However, it's easy to drop these nuts, so consider using a magnetic socket. It is smart to apply some thread loosener.Īnother fun fact: the studs are referred to as "stud, hex lobular" by Toyota, which I thought was a funny name.Īfter breaking loose the nuts, I mostly took them off by hand. The goose neck is held on by two studs screwed into the engine block + two flange nuts. This is relatively easy with channel lock pliers, and is even easier with hose clamp pliers There is a lip on the base of the goose neck that makes it somewhat difficult. Just squeeze the tabs on the hose clamp and slowly work the hose off. To remove the hose attached to the goose neck. With a socket/ratchet extender kit + flex-head ratchet, you can complete the removal with minimal effort. These steps are not necessary, and increase your chances of being scared away from attempting this maintenance yourself! In other videos I have seen, people would remove their drive belt + generator to get at this. See the images for more clarity.įun fact: the neck is called "inlet, water" by Toyota. In the middle and down into the engine is the "illustrious" thermostat goose neck. If you look into the engine from the top, you will see your engine oil dipstick. I had maybe a 1 cup of coolant come out of here. Note: this one was quite rusty for me, I had to use liquid thread loosener to break it loose. Loosen this one's screw, and let the coolant flow out! It's a different type of plug, it actually has an adapter for a hose. The drain plug is on the engine block's front-facing part. I did this one first, and would say almost a full gallon of coolant came out here. Loosen the plug, and you will see coolant start to drain. There is a yellow knob on the back lower right (when facing towards front of car) of the radiator. One thing you can do to speed up draining is to remove the coolant reservoir cap. I found I got probably 1 1/8 gallons of coolant out of my car. I caught all my coolant using a system of buckets and closing the plugs when they filled up. If you are curious, it's probably okay to taste a drop and then wash your mouth since it's well below a lethal dose (per this video). It tastes sweet, but causes kidney failure. The antifreeze in your car's coolant mix is not good for environment, humans, or animals. The actual drain plugs take a while to find, but once you have zero'd in on them, this step is cake. Decreased freezing point, increased boiling point.Similarly, if the water boils, it increases pressure in the system, which pops your radiator cap, which means you lose coolant, and then with no coolant your engine overheats.If you live somewhere where temperatures go below freezing point, this is a bad idea since it water expands when it freezes, and can damage things.Coolant only works in your system if it's liquid.It's cheaper and easier! With a catch.It's less viscous, so it's more efficient to pump around your system.It has a higher specific heat capacity than ethylene glycol.Water is actually a more effective coolant.If you factor in time, then just buy premix online. It seems they are all within $10 after you account for mixing. Here are some non-Toyota options I found: I also bought DI water, and did the mixing myself. The owner's manual also states that if you use another brand of coolant, make sure it's "high quality ethylene glycol based non−silicate, non−amine, non−nitrite, and non−borate coolant with long−life"Īs I was a good boy, I bought 1-gal Toyota full strength (aka not pre-mix) coolant from a local dealer for $39. USA (aka warm weather) requirements: premix.See the attached images for how this was done. I had to disassemble and "calibrate" the Bourdon tube inside by squeezing a pinch point. Note: I found it's vacuum gauge was not zero'd properly. I decided to buy a vacuum kit to help purge out my coolant system. The way professional mechanics avoid these problems is by pulling vacuum in the coolant system, and then refilling the system with a 3-way valve. These areas become hot spots and can result in damage to the engine. One thing I learned is that if air bubbles get into coolant system, they can become trapped, and prevent coolant flow in that area. also has some great schematics for finding part numbers Understand how your car's cooling system works. I hit my owner's manual ( Pub # OM42672U) I found some good videos on 2008 RAV4 coolant swaps: To start out, I went to Google for a crash course.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |