100K Mile Service And Brake Fluid Question

[roks]

Hi All,

I bought the car in 2012 with 89K miles, its now at approximately 98K miles. Since I bought the car I have done 3 oil changes+ filters, drop links, TB cleaning and gasket, gear oil change, and recently rear pads.

The Front pads has good thickness so I thought I'd just clean, grease. then I came read that brake fluid needs to be changed every 2 years so now its over due.

Not sure which fluid to use, it says DOT 4 on the CAP but Toyota dealer says 4 is not available, now all Toyota cars use 5.1. (£19.70 for 1lt.)

ECP sells Pagid DOT 4, 500ml for £2.26, is that a good quality or not? Also, how much do I need?

Also, the Coolant (pink) may be 10 years old as well, I assume its never been replaced. In the reservoir tank it looks clear but at the radiator cap its a bit brownish. I don't know if its just gunk in the radiator or the coolant is bad.

I read that half the coolant is left in the engine block, even after draining the from the drain on the block. How does one completely remove and fill new coolant?

Any hints on anything else I need to check/replace would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[oldcodger]

Hi,

The brake fluid should be changed every 2 years.

Dot 4 is perfectly suitable according to the Toyota handbook etc and have used it for many years; just because a Toyota dealer does not stock Dot 4 does not mean you cannot use it, tank loads of it around .

You could get away with just 1 lts of fluid but generally but an extra 1/2 or 1 ltr in case I mess things up.

Don't forget the master cylinder is a twin chamber so you need to bleed the clutch as well.

Everyone has their own way of changing the fluid but can recommend the Gunsons fluid changer at about £20, even Screwfix are selling it.

If your header tank is clear I would assume its no longer Toyota Pink antifreeze which was good for 100k before renewal.

From reading other posts relating to heater matrix problems , if it was me, I would drain off whatever is in there, give it a flush out and then drain and refill with any good quality glycol based antifreeze or Toyotas if you prefer.

Although have not changed mine yet, believe you will find, as well as the radiator drain tap there is a plug on the engine block for draining it.

Think the important thing is that if you use any concentate antifreeze then the diluting water you use should be Deionised, not tap water.

You can buy is at car shops and even supermarkets for abot a £1 a 2.5l bottle.

All the above detailed in the Haynes Manual , a good buy.

[roks]

Thanks oldcodger for your reply.

When I say clear I meant it doesn't look dirty, still pink, so I assume its original.

I found some more articles where they drain from piggot on the back of block but only 300ml came out, still 3ltr in there.

I had a look at the haynes manual its talking about removing thermostat to drain remaining fluid. I think I'll get a new gasket, I might go that route. How long does a thermostat last? I might change that if that needs replacing at some interval.

It also mentions removing radiator pipes and flush that separately to avoid cross contamination. If its easy to disconnect the pipes l might try that as well.

[oldcodger]

Hi,

Thermostats are as little as £5 (ECP) so I would always replace if opening its housing up.

Removing the rad pipes, they seems to use those clip together bands, so I think I would have some new Jubilee clips to hand before removing them.

As for all the flushing, as you seem to have T Pink in , think I would just drain off as much of the old as possible and fill up with T Pink again.

If the existing Pink is still clear when its flowing around the system at near boiling point. wonder what debris you could remove by flushing out ?

As you are in London where the water is hard (?) then it might be better to avoid getting that in to the system or just give it a simple once only flush with deionised water.

[roks]

I am going to what comes out of the radiator then decide the path to take. Definately use de-ionised water.

Also some guys are talking about doing a emergency brake on gravel type road to activate the abs/traction control to get the old fluid out of there and the bleed again. Is that a necessity?

Thanks for the tips, valuable as always.

[roks]

Ok, I ended up making a pressure bleeder (3ltr garden sprayer, pressure gauge and couple of other bits), I dont know, I think I am getting too serious.

Done a test with water, holds pressure well, all dried and ready to go, just waiting for the reservoir cap to arrive. In the meantime I have some questions.

