Gen7 - Topping Up Coolant Level.

[GazChap]

My Gen7 coolant level is below the LOW mark so I want to top it up. However, having only just gotten the car 10 days ago I don't know what coolant is already in it, other than it looks green.

I've just bought some coolant (ethylene-glycol) from Halfrauds ready to top it up with, with a 50/50 mix with water. Presumably this is safe to do until I can get the car serviced and have a proper coolant flush/change? Will only be a month or two.

However, and this is the stupid part, I can't get to the coolant reservoir. There's a bit of black plastic covering it that's obviously screwed into the bonnet somehow, and I can't get the !Removed! screws out. I've tried unscrewing them, I've tried pulling them and I've tried levering them out and they just won't budge.

How the hell are you supposed to loose it? :P

(god, I feel like such an idiot asking this!)

[T600]

Do each of the screws look as if they're screwed into a black plug? If that's the case you need to make sure the plug doesn't turn as you unscrew them, then use the lightest pressure possible while unscrewing or else you just push them back in.

Which engine do you have? I don't remember having to remove anything to top up the water on my Gen 7, though it was a 190 so Prelift so maybe different to yours or perhaps yours is non-standard? Is there nothing in the handbook about this? Removing trim to top up the coolant seems a bit odd to me - I've never had to do that on an car I've owned and that includes quite a wide range of stuff, including quite a few Toyotas.

Personally I'd be wary of mixing your coolant with anything other than Toyota coolant. I'm sure it'll mix OK with some other coolants but knowing for certain which ones will mix with it and which ones won't is beyond me. And I thought anything water based was bad for these engines / rads? So I'd play it safe and stick with the correct stuff (assuming you can be sure that it has Toyota coolant in it in the first place).

[Scarlett Arrow]

All Gen 7's should use Toyota Long Life coloured Red for models built in Japan. This is pre diluted but a small amount of distilled Water until you have a complete Coolant change won't do any harm.

[GazChap]

Do each of the screws look as if they're screwed into a black plug? If that's the case you need to make sure the plug doesn't turn as you unscrew them, then use the lightest pressure possible while unscrewing or else you just push them back in.

They don't actually look like screws in the usual sense (i.e. they don't have a head that you could stick a screwdriver in to) - they just look like black circles inside black plugs.

Which engine do you have? I don't remember having to remove anything to top up the water on my Gen 7, though it was a 190 so Prelift so maybe different to yours or perhaps yours is non-standard? Is there nothing in the handbook about this? Removing trim to top up the coolant seems a bit odd to me - I've never had to do that on an car I've owned and that includes quite a wide range of stuff, including quite a few Toyotas.

I thought it was odd as well, but nevertheless, there it is. I found a picture of the engine bay (not from my car, but it looks like the same engine bay):

I've highlighted the coolant reservoir covered by that black trim.

The engine I have is the 140 VVT-i, on a 2001 (pre-facelift) Celica.

Personally I'd be wary of mixing your coolant with anything other than Toyota coolant. I'm sure it'll mix OK with some other coolants but knowing for certain which ones will mix with it and which ones won't is beyond me. And I thought anything water based was bad for these engines / rads? So I'd play it safe and stick with the correct stuff (assuming you can be sure that it has Toyota coolant in it in the first place).

I would imagine that the coolant that is in it at present isn't Toyota coolant, as the services previously carried out were at a generic garage rather than a Toyota-specific dealer. The handbook mentions that the coolant should be mixed in a 30 or 60% ratio with water (depending on climate) but does go out of it's way to say that using any coolant other than ethylene-glycol is a bad idea.

[DefiantFrog]

To get the trim off, you'll notice there are some black plastic disks, with smaller disks inside them all the way round the plastic trim. Look in the top left hand corner for your first, then find the rest round the edge of the trim. These are the things keeping the trim on.

Using a screwdriver / pencil / other small pointing device, apply a small amount of pressure to the inner disk, and it will break through slightly, letting you lift the bigger disk out of its mounts, and loosening the plastic trim. Repeat till all are out, trim can then come off, giving access to the coolant bottle.

Putting them back on, put the plastic trim back in place. You'll see the inner disk is actually a kind of pin. Take it all the way out of the larger.. err.. thing, and pop it back in the top, till its half way down. Place your plastic things in to the holes they came out off, and using your fingers, put the pins back in until they are flush with the disk again. Plastic trim should now be secure.

Bit confusing to read, but once you've got the hang of ot, all will become obvious! Any probs, let me know and I'll take some snaps at the same time as the stereo!

[T600]

They don't actually look like screws in the usual sense (i.e. they don't have a head that you could stick a screwdriver in to) - they just look like black circles inside black plugs.

Ah, Rokut Rivets.

Yes, dismantled as described by DefiantFrog above.

Because you said screws I was thinking of another type of fastener with a push in, screw out centre.

[silvercelica]

I had the same problem the other day lol

I used a biro and just pressed the centre of the plastic clips in and lifted them out although i did lose one of the clips so be careful :(

[DefiantFrog]

Well well, they've got a name!! :) Never know...

Anyways, here's what to do with 'em.

1: Find 'em. I think there's 5 (I have 3 left, they do get lost easily!)

2. Using a key, or other pointy object, push down in the middle of one of them

3. Trim should come lose. Repeat till all rivets are lose / out. Put them all somewhere safe (plastic pot or similar) till you need them.

4. When putting the plastic trim back, sit it all in place. Taking one Rivet at a time, take the pin out of the bottom, then replace it back in the top, till it sits half way down the pin holder thingy.

5. Sit all pins back in place in your plastic trim.

6. Push down on each pin with your finger until all pins are then flush again:

Trim should now be securely back in place!

[GazChap]

Curious. Mine don't look like that.

[DefiantFrog]

Really? What do yours look like?

[GazChap]

I'll see if I can get a picture tomorrow evening when it's still light outside. They look similar, but the inner disc is much bigger and doesn't do anything when you push it in.