Coolant replacement the easy way

Just noticed my coolant a little low. Am I OK to just top it off until I get around to changing the coolant next week?

 

Of course.

 

I’d be doing a Quick Look around for a leak…..

 

Yeah, I keep checking in my driveway and at work every day and never find anything.

 

Look underneath your front end.

 

i just did this. Super easy. I only did the radiator and passenger side. I had the truck parked on an incline, nose up. Approximately 2.7G came out and that much also went right back in. I didn't even have the start the engine to burp it. I'll drive it around for a bit and check it again in the next couple of days.

Thanks OP for the pics and guidance.

 

I have to get my fat lazy ass in gear to do this at some point soon. Glad you guys make the write-ups on these.

 

Same...

 

My truck has 125k, and I don't know if it was ever done since I just got it, so I figure I'll do it and feel better. The old coolant was still very pink and clean though, so I think they must have done it at some point.

 

Same..

I'm almost at 80k miles so not terrible.

Would ramps on both driver side tires be beneficial at draining the passenger side block?

 

No ramps needed. Just turn the wheel all the way to the right and there's plenty of room.

 

I took the wheels off just too make it easier, ramps definitely wouldn't help at all.

 

I was more thinking to drain the block completely, probably not necessary though

 

How do I know when the radiator is full? Maybe a dumb question. Never done this before. Thanks all.

 

Use something like this. https://a.co/d/7V7wvuU

 

Yup, game changer.

 

Ordered. Thanks! So basically when it gets to the top you plug the bottom and remove?

 

Good thread. I'm just over 40k on my 2019. Plan to drain/fill around 50-60k.

 

You fill it up locked into the radiator until there's maybe 1/4 of the funnel filled, start the truck up and let it run until the thermostat opens, bubbles will come up the funnel, keep the lid on a little, obviously not snap on but enough so that coolant doesn't spray you when it bubbles. Give the engine some revs and squeeze the rubber hoses going to the radiator. That will make sure you don't have any air in the system. Also make sure you overflow take is filled half way. Once done shut the truck off, plug the funnel, replace the radiator cap and drain the extra coolant back into the bottle.

 

Hah, i was too cheap to buy the fancy funnel. I just did it the old fashioned way. Just filled it up slowly until it overflowed.

 

I've done something similar with my motorcycles since they don't make those snap funnels that fit them I just stick a funnel that fits in, fill it and start the bike up til the thermostat opens, gotta watch it though or is easy to get the funnel to overflow.

 

Just wrapped up the flush. Went as planned and all the help here is much appreciated. Many thanks all.

 

Huh....never really thought about changing my coolant.
I'm going to assume Toyota did it when I brought it in for it's check up at I believe 50k if I remember correctly.
Haven't reached that point in my current Tundra.
As hot as it gets here in South Texas you'd think there'd be more emphasis put on the necessity of doing this.

 

2016 with original coolant…. I would change it. At least get a test strip to check it.
I changed my 2018 with 40 K miles. I plan on keeping it forever tho. (Hopefully) I was getting ready to change the coolant on my wife’s 2016 X3 with 97K, hoping to get a few more years out of it…. A semi decided to merge into her front wheel, then ended up running into the truck in front of her. Insurance totaled it, no maintenance issues with the X3 anymore.

 

The milage is extremely low!
Last I checked it was at 21k so I cant imagine I've put many more miles on it.
Still something I need to check periodically anyway.
I've never checked my coolant and just rely on the gauge on the dash.
Come to think of it I've never changed the coolant on any truck I've owned.
But then I usually dont keep a truck for more than 5 or 6 years.
Now that I'm retired this one is going to be around a lot longer.

 

I hear you with low milage. I’m retired also and have another car for city/shopping. I did see a video by a mechanic who claimed if the coolant ph changes it can cause galvanic corrosion of the head gasket…. He has had a few 5.7 l with that problem.

 

Interesting...
Think I'll pay more attention to it in the future.

 

I never knew to change it until I came across this thread. I buy new and keep them for at least 10 years, so my 2016 with 82k miles on it was well overdue. It took more time to deal with the after market skid plates than to actually drain and replace. I also used that kit listed above, and the process worked perfectly.

 

I’ve decided to change my Tundra coolant much earlier than the 100k factory recommendation based on a video by CarCareNut on youtube where he describes that blown head gaskets and an overheated, and potentially trashed, engine can become a problem if you wait that long. So, it’s nice to see how to simplify the process here. Thank you for the excellent post and discussion.