What pressure do I set it to?

It appears that I can either fill the bleeder will fluid or fill the reservoir and use bleeder to push the fluid down and keep topping up.

Which is better?

Cheers

[oldcodger]

Yikes...! that sounds like a hard way to crack and nut !

For just a few pounds you get that Gunson pressure bleeder kit with everything you need ready to go and well proven, its lasted me over 25 years and several cars.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/gunson-brake-bleeding-kit-14-piece-set/33881?_requestid=45155

They use a pressure of 20psi but no idea what your diy version could take, a best it might leak at worse it might explode with such pressure ..????....!!!!

[roks]

Thanks for the link oldcodger, I read the manual there and have an idea of what pressure to set.

My bleeder has a gauge 0 - 29 psi, here is a picture of my handy work....total cost £17

[roks]

Just an update oldcodger, the brake bleeding went well. took a little longer than anticipated, the stormy weather disnt help. Just as I was poring the second bottle into the bleeder....big storm...hopefully no water got in after all that hard work.

Used about 1.3L, could have dome it with 1 litre but I think I bled out more than I needed to. Also, I could not tell the difference between new and old fluid from the clutch. Rear brakes were the dirtiest the fronts were less dirty.

I still have 500ml bottle of dot 5.1 left, I don't think mr.T will take it back.

Tomorrow is the coolant change. My drive is on a slope, is that an issue?

[oldcodger]

I still have 500ml bottle of dot 5.1 left, I don't think mr.T will take it back.

Tomorrow is the coolant change. My drive is on a slope, is that an issue?

Hi,

Would luv to see their faces if you tried to return the fluid !

If its seal is still unbroken then it should keep for a year but I would not use it on the new change in 2 years time.

The real reason for renewing the fluid is that it asbsorbs moisture, so the older it gets the poorer the quality.

Antifreeze, If you drain as much old fluid off as possible I would tend to avoid flushing provided it looks basically clean; you might add too much hardness from the flushing water / or leave too much water in there so diluting what I assume is Toyota ready mixed ?

If it was on a slope think I would point it front downhill,

I tend to turn the cabin heating off and to cold to avoid air locks in there, also fill up slowly from the radiator cap and squeeze the radiator bottom hose after each small pour to help remove the air locks.

Once full, run it for a few mins till you see the temp gauge start to rise, switch off and check the levels etc.

Check the header tank levels over the next few days.

No 1 tip, turn off the drain taps before adding the new coolant ! experience talking

[roks]

Yes, still sealed, dated August 2014, probably stick it on eBay.

I got the consecrated pink, I assumed after flashing, there will remain half of the water (will measure what comes out) in the block, so I can just add the 3.25L of coolant or what ever to get 50/50 mix.

The bottles say concentrated but it also reads 'for top up only'. Should I be worried or as long as I end up with 50/50 mix that will be ok?

Also got thermostat ans seal, I am just replace it while I am there.

Thanks for the tips.

[oldcodger]

Hi,

Have never changed the coolant on the corolla, done many others though.

If you are changing the thermostat and can find that engine block drain plug as well as the radiator drain tap then you should be able to get most of the old fluid out.

If you just refilled with new then if using concentrate you want to mix it to the right dilution before you add it,

If you flush the engine its going to be hard to know exactly how much water will be left in there and so many any accurate dilution difficult.

Not sure about the Toyota Pink, cannot see how its ready to use and concentrate ?

Perhaps put up a new post about the best way to drain /flush the radidator and what strength the Pink is; some members like Kingo are in the trade and might know some tricks to make things easier.

Out of interest what were the prices for the brake fluid and Pink coolant, usually buy brake fluid from the local motor factors at about £6 per ltr dot4; if you are ebaying that 1/2 ltr it must be expensive ..

[roks]

Ok I think I am in trouble. ...I been running without thermostat and just de-ionised water. Filled it 3 times, on the 4th drain its plain wster coming out.

Then I turn the heater on and its cold. The radiator core pipes in the engine bay, the right pipe is hot and left is cold.

