my first question is about flushing the coolant. in the stickie one of the posts says to flush with distilled water then drain the radiator. what does it mean to flush the system? the last time i changed my coolant all i did was drain the radiator, then filled it with 50/50 mixture of prestone green coolant and water wetter. have i been changing my coolant the wrong way?


my other question is about the clutch, brake and power stearing fluids. now, correct me if im wrong, but these only need to be replaced or refilled if there is a leak in the system right? other than that they never need to be changed correct?

Heard on this forum that Prestone or for that matter any American made coolants have silicates which are not good on Japanese radiators. Use Toyota Red What you did was simple drain-n-fill, what is described in the sticky is flush-n-fill.

See motorvate.ca to read abt other fluids and why they need to replaced not just refilled in. There is DIY on PS fluid there. There is a DIY on brake fluid replacement elsewhere on the net or in one of the threads here.

what about the 'new' Prestone fluid thats a yellow/gold color...says compatable/mixable to ALL makes/models?

If you just drain the radiator and re-fill, old coolant will remain in the engine block, heater core, and various coolant hoses. In order to remove that, refill the radiator with distilled water, then run the engine until the thermostat opens so the distilled water can circulate throughout the system. Then drain the radiator again and repeat until the liquid coming out is essentially clear. At this point, the cooling system will be filled with almost pure water, so fill the radiator with pure antifreeze. You may have to figure out how much to add based upon how much fluid drained from the radiator and the total capacity of the system.


As for the other fluids, they should be changed. I think every 2 years is an interval i've heard mentioned, but it couldn't hurt to do it more often.


As for the all-make, all-model Prestone, I put it in my car and have seen no ill effects.

Just go thru the sticky on coolant and you'll hear all the technical analysis as to why American made coolants should be avoided. You also get to read which one is good: Toyota Red or Honda blue or Nissan green.

Not sure if this new prestone stuff says "free of silicates" !!!

thanks guys. i didnt realize i had been doing my coolant flush so wrong

2yrs is a good figure for most fluids. I've been good on my coolant and diff but lazy on my steering and brake fluid. Shame considering how easy they are.

One idea I read on the .org for coolant was to have 2 set's of mixture you alternate between seasons (colder climates). One set of cold 50/50 H20/coolant, and another hot mix 70/30 water/coolant additive like H20wetter or similar.

i forgot to ask. how do i know when the thermostat has opened? is it when the fans turn on?

Squeeze the upper radiator hose. If it is hot and full of fluid, then the t-stat is open (at least that's how it is on my 3rd gen).