Toyota Red fluid = Green fluid???

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Just talked with Toyota factory line and was told Toyota's only two requirements for my late model 4Runner that comes with red, are; don't use an alcohol based coolandt, dont' use straight water.

Either this guy is misleading me or Toyota does not care one way or the other.

This call was prompted by a dealer that said the red color is only there to let the service guys know if your first coolant change was made, as they use green coolant for all radiator flushes.

The more I read the more confused I get. The sure answer is to lay down for the expensive red coolant.
 
The line about red as the factory fill so techs can spot that it's been changed is the most BS BS BS BS BS story I've ever heard in my life! Both dealers in my area use red only. If your dealer gives you that kind of balony, I'd call them on it right there and tell them you'll take your business away from their shady antics and obviosuly retarded cost savings measure.
 
OK - pulled the sealed bottle of Toyota Long Life Antifreeze Coolant "Factory Red Fluid" concentrate from the garage.

quote:
Does not contain silicates that may harm water pump seals.
Does not contain borates that may cause aluminum corrosion/pitting.

Ingredients:
Ethylene Glycol (107-21-1), Diethylene Glycol (111-46-6), Water (7732-18-5), Organic Acid Salt (532-32-1), Hydrated Inorganic Salt (1310-58-3).
Click to expand...
Looking it up, CAS 1310-58-3 is potassium hydroxide. CAS 532-32-1 is benzoic acid. I can't imagine this is everything in the coolant.

There's also a recommended concentration "band" of concentrate to water. It's not a strict percentage, but the least they recommend is 7 quarts concentrate in a 20 quart system - or 35% for a freeze protection of -3ºF.
 
Yeah, Honda has a lot of faith in their timing belt in some model, my integra specify 90k miles severe interval and 105k miles standard interval. People say they snap at 115k miles to 130k miles if not changed, precisely.

I used Preston green coolant and the new yellowish green formula (G05 I think) on it and it seems ok. Sometimes I see sludge like things coming out but nothing happen to my cooling system, pump still works, radiator still works, after 157k miles and 8 years. I did not remove the drain bolt from the engine, but drain, flush with 3 gallon of tap water, and refill with 50/50 mix preston every 15k miles from the radiator.

Maybe interval is the key.
 
my nissan dealer "says" they use factory nissan antifreeze in in warranty cars but switch to cheap off brand green prestone for everything else.
huge price difference $14 a gallon vs $4
 
Then, that's (thankfully) a temporary situation. The supply of conventional, high silicated antifreeze is drying up. Your car, your decision. But, if it were me facing that dealer's arrogance*, I'd be looking at another dealer or shop if I was unable/unwilling to drain and flush my own car's cooling system and use the proper replacement antifreeze/coolant. Even ST's non-silicated "universal" OAT long-life syrup is only $7.54/gallon in my area. (It's dyed green, but that's its only similarity to traditional, generic green-snot-of-death.) Add $1.33 if you'd like to see "Prestone" on the jug. The ST's what's in my aluminum V6 Sonata and it's coming up on 10 months with no change in color or clarity. Whatever Hyundai put in at the factory had inexplicably clouded in less than eighteen months/9,000 miles of ownership.

*I can't help but wonder how many non-savy Nissan owners have their out-of-warranty cooling systems serviced by that dealer's service department none the wiser that the "wrong" syrup is putting them at risk for corrosion or premature water pump failure . . . Like Honda long-life antifreeze, isn't Nissan long-life antifreeze also dyed green?
 
To throw another wrench into it.

When I contacted Lexus on my coolant since I know color means zero since EG coolant is red, yellow, green etc. While ELC can be the same + orange.

They stated this and I quote.


Dear Mr. XXXXXXXXX:

Thank you for contacting the Lexus Customer Satisfaction Department.

Lexus recommends Genuine Toyota/Lexus coolant. Here are the ingredients:
85-90% Ethylene Glycol
less than 5% Diethylene Glycol
less than 5% hydrated inorganic acids and organic acid salts
less than 5% water

If the cooling system is being serviced, a 50% solution of this type of anti-freeze and water is recommended or a sufficient quantity to provide protection to -31 degrees F.

If Genuine Toyota/Lexus coolant is not used, then the aftermarket coolant must be ethylene-glycol based.

Since coolant is poisonous if swallowed, we dye the coolant so that it cannot be mistaken for water. Otherwise, there is no special significance to the color choice. Aftermarket coolants can typically be found in yellow-green, blue, and orange.
 
My head is spinning, but thanks for this thread, it is an eyeopener at the least.

I've been learning about oils for a while and this is my first vist here so I'm a total rookie.

My question is regarding a '94 Toyota PU. Would you suggest just flushing with a thermostst replacement and refilling with disstilled water and *WHAT*? or is there an advantage to the current Tyoota Red factory stuff. I have a friend in the parst dept. at the local stealership and can get it at a reasonable cost. The cost isn't as important to me as protecting the system.