Also, on the last couple drain, the reservoir did drain like the 1st time and 2nd time.

Someone tell me it will be ok when install the thermostat. ...or have I got more than I bargained for?

[oldcodger]

Hi,

Yes the heater will be cool because the stat has been removed so all the heat goes straight in to the radiator.

Look at the temp gauge, it will probably take 10 to 15 mins on a steady 1000 /2000 rpm for the needle to get up to midway /normal and until its nearly up there then the heater will still be cool, in line with the temp of bottom hose of the radidator.

How much water drains out v whats left in v total volume ?

[roks]

Phew......the needle stayed at 8 o'clock position after 15 min at idle. I try and run it as as your suggestion to get it at normal 9 o'clock position.

Got 3.25L from radiator. I think about another liter from the block and thermostat housing.

I' ll measure the last drain to work out the coolant ratio. Wont bother with the block drain.

I've been told about 1liter is in the heater core?

[roks]

Ok, heater is working again, went for a drive, this is a 2mile trip and normally it reaches 9 o'clock position by then but I could not get it past 8 o'clock.

In the morning, I' ll drain the radiator and replace the thermostat and coolant.

[oldcodger]

Hi,

That sounds normal for no thermostat.

Have you noticed the' jiggle pin' on the new stat ? its a small hole with a loose looking little pin coming out of it ?

It should be fitted so the jiggle hole is at the 12 oclock position.

If you are workng from a Haynes manual you will know that ..?

[roks]

Yes jingle is at 12 o'clock.

I am now getting pink fluid again but very light colour, I guess its from the heater core. and I can now see some metal particules, I am thinking another drain before I put in the coolant....still have 4l water left.

[roks]

No 1 tip, turn off the drain taps before adding the new coolant ! experience talking

I can't believe it.....lost half litre...that was to be spare. Never mind.

3.25l drained including reservoir. Put 3l of coolant, won't take anymore, will try in a few days.

[oldcodger]

Hi,

Have not replaced my coolant as I'm only on 80k, but looking at various sites I can only see 3 types of genuine Toyota coolant.

The Superlong Life 50/50 premixed - refered to as 'Pink'

Then the more standard Red , available as 50/50 premixed and also a concentrate.

Wonder what you have used ? is there also a superlong life concentrate ? the engine cooling system takes approx 6.5lts so what have to added to the 3.5 ltrs of water already in there from your flushing ?

[roks]

So the capacity is 6.5L, after flashing 5 times, I drained 3.25L on the 5th, almost clear water.

I then need to add 3.25L of concenttrated coolant to get 50/50 mix. I've added 3.0L, I still need to add the 0.25L, when engine is cold, as it was not taking anymore with the engine running.

See attached picture, xxx80150 is the pre-mixed, this one says concentrated but I dont like the 'top up only' bit. Now you got me thinking, did I use a proper concentrated coolant or is this another type of ready mix?

[oldcodger]

Hi,

Agree the 'top up' is a bit confusing, though it does clearly seem to be a concentrate solution.

From the pics I have seen online , the back of the bottle has more instructions, do they make things clear ?

If its concentrate it should give proper indication of the dilution rate/s, if not the toyota dealer should clarify, its their product.

[roks]

Hi,

The bottle says bugger all.

"Instruction: Follow the Toyota owners Manuel when adding or replacing coolant. Add coolant. "

And if I remember correctly, owners manual says only use toyota long life coolant.

I'll call the dealer tomorrow and get clarification of the 'top up only'......I hope I've not wasted all that effort and money.

[oldcodger]

Hi,

Or just put a post up with the heading "Toyota Pink, Parts King please help"

Sure he will be alble to clarify that 'Top' Up and if 50/50 ( like the ready mixed) is still the correct dilution.

[roks]

OK, called the deal today, they say its because its a small container thats why it says 'top up only' and the the 5L concentrate bottles do not say this.

....Next weeks tasks, valve cover gasket and checking valve clearance.