control to high, drain the radaitor, and the block. Put a hose to the radiator and engine block until the water drains clear. Ensure that both are drained and that the drains are sealed. Pour 1 gal pink coolant into the radiator. Pour about 3-3.5 qt of distilled water. Cooling system has a capacity of about 7.3 US qts IIRC.

Will this work?

 

[ekincam]

Mistake, this is actually Toyota RED coolant?

Is there a difference between Toyota Red and Pink or are they just different names?

I have a 2000 Toyota Camry I4

 

[Laminar Lou]

One would hope that it would last longer than a year on the shelf, since it is supposed to last much longer than that when it is poured into your radiator. I've seen some pretty dusty antifreeze bottles on the shelf before. I am pretty sure you are okay. I think more like 5 years is pushing it.

 

[mburnickas]

Longest I have had new coolant, on the shelf, is 4 years. No issues

 

[The Critic]

Don't confuse the two. Toyota PINK has an advertised service life that is three times as long as Toyota RED.

Toyota RED has a service life of three years or 30k miles, so use that as your guide.

 

[JohnBrowning]

Yes, The pink coolant is their latest greatest long life coolant and only comes as premixed 50/50. The red stuff is more like GM Dex-Cool and is available as concentrate.I do not know the chemical differences at all.

 

[JohnBrowning]

I have a 2003 Camry. I have the Toyota Hot Pink coolant. My stragy to stay ahead is to simply exchange the radiator and resovoir contents every three years. Seeing how the stuff is premixed it is too easy. I simply open the radiator pet-cox valve and drain the rad. Then I remove the resovoir clean it out. I close the valve on rad and refill. The rad and resovoir on my 2.4L 2AZ-FE holds exactly 1 gallon includeing purgeing air out and bit wasted. I figure if I do this consitently I will never have any coolant related issues.

 

[ARB1977]

Quote:

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I have a 2003 Camry. I have the Toyota Hot Pink coolant. My stragy to stay ahead is to simply exchange the radiator and resovoir contents every three years. Seeing how the stuff is premixed it is too easy. I simply open the radiator pet-cox valve and drain the rad. Then I remove the resovoir clean it out. I close the valve on rad and refill. The rad and resovoir on my 2.4L 2AZ-FE holds exactly 1 gallon includeing purgeing air out and bit wasted. I figure if I do this consitently I will never have any coolant related issues.

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The water pump still needs to be changed every 90K.

 

[JohnBrowning]

I have never had to change a water pump on any Toyota that we have ever owned. I think you have Toyota mixed up with GM!I did have to repair a radiator on a 4Runner once and I periodicly replace the hoses that is the extent of cooling system repair since 1971. My Mother and Father have owned Toyota's consistently since 1971. I on the other hand have owned Fords,Buicks,Dodges and Toyota's.

 

[JohnBrowning]

When I managed an AutoZone we sold about 40-50 water pumps each week and 80% of them were for GM 60° V6's,V8's and 4.3V6. The rest were an even mix of Dodge and Ford. In a 1 year time frame we might have sold 10 import water pumps most of them had to be ordered.Alternators were about the same ratio. Starters were much more ballanced across all brands as were batteries.