I lost an engine to a waterpump failure on an '83 toy that I think was caused by my lack of understanding and contaminating the system with tap water. I would like to be a bit smater in the next venture.

Thanks for any help here.

Um, if this is not the right place to post this maybe the Mods can move it. I'm still too new to know where it should be placed.

Best Regards,

John
 
While I personally believe there are aftermarket alternatives that will provide equivalent long term performance, if you can obtain Toyota "red" for a discount, go with it. (No one ever got fired for buying IBM or Toyota "red" . . .) Tap water water varies considerably in mineral content, so if you don't mind the minimal extra expense of flushing the system and diluting the antifreeze/coolant concentrate with de-ionized or distilled water (less than 60 cents/gallon at WalMart!), it's well worth the peace of mind knowing you did everything you could to provide the best corrosion protection possible for your vehicle's cooling system. You can bet your last dollar that an independent shop or the dealer wouldn't go that extra mile for you.
 
Zerex extended life 5/150 is the recommended replacement for Toyota extended life red. This is per Zerex and states it on the bottle.
 
This is exactly why Prestone came out with their "All Makes All Models" coolant. Maybe it's not the absolute best choice, but for 99.9% of people they won't get screwed by it.

As far as the different automakers' recommendations about silicates, phosphates, etc...I think they just have different opinions about what is 'best' and in the end it probably matters very little. I doubt there is much difference in the actual construction of the vehicles (due to globalization of parts mfg).

I'd love to see real-life data about radiator/water pump failure. My guess is that most radiators corrode from the outside in, at least up north...
 
quote:
As far as the different automakers' recommendations about silicates, phosphates, etc...I think they just have different opinions about what is 'best' and in the end it probably matters very little.
Click to expand...
Well said! However it could be a bit scary to put one's own car to test it out.
smile.gif
 
quote:
Originally posted by rwl408:

quote:
As far as the different automakers' recommendations about silicates, phosphates, etc...I think they just have different opinions about what is 'best' and in the end it probably matters very little.
Click to expand...
Well said! However it could be a bit scary to put one's own car to test it out.
smile.gif

Click to expand...
Haha...yeah. But when we discovered that my Pop's new jeep was out of coolant a hundred miles from home, I didn't hesitate for a second to add the new yellow Prestone (took a whole gallon of the 50/50 stuff). Got us home.

PS- bad water pump under warrantee, so it'll get new coolant anyway from the dealer.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Amkeer:
There is nothing wrong with Toyota Red Coolant. If you mix the red and green you will get a problem.
Click to expand...
Yes, it seems to be good stuff. We've had it in our Sequoia for four years now. We're on the second fill, and our dealer, BTW, refilled with fresh ruby red, not pink, fluid a little over a year ago. One thing I find remarkable: in the Sequoia, the cooling system stays absolutely clean, both in the overflow bottle and in the top of the radiator. In other cars I've had, the coolant always seemed to end up looking pretty gunky before too long. Not with this stuff. At four years, both the radiator and the O-flow look almost new.

One caveat. Don't try Redline Waterwetter with Toyota Red. They are NOT compatible. I tried the RLWW in my previous car, a V-6 Camry, and it made a gawd-awful mess. The radiator and o-flow bottle quickly filled with a creamy looking sludge-like substance that floated on the coolant like cream separated from natural milk. The coolant itself took on a cloudy-murky look. Hey, some of us just don't know when to leave well enough alone. . .
rolleyes.gif
 
That statement is still true today. I know of people who have brought their vehicles to Toyota for a flush and fill and received the "Green" coolant as the replacement. They were told that the dealerships do not stock and use the Toyota Coolant for replacement. The only requirement for the Toyota is that the coolant be free of silicates and alcohol, Ethanol Glycol base and that De-Ionized or Distilled water be used.

So that leaves quite a few options open for replacing the coolant after a quick drain and flush. Zerex has a Green and a Orange product, Polar has a blue Long Life one, Walmart SuperTech, Advance Auto and Auto Zone all have products that meet the criteria by Toyota and are safe to use. If you go the Zerex Red Asian route.....good luck since it is all 50/50 diluted. Just make sure that whatever you use is "Low or NO Silicate" and free of Alcohol and you will be okay.

Asian motors don't mind the phosphates, while the Europenan motors detest them and love silicates.

For me, I like to use the Green since I drain and flush with distilled water every 2 to 3 years and replace with Green.


Originally Posted By: LarryL
Just talked with Toyota factory line and was told Toyota's only two requirements for my late model 4Runner that comes with red, are; don't use an alcohol based coolandt, dont' use straight water.

Either this guy is misleading me or Toyota does not care one way or the other.

This call was prompted by a dealer that said the red color is only there to let the service guys know if your first coolant change was made, as they use green coolant for all radiator flushes.

The more I read the more confused I get. The sure answer is to lay down for the expensive red coolant.
 
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