00' Coolant Specs

I was looking through here, and see there are plenty of threads asking the same thing. But, it always ends up to discuss something unrelated to the questions, so I want to get this cleared up.

Tacoma coolant.

Which type? (OEM or is there an alternative)
How much?
Diluting?

 

OEM Red, quantity depends on engine, 4WD or not, AT or MT? Check your manual in the back. Dilution is 50/50, unless you live where it's really cold. The guide for this is on the bottle. Note that prediluted OEM also exists but it's a rip off compared ot diluting with distilled water yourself.

Note it's on Amazon, not a bad price, but might be lower elsewhere ($32). Search for
Toyota Genuine Fluid

$39 00272-1LLAC-01 Long Life Coolant - 1 Gallon (002721LLAC01)

00272-1LLAC-01

I know there is at least one "red" product that is supposed to be as good as OEM, it probably is. Many NAPA's carry it- Zerex Asian Vehicle. The premixed stuff is $16 on Amazon.

 

Some people are purists and say only Toyota Red because of the chemical make-up of the coolant having no silicates. Silicates are bad. Bad Silicates, BAD! Others, like me use Prestone Green and then others use a similar brand to Prestone.

It's my opinion you're fine with Toyota Red or Prestone Green (or similar product). The key is to renew it regularly ( I do a drain and refill of the radiator every 30,000 miles). The big thing is doing a proper flush if you want to change to a different coolant. Mixing different coolants could cause a gelling effect which isn't good. So, you just drain the radiator, fill it up with distilled water, run the engine with the heater on high(rear too if you have a rear heater), drain it out again and repeat this process until what's coming out looks really clear. Then you drain it a final time and add your 50/50 mix. Also, don't forget to empty the overflow and refill that. Some bother to find the block drain and drain that too but it's my opinion that's a waste of time because you're not talking a whole lot that's left in the there. A guy on T4R.org showed what he drained out of the block and it looked like maybe 1 pint.

Like Mike said above, a 50/50 mix is pretty standard. The capacity of the system is a little over 2 gallons. To make sure you can completely top off your system, either buy 3 gallons of a 50/50 mix, or buy 2 gallons of antifreeze concentrate and 2 gallons of distilled water.

Here's a video in case somebody reading this thread wants to know of a technique to flush the cooling system on their rig.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oQsxmi-CNng" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

I will say I just did the block drain and it's worth doing given the amount of crap that came out of it (particulates). You'll need about 24" of extensions to move it easily. I just put a masons tray (home depot) under that entire side of the truck and it caught everything. I "flushed" the block by putting some distilled water in my upper radiator hose after disconnecting from the radiator. This truck had a ix of red and green. They layered themselves in the engine/radiator, as the color changed as I drained. Just my opinion!

 

Do you access it through the wheel opening?

 

Yes, passenger side. You'll need to remove a couple of the plastic rivets to get the rubber flap out of the way. You'll want at least 12-18" of socket extensions to get in there. It's kind of hard to find but a flashlight helps!