nayo305

What's up everyone. I need some help flushing my coolant[pink color]. The level is going low soon and need to refill it. Anyone can tell me how to do this step by step? With pictures or better, by a video? I searched youtube about how to do it in a scion tc, but nothing, it only shows other cars. I also need to flush my dot3 brake fluid, and the power steering fluid. But i want to concentrate in the coolant for now.
Note: My tc's is the 5.0 edition, i don't know much about cars so i want to learn how to do it.

bionictony

what's your mileage? you don't need to flush your coolant until you reach 100K miles. Just buy toyota pink coolant (premixed) or buy toyota red coolant and mix 50/50 with distilled water. use that to top off your coolant tank.

flush is pretty simple, theres a drain **** in the radiator and engine block. you might as well change the upper hose, lower hose, thermostat while you're at it. once both radiator and block is drained, just re seal everything and fill the radiator with coolant and let it fill the system. start the car without the radiator cap on and let it warm up. top off the radiator with fluid as needed. massage the upper and lower hoses. wear gloves because it can get hot. you need to burp and get the air pockets out of the system. everyone does it differently. check everyday for a week and add as needed. you should be good after a week.

dstock1088

Toyota says the pink coolant is good till 120K.

With that being said, you have valves on the bottom of the radiator and on the block. Open them and drain the coolant. After it has drained, tighten the drain ***** and fill the radiator, use a funnel like this:


They have a cap that holds it on tight. Fill it until the funnel is about 1/4 full. Start your car, turn the heat on high and let it idle until the heater blows hot air. Should take about 30 minutes for the entire process. You will need to keep filling the funnel.

Using the funnel makes sure the air pockets come out, and once the heater blows hot air you know the thermostat has opened so fluid is running through the system with no air in it. If you don't get all of the air out your car will overheat. The air compresses and stops the coolant flow.

It is a very easy process so good luck!

Also: DO NOT MIX RED AND PINK COOLANT!! They are not the same chemicals. I have seen it gel up and become like a coolant jello which ruins the radiator and causes overheating. Use pink or universal.

dstock1088

A brake fluid flush is a little more difficult. You normally would use a machine but you can do it manually but it takes two people.

You really need to flush the brake fluid once a year because it absorbs moisture.

Take off the rubber cap of the master cylinder. Make sure you have plenty of fluid ready to put in it. Pump up the brakes and Have somebody crawl under the car and open the bleeder screw on one of the calipers. Hold the brake pedal down to the floor and close the bleeder. Pump up the brakes and open the bleeder again. Keep doing this until clean fluid comes out and then move to the next wheel. Be very careful to keep the brake fluid cup full so you don't get air in the brake lines.

Like I said make sure no air gets in the system or you will have to redo it.

tCjosh

iTrader: (8)

where's the drain **** on the block?

dstock1088

It should be on the front side of the motor, by the a/c compressor.

This is a 2010 matrix but it should look like this:


Sorry for the crappy cell phone pic but this just happened to be in my stall.

Anyways, loosen that brass 10mm bolt to drain the block.

Loosen the drain **** on the radiator to drain it. Looks like this:

TTCCC

My baby has a ****, what is this world coming to !




Like said above, don't even waste your time with the radiator flush until at least 100K.

dstock1088

exactly. Red coolant needs flushed every 30k however.

Spicy_McHaggiz

iTrader: (1)

All I got from this is his coolant is going low so he needs a flush? If you are going low on coolant refil, if you are eating coolant you have a bigger issue then a flush. All the flush will do is put fresh and clean coolant in the system.

nayo305

Thanks everyone for the advice, I do appreciate it. So far I don't have a problem with the coolant, like leaking or the car using a lot of it. Just that the pink coolant is running low. I was thinking on flushing it, but CAN I JUST REFILL IT? I mean if I get the bottle of pink coolant in the dealer, just pour it directly with the one I have running low in my ride? Now, do I have to mix the coolant with water? or they go in separate way in the car?
Note: By the way my car has 20,000 miles on it

nayo305

That makes sense to me, I will try that. Now, I have to do this in all 4 wheels? right?
If I get it right, am gonna make a video so anyone having a scion tc will see how to do it, because seriously there's no video in youtube showing how to do this, am sure is gonna have lots of views.

sciontc_mich

you can top it off with the pink stuff SLLC (super long life coolant) from the dealer. it's about $20 a gallon or so. how low is it? just between min and max? 20k miles isn't alot, but I know at 4 years old my coolant was ready to go (cooling fan wasn't turning off). Once I replaced it all, much better coolant performance.

you DON'T mix it with water, it's already pre-mixed from toyota, just open and pour.

and people telling you to take the drain bolt on the engine block, i wouldnt! i didn't have to when I've done my coolant changes. That thing is rusted in place, I'm not touching it

-attached a vinyl hose to the lower drain port (yeah i found i could fit one on there! less mess into the drain pan!
- loosened the lower drain valve
- drained coolant from the radiator
- tightened the drain valve (lower)
- loosened the top drain valve
- attached a vinyl clear hose to the bleeder port (at the top drain valve), and began pouring slowly.
- Once the coolant is up inside the clear vinyl hose, tighten the top drain valve
- put the radiator cap on and then fill up the reservoir to max.
- After that, run the engine at 2000 rpms til the cooling fan comes on..
- have heater controls towards hot while you do this helps the coolant get into the heater core
- then check for leaks.

you may see the reservoir need more coolant in the next couple of days.. sometimes it "burps" air out of the system and sucks up the coolant from the reservoir.

also, the service manual says to replace the o-rings on the drain valves, what people are calling the "drain ****". It's cheap from the dealer, I found that the new rings are much better and sealing up the system once it has been opened. they're like $1 or something, not too expensive.

sciontc_mich

I have also added a 2X4 block of wood taped the the floor under the brake pedal. So that the master cylinder seals don't travel further than they're used to. This can sometimes cause an older seal to fail, since normally they only move about 1 inch..

also, before you begin take a close look at the bleeder screws. i had a problem with them, they were leaking from the threads. I replaced them (about $3 each at the dealer), and looking at the old ones, the threads were just thinning out. No one was in there except me, so I don't think they're the highest quality. Others will probably disagree with me, but I had it happen so not taking a chance next time I bleed the brakes, those screws will get replaced as well.

and yes all 4 wheels.. the sequence of bleeding is :
1st- right rear
2nd- left rear
3rd- right front
4th- left (drivers side) front

when you have someone pumping the brakes, have them pump slowly, not quick stabbing the pedal, i found that going slowly works more air out.

i also forgot what the size of the clear vinyl hose is that you'll need to attach to the top of the bleeder screw. I think its 3/32", someone else can post here what size it is.. it's in my toolbox, but it doesn't have a size printed on it.

nayo305

Is not below low, is close to the low level. I may just pour some like you said. You just pour it directly to the coolant reservoir right? and that's it.

TTCCC

Yes just add it to reservoir. If you see coolant on the ground later that means you put too much in and it will expel the extra.

nayo305

Ok, am gonna do that. Also buy 4 bleeder screws in case they need to be replace. I was watching in youtube how they do this in other cars, and they use a brake bleeding vacuum. Should I get it ? or just attaching the vinyl hose will be effective as well?

nayo305

Thank you brother.

sciontc_mich

no i wouldnt do the vacuum route. just use the regular way. there's too much imo to mess up w/ the hand vacuum way. there is a power vacuum method that some shops have. but for you in your place, just do the manual way. and glad you are going to get the spare bleeder screws

nayo305

thank you friend, am taking your advice. I'll let you know how it went.

sciontc_mich

you're welcome! yeah keep us posted.