Using Toyota OEM 50/50 coolant?

[JackWagon]

With Hondas, general consensus is to follow recommended guidelines and use only Honda coolant. Certainly there were those who found the price too high and used store brand.
When I searched, most of you don't mention a brand specifically. But it does seem that everyone is quite religious about checking and maintaining fluid levels and drain/fills. The 4Runner forum I follow seems to have more users of Toyota "red". What are you using?

[irowiki]

Our old engines don't need the Toyota Red, it would be way overkill. The 3-AC was designed for good old green coolant!

[Petros]

red coolant is not really 'long life", as it ages it becomes caustic and starts corroding away the cooling system. I had that happen on a Ford truck, I flushed it out and used good ol' cheap green stuff, and corrosion issue went away. I had to replace a lot of parts on the Ford because of it. No thanks, not good for the car or the environment (it was stupid government pressure to reduce "impacts" so they invented a new "long life coolant", which is not, cost more, and it just wastes engines).

[splatterdog]

The newer Asian coolants are really good. The Honda blue keeps systems looking like brand new, as I have observed on 8-10 year old timing belt/water pump jobs. Ford hasn't really had a long life coolant until the mid/late 2000's(premium gold).

But, yes, it would be overkill on our old turds. Nothing wrong with upgrading though. With our miniscule capacity, cost isn't really a big factor. To achieve long life, all old coolant must be removed. Starting with a pristine system would be important too. That's hard to come by on 30 year old cars...

For those of you with newer(2000's and up), don't use anything but OE spec coolants. You can eliminate the long term protection and in some cases cause system damage. There's a lot of plastic being used for plumbing and water pump impellers along with seal materials that may have compatibility issues. Euro cars especially. I keep several different coolants on hand at the shop. Old cars and anything "contaminated" that isn't getting flushed get the bulk tank global yellow(slightly more expensive than regular green). Everything else comes by the jug.

You guys would be appalled at Euro fluid prices!

[Mad_Marx]

I've been told by more than one Toyota tech that the Red Coolant was developed by Toyota for Toyota aluminum radiators, I think GM did the same thing with Dex-Cool. I run it in my Tercel since replacing the factory radiator with an Aluminum core radiator.

From the label of the Toyota Red Coolant:

"Genuine TOYOTA Pre-mixed Anti-rust Anti-freeze / Super Long Life Coolant is a new generation ethylene glycol-based premium engine coolant, offering excellent corrosion protection formulated specifically for all TOYOTA warranty requirements. For vehicles fitted with Super Long Life Coolant at the plant, it is highly recommended that Super Long Life Coolant be used for maintenance."

[lannvouivre]

I run it in my Tercel since replacing the factory radiator with an Aluminum core radiator.

Where did you get this aluminium core radiator?

My personal car uses the Toyota coolant, so I plan on running it in the Tercel for the sake of convenience. I really need to get some stuff to test the coolant, as it changes pH over time. I have never had any trouble with the TLLC in my car (Vibe/Matrix). Well, except for the price when I had a loose clamp; luckily I had two jugs of the stuff in the garage.

[Mad_Marx]

I found it at the local NAPA Auto parts. Part numbers on the box are "CU813" and "433813" the label on the box also says "Made in China", but it did come with a lifetime warranty.

[irowiki]

I have the same radiator in one of my cars!

[Petros]

i have had to use aluminum radiators since new brass ones are almost nonexistent. aluminum actually cools better, and weighs less, but I wonder about corrosion. AL can be reactive with a lot of common chemicals. I wonder if grounding it might help.