Toyota coolant. Is it that critical ??

2011 Crewmax 5.7 2wd 240k
When I bought it in June of 23 It was full of orange or red coolant I can't remember. I then flushed everything out and replaced it with Zerex for "all AisianToyota by name" coolant. Fast Forward a month ago I read a thread here explaining how techs say we should use Toyota brand coolant because of the metal composition of our block, heads and gasket goes best with OEM coolant to prevent gasket failure $$$$$$
Sounds logical to me ...any one else heard anything similar ????
If I gota spend a couple hundred on new coolant VS replacing a head gasket that's a easy decision.

 

New coolant will cost ya about $60-$70 if you order right now thru Fred Anderson or even check your local dealer online parts store to see if they're running the same sale Fred is running.
https://autoparts.fredandersontoyota.com/products/category/maintenance-coolant-coolant?

Most videos I've seen shows 3 gallons should be enough.

I'm gonna be doing mine soon.

 

Def gonna get it done soon as we get some good weather .
My bought new 09 2.7 Taco head gasket went bad at not even 180k
Now I'm blaming myself for using sub par coolant. Valuable lesson learned.

 

Man I dunno, Zerex Red should be just fine and equal to whatever company makes OEM Toyota coolant. Where are you seeing someone had issues with Zerex?

 

Also use zerex red with no issues here. I think as long as the color matches it don't matter. But sometimes people will have problems and attribute then to a random thing.

 

Just hit 50k on my truck. I’ll be doing it before the next oil change at 55k. Bought a kit from Amazon I’ll share.


Edit: also using Toyota OEM 50/50 fluid from the dealership.

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Many on here have advocated for using Mama Toyota Super Long life. This is the material that is said to be good for 5 years or 100,000 miles. Certainly nuttin' long with that.

I like to drain, flush and fill every single year. Zerex Asian pink it is for me.

 

I just replaced my motor and I used Toyota red, got it for 22 per at my local dealer.

Seems like cheap insurance to me.

 

Zerex Asian is fine especially if you're changing regularly. I still stick with OEM. It lasts and is about as high quality as you can get while not being that much more expensive if you buy concentrate.

 

I took the "no think and buy the expensive brand" approach - Amsoil HD. They have a lot of ASTM certs for their coolants. No clue if it's actually better than OEM, though.

 

Guessing everyone Tests their coolant as it ages? It gives me lots of piece of mind knowing the PH is in the correct range.

 

Have a 2011 Tundra with 28,000 miles. Will be changing out the coolant soon. Don't know if the low miles would make the ph go bad, but I want this ride to last a long time. Bought her in November or 24.

 

I do not think so - its time that does that. The PH s/b on the alkaline side - well above 7.5 closer to 9 or so. Even becoming neutral (7.5) is Bad and can begin causing rust and buildup.

 

There are a couple of ideas posted in this Forum that I question.
1. Trashing vs machining front rotors on Tundra 5.7 towing trucks.
2. Soley using Toyota coolant
Albeit of the two the second was explained..
It was a long the lines of the Toyota engineers take into consideration the Toyota specific block, head & gasket composition on a chemical or micro level and determine the Toyota coolant has the best chance of working together with said parts and give the best protection not only on corrosion but also gasket life Wich if fails means we're getting two new 5.7 head gaskets at 100$+ an hour for those of us like myself that aren't mechanic savvy.
Not so much that other brands
(Zerex* -Prestone) what I have in mine now... will destroy your motor more so Toyota brand is optimal for the job.Honestly never gave a second thought but I started thinking about my 09 2.7 Taco I bought new....and cared for religiously
Then at around 160k whilst using Asian Zerex since 70k my head gasket failed. I caught it right away and shut it off before any destruction.
It was replaced without any drama.
I wonder if I had been using Toyota brand coolant would it still have failed ?
I simply can not for less than 100$ afford to not flush out all coolant and replace with Toyota brand.

 

It may have played a role in your headgasket failure but i think more likely it was the mileage between coolant changes. The early 2nd gen seems to suffer from the headgasket failure as opposed to the 2014+ which has a different part number for the headgasket if i remember correctly. I'm wondering if the material was revised to be less susceptible to acidic coolant causing failure. I wouldn't be suprised if the Zerex coolant doesn't last as long as OEM and as, like you said, its not engineered to work with that exact gasket material like the OEM is. I don't have any data to back that up but just speculation.

 

From what I've read and understand ATF and Coolant should be OEM, outside of that it can vary as long as it meets specs.

 

If you test it regularly it will not become acidic on you - you will see the PH decreasing closer to neutral and that is Your CLUE.

Pretty easy to predict and plan for - if you test and do not Guess at the coolants condition (especially based on LOOKS).

 

I used Pentofrost A4 in my Tundra and Sequoia. Excellent alternative for a reasonable price.

 

Well, I only use OEM Toyota. Land cruiser 2004 133,000 and 2008 Tundra 151,000 miles, no problems. OEM seems like a bargain as long as things hold together.

 

Today’s project. Hit 50k.

 

I stopped flushing cooling systems. Too much water stays in the system and our public water is horrible. I just drain, blow out what I can with compressed air, and refill.

 

Spendy, bit not critical...

 

There's a reason for different coolants....

https://www.chevronlubricants.com/e...hinery/nitrited-or-nitrite-free-coolants.html