Anitfreeze Reservior

Hey everybody. I have a 2018 1794 with about 3000 miles on it. Had the truck for a year already. I remember when I first got her, I checked everything out under the hood and I know for a fact my antifreeze reservior tank was full. As I was checking under the hood again yesterday, I noticed my reservior low???...After only a year??..Is this normal? I had to do some errands and when I came back and parked, I checked it again and it was up 3/4 but not up to the full mark. Then I just checked it now without starting the truck and its back to low as in the pic.

 

It’s possible you had air in the system and it finally burped its way out. Or you’ve got a leak somewhere. Take it into the dealer they should top it off for you with the good Toyota coolant.

 

Yeah I have an appointment in 2 weeks for my free Toyota Care. I dont see any leaks where I park and dont smell antifreeze or blowing white smoke..lol When I had my 4Runner for 10 years,never had to add antifreeze in the reservior. Thanks for replying

 

Best place to check is the weep hole on the water pump. I doubt anything is wrong. It always fluctuates when the truck is hot. It should fill up a bit when hot and go down when it cools off. You should see a hot and a cold mark. I think it’s possible it finally burped it self and now needs to be topped off. Have it topped off and see if it holds firm.

 

Im not a mechanic by any means. Used to be basic on the older vehicles but on todays vehicles...na!!...I dont even know where the water pump would be..lol!! I just always thought that the reservior should always be full, not fluctuate but what do I know. I was being concerned about this being that its still a brand new truck. I spoke to the service department at Toyota the other day and he said that if there were issues or a leak, I would get a notification in my dash which I dont have. Here is a pic showing the level now since I just parked the truck. Its the same as the other day when I parked..3/4 full

 

That’s definitely low. The water pump will be front and center just like they always have right behind a pulley. The truck is not going to necessarily tell you you have a small leak. It might let you know once the truck is overheated but I don’t think there is a low coolant warning. Dude at the dealer is just trying to get you to leave him alone LOL

 

Lol!!...wouldnt doubt it. Do you think there could be a possible leak being that the truck is new? Or like you said, probably got all the air out? I appreciate your time in helping me out.

 

Anything is possible. But since you’re under warranty don’t sweat it. Have it topped off and see what happens. I’m not a master mechanic but I’m going to lean towards air in the system.

 

Yeah I know about warranty and thats not the issue. The issue is holding my truck hostage for a couple of days if needed and having to fight to hopefully get a loaner car since the dealer is 40 minutes away. I dont think its anything major, I am just concerned because in all my vehicles I had, never seen the reservior low like that. They are going to do my Toyota care service and I will make sure they top it off and like you said, keep an eye on it. Thanks!!

 

If you are expecting to get the oil changed they will probably wait till 10,000 unless you specify otherwise. Even then they are known it seems, to neglect to change the filter because it’s a little difficult to get to. Keep your eye on them.

 

Thanks Ron!!...but if you look at my first pic, its almost to the low line. I really believe I remember seeing it full when I first bought the truck. I remeber checking all the fluid levels since the dealer is supposed to check before releasing the truck to the new owner. It was 11:00 at night when it was givin to me being at the dealer for 6 hours. I will have them add more when I go in 2 weeks. I would just like to know where the level is at on other Tundra owners here. Thanks again for checking manual. I never would have thought something like that was actually in the manual.

 

Yeah I know. I mentioned to the service rep that they better not be lazy and to remove the skid plate to drain the oil. I used to put a scratch on the oil filter when I had oil change done on my 4Runner to see if they changed the filter. My Wife is friends with the sales manager there so hopefully I get VIP treatment. Who knows.

 

I didn’t realize the low mark is all the way down at the bottom. Mine has always been right near full. So it looked low compared to mine. I really think he just had air in the system. If it stabilizes and doesn’t continue to get lower, I wouldn’t worry about it.

 

Forgot to add that I cant keep an eye on them because their service garage is all the way in the back of the dealership. You drop you truck off at the first garage for inspection and paper work, then they take the truck to the service garage which is off limits to customers. Pisses me off.

 

Yeah it would be nice to watch them the whole time like a nervous father. But I mean take note of how everything looks before you give it to them. Check the color of the oil if you’re expecting to have it changed. I would almost want to go as far as putting a little mark on the filter housing and engine oil adapter to see if they actually remove the canister to replace the filter. Matter of fact I would probably remove the skid plate for them at home so I don’t risk them stripping out the metal to plastic screws.

I think I’ve been around here too long and seen too many horror stories LOL. I

 

Yeah, your right up to where the reservior gets fatter. Thanks to take the time out to take a pic and show me.

 

Great!!...now you going to have me toss and turn tonight..LOL!!!...Thats a good idea to take the skid plate off first. Hopefully it wont be too cold out since I dont have a garage and have to do this in my parking spot. I checked the oil before and it was slightly dark brown but I have OCD with everything I own and trust me, I will be setting traps.

 

So i was kinda dealing with the same low coolant level as the OP. Took a road trip from TN to TX, New Orleans, and back up to TN. Upon leaving, i checked everything from oil, air pressure, coolant, and so forth. When i got back, my coolant level in the overflow tank was almost non-existant. Took the truck into the dealership around 7000 miles, before my first oil change might i add. After sitting for a few hours in the waiting room, they finally come to me and tell me i have a cracked head. Food for thought if you cant find a trail or puddle anywhere.

 

OP, throw a splash of distilled water in the reservoir and rock on. All good. The engine is still sorting itself out. Toyota engines don't fully seat, in my experience (5 brand new since 1985), until 60,000 miles.

 

Wow!!!....60,000 eh? I live in New Jersey and work in Manhattan so I take mass transit to work during the week and basically only drive on the weekends so it will be a minute before I reach 60.000

 

Wow...but if you had a cracked head and antifreeze leaking,wouldnt you be blowing white smoke from your exhaust? When I was 18, my Buick Regal had a blown head gasket and I was creating the London Fog. I dont have any trails or puddles nor do I even smell antifreeze anywhere. Im going to have the dealer top it off to where it should be and keep an eye on it as others here mentioned.

 

Mine was at that level just recently, but I was do for an oil change already. I would say it’s normal

 

Thanks Victor. Good to know. I really appreciate everyone here for their 2 cents. Its great to belong to this forum!!

 

My 07 water pump has been weeping a bit over the 4 years I've owned it. I can guarantee that takening into consideration the baffles inside the coolant reservoir....when your reservoir gets to "low" it only takes maybe a cup of coolant to top off full at ambient temp...

 

Yes it is

 

No white smoke or any obvious signs that lead me to believe something was that bad wrong with it. Struck me as odd. I just had a strong coolant smell when i would cut the engine off, and super low coolant level..

 

My 16' with 34,000 miles is doing the same thing. I checked levels after doing an oil change the other day (engine cold) and my coolant level reservoir was empty. Didn't see any in the oil, so I added some pink stuff and marked level with marker to check again in a few days. I can't see the bottom of the water pump with the Pro Skid plate on so I'll keep an eye on the level, if I start loosing coolant, I'll pull the skid and investigate. Think my warranty is up at 36,000.

 

I’ve got a 2016 1794 and that’s exactly the level my antifreeze is at also. What’s the recommended Toyota coolant?

 

Toyota dealers sell concentrate and 50/50 pre-diluted. For topping off, pre-diluted probably makes most sense. For flush and fill, concentrated may be cheaper, but then you'll have to buy distilled water and be concerned about dilution ratio. Do the economic analysis and make your choice.

 

Don't know about "concerned." A scant 15 years ago or so that is THE ONLY way you could do it. You couldn't purchase nanny coolant.