Quick rundown on coolant change? 2008 xB

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xBa380

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My 2008 xB is approaching 80K miles... Had my brother get me the coolant from the dealership where he works as I am planning to swap the coolant out tomorrow.

I know it is not a complex process... I just want to do it properly from those who have more knowledge than me.

I figure I will loosen the drain plug on the radiator and let it drain completely with the overflow cap OFF correct? The plug on the engine block I guess is not hard to get to, so once the radiator drained completely I would tighten it back up and then drain out the engine block. Once it stops flowing, plug it back up and I should have a completely drained out system, correct?

Fill the fluid to the "B" line on the overflow tank, squeeze some hoses and once it settles, start the car and let the thermostat open up and let coolant flow. Level will drop, let it cool off and top off fluid again. Repeat until it no longer goes down.

I think that is the process, no? Would appreciate any comments/directions if I am mistaken above on anything.

Thanks guys!
 
I doubt such a recent vehicle has a coolant valve in the heater circuit.

Flush it out with tap water and end with a flush with distilled water. I use concentrate rather than premixed coolant as I can never seem to get all the water out and that makes it easier to get a 50/50 mix.

I've also found that it's quicker to purge the system of air if you drive up and down a few steep local roads.
 
Your method is spot on. If you're draining and refilling with the same type of coolant then there isn't usually a need for a flush.

Let us know how it goes, I might do ours this weekend. Are you using the Pink or the red?
 
Using the one specified in the manual, the super long life one that is pre-mixed. Not sure if that is pink or red! It is the factory fill fluid though for the xB.

Thanks for the info guys... Going to work on it in the morning tomorrow. As far as running the heat, when exactly do I do that? Before I drain or after I already drained and filled? Little unsure about that part of it.
 
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As always, you should consult the factory service manual for the exact procedure. Modern cars can have very specific procedures for seemingly simple routine maintenance items.

However, in general, using a coolant funnel is your best option. Allow the engine to idle for about 20 min at 2000 rpm and the thermostat will usually open.
 
I think you're going at with the right plan of attack. Run the heater and blower fan on high with engine running during the refill and bleeding process. This is to get good flow through the heater to purge it of any trapped air.
 
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What engine? If its a 2AZ-FE its a basic drain and fill, no flushes, block drains, air bleeder valves, any of that. Its Toyota OAT coolant so there's nothing to flush. Probably in great shape at that milege. Its good to 100k. 90% comes out on a drain, no air to worry about. Basic system. Takes 1/2 hour. Start the car with the cap off to bleed after refilling. When it starts to overflow a little, put the cap on. Done. Clean the expansion tank and the breather also.
 
Originally Posted By: xBa380
Fill the fluid to the "B" line on the overflow tank, squeeze some hoses and once it settles, start the car and let the thermostat open up and let coolant flow. Level will drop, let it cool off and top off fluid again. Repeat until it no longer goes down.

Thanks guys!


If the car has an overflow tank and a pressure cap on the radiator, then you have to fill the radiator and air out the system. Once the system is bled from air you can add coolant to the expansion tank once the engine is cold.

Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
What engine? If its a 2AZ-FE its a basic drain and fill, no flushes, block drains, air bleeder valves, any of that. Its Toyota OAT coolant so there's nothing to flush. Probably in great shape at that milege. Its good to 100k. 90% comes out on a drain, no air to worry about. Basic system. Takes 1/2 hour. Start the car with the cap off to bleed after refilling. When it starts to overflow a little, put the cap on. Done. Clean the expansion tank and the breather also.


That's what I would do. Just a radiator drain and fill. No need to drain the block or the heater core unless I was changing coolant formulas.
 
Red is "long life" on the label pink is "super long life". I think the changeover happened around 2003/2004. If your manual has 7 years/100,000 miles you had pink from the factory.

Anyway, on the 2az I drained and refilled the radiator, no block drain and no difficulty burping the top hose. No level change on the overflow after the initial start with the radiator cap off and one topup there.

It's not very difficult especially since you're using the same coolant.
 
