Eeek Radiator Fluid Options

[cibrit-]

Hey guys!

Alright, so I change my oil today and before I did it I checked my other fluids. I opened my radiator cap and looked in... the fluid is brownish.

My question is:

Could this just be because the radiator fluid is to old?

If not what else could the problem be?



-Toni

[Ryouxrs]

sounds like u either have a rust problem or have major engine or headgasket issues, but pics would deff help, cause "brownish" doesnt cut it. lol but if its any other color than green, i would deff. flush the system.

This post has been edited by Ryouxrs: Apr 23, 2009 - 8:23 PM

[dgbldr]

Not necessarily. Was it green before? I used Dex-cool fluid for many years. It's orange and when slightly dirty it can look very much "brownish". I have also seen pink-looking fluid. You need to know how it looked when it was put in. Otherwise it means nothing.

[Ryouxrs]

Not necessarily. Was it green before? I used Dex-cool fluid for many years. It's orange and when slightly dirty it can look very much "brownish". I have also seen pink-looking fluid. You need to know how it looked when it was put in. Otherwise it means nothing.

thats true, and ford has yellow, and honda has blue, but the green stuff, regular antifreeze is whats rec. for our caars. newer toyotas are pink like u said. lol

[alltracman78]

Actually Toyota red is what's "recommended", not green.
And if the car has Toyota red in it, and some idiot adds green [or drains half the system and fills with green], it turns rust colored.

[cibrit-]

Ahhh, thanks a lot guys. I will just flush the system because I don't know what the guy before me put in it.

Here's a pic though:



So, the radiator fluid I should use is "Toyota red"? Where do I get it?

Thanks a lot, all of you!

-Toni

[Ryouxrs]

94 model years did not use toyota red yet, but if u want to change to that. an auto parts store, or the dealer will have that, or flush it with standard green coolant and water.

[dgbldr]

Sure looks like clean Dex-cool. You can flush it out if you're nervous about it, but if it looks clean and density checks OK, I see no reason to get rid of it. Dex-cool is as good a coolant as you can get.

[cibrit-]

Alright, I'll give it a check with my coolant tester thingy, and hopefully it checks out .

Thanks a bunch guys, learned a lot about coolant here.


-Toni

[alltracman78]

Dexcool isn't all that great, it has plastic softeners in it, which is most likely the reason GM has problems with plastic intake manifolds.

I can't remember what year Toyota started using the red coolant, but it doesn't really matter, the recommendation to use the red backdates, just like putting Dextron III in trans that originally took Dextron II.
That's the recommendation.
You can use green, or whatever you want. Toyota suggests if you use anything but red to get a low silicate forumula, according to them silicates destroy water pump seals, which is why they don't use them in their coolant.

[GriffGirl]

^ eek! A ghost!

[alltracman78]

lol

Yeah, I appear every now and then.