It is the pink, super-long-life 100,000 mile coolant.

Just got it done... Like many have said, was very easy and straight-forward. I did lose (3) bolts which sheared off due to the salt from the past few winters... They were just to hold the plastic cover so was nothing that important. Was able to save (2) of them, plus all the push pin things so the cover should be fine as is... Nothing critical. That was the only hard part of the entire process... hahah

Pulled the plug on the radiator and let it drain... When the overflow bottle got low, I would top it off as it was draining... Did this (3) times just to have some new fluid push through and "clean" out the radiator. 15mins later, the entire radiator was drained. Plugged it back up and refilled the entire system... Cycled the engine for 10mins after (revving every 45seconds or so to 3,000 RPM as stated on the engine hood for replacing coolant). Fluid really did not drop much at all once warmed up. Looks like all went very well.

Appreciate all the help/tips guys! I did not bother with the engine block drain plug, just the radiator.

Easy enough!
 
The drain plug is designed to be opened, not removed which funnels the coolant through a hole in the splash guard to a waiting container. Which means the splash guard does not need removal to drain and fill the coolant. Its a nice design. If you decide not to put the splash guard back don't worry about it. Mines been gone for years. Torn off, didn't bother putting it back.
 
I was just under my 2012 this past weekend changeing oil and finally took notice to the coolant drain on the block. Looks really easy to get at from underneath.
Kinda curious, is the valvetrain on your XB noisy? I get a pretty good valve tick from mine. Seems to get worse as I get a few thousand miles on the oil. My last one ran nice and quiet until I got up around 20,000miles, then it began to tick as well. This one has done it from day one (bought it with 5300miles on it). It hasn't gotten worse, was just wondering. I'm experimenting with QSUD 5w-30 right now, which every one seems to like for quieting noisy engines down, and while it does seem to run "smoother" on it, it hasn't seemed to quiet it down any.
 
I am not good with picking out engine noise, but with the hood open I hear some tick like sounds when the engine is running. It is very quiet with the hood down, though. I always thought it was a normal sound for this engine. Nothing sounds abnormal to me, at least.

I have been using PP 0W20 almost exclusively in this car since I got it new. Blackstone reports look excellent with it, reporting lower than average wear for the engine.

Mine has 78,000 miles on it now and sounds no real different from when I bought it new, other then some other noises... Like the loud clank I get putting the car in reverse when it sat overnight... Seems to have gotten much worse in the last year. Also some vibration noise coming from the hood area when the car is in reverse with the brake applied. It may just be the bushings that prop the hood up, so I may just have to adjust those again. I am going to go do that right now, actually! :p
 
I run mine around 6000-7500 miles. I just do it every spring and fall regardless of mileage. Winter OCI tends to be shorter at around 5K while the summer OCI can hit 7,500....

I listened closely today and the engine is definately ticky! But like I said it don't sound any different than I remember. Might just be noisy fuel injectors?

Maintenance wise on my xB I just did drain/fills on the ATF every 15-20K, coolant just now at 78K, spark plugs at 75K, brakes/rotors + flushed brake fluid, oil changes, etc... I cleaned the throttle body at like 65K and it was quite dirty. Cleaned MAF sensors as well. So I keep on the maintenance the best I can. No issues so far, not even the waterpump which appears to fail early on 08's and 09's... Knock on wood! I keep hoping I never see the red line of doom on the engine liner...

The only issues with the car I have is a failed drivers seat (two spring wires coming out of the back of it... Have not gotten worse though so I am just leaving it alone) and the passanger side airbag harness went bad... $1200 repair but after calling Toyota they took care of the bill since I was out of warranty. So that was nice of them...

That has been it so far other than routine stuff... Had the car since 2007 and reaching 80K miles with no major issues at all. I am happy!
 
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Here is a copy of my UOA result the last time I did it... I plan to do another when I drain my oil out next time to check up on it. But this latest report was using Pennzoil Ultra 5W20 and the (2) previous ones were Pennzoil Platinum 0W20.

xBUOA46K_zpseab30489.jpg
 
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