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2007 V6 coolant replacement

49K views 25 replies 14 participants last post by  avincent 
#1 ·
Just finished changing out the coolant on my Rav. Just a FYI to those who attempt this, even when you drain the block you only get 1.3 gallons out. My car has the tow package and has nearly 2.5 gallon capacity. Not a bad job, but getting to the block drain is a bit tricky - got to take off the exhaust heat shield and go in from underneath. Of course, you have to remove the under tray as well for this job. Also, took a while to get the air out of the system. I used the bleeder near the fuel rail. It works well. Car has 72K miles and I'm not keen on the 'lifetime' fluid - especially with the potential for WP issues.
 
#3 ·
I have to do this in the spring. Is there two drain plugs on the block- one on each bank like a v8? Is there a nomal drain cock on the bottom of the radiator? Its very hard to look around in there without removing stuff just to see whats involved. I am skeptical that the dealer would drain the block.
 
#4 ·
Did you flush the coolant out of the heater circuit too?
I would have like to, but disconnecting (or even getting to) the heater line connections is a PITA. That wouldn't have gained much fluid anyway. I'm just going to drain the radiator a few times and refill. I used the green fluid so right now it's not red and not green!

Is there two drain plugs on the block- one on each bank like a v8?
On the 07 there is just one under the front exhaust manifold. I did see that the 2006 had a second one but the 07 does not.

Is there a nomal drain cock on the bottom of the radiator?
Yes, under the right lower hose (while facing engine). You need to remove the under tray to access it.
 
#26 ·
On the 07 there is just one under the front exhaust manifold. I did see that the 2006 had a second one but the 07 does not.
Sorry for the overlap. I thought this reply was going to show up attached to an earlier question. FWIW for those with 2007 2GRFE V6, mine does in fact have 2 block drains. They are in the same locations as shown on the 2006 Toyota service manual that someone posted on this thread and other threads. I can't remember what month or factory my 07 v6 was built, so if someone has an 07 with only 1 block drain, perhaps it was a change from 2006 that didn't occur in all 07 or people just can't find it. Easiest way to confirm is to look at your own. I describe where I see mine in post#25 above. I recall draining about 0.6 to 0.7 gallon from them, because I got almost 1.5 gallons from radiator butterfly-handled drain, and then ended up with at most about 2.25 gallon total all three.
 
#5 ·
arries289 said:
Yes, under the right lower hose (while facing engine). You need to remove the under tray to access it.
I sure hope that this black plastic "tray" really serves a useful purpose as it seems to always be in the way and is a pain to mess with. :wall
 
#7 ·
My method of draining & flushing cooling systems is to feed fresh water into the radiator filler with a garden hose with the engine running, heater on and the drain petcock open.
I adjust the flow so it just keeps up with the loss out of the petcock. I wait until the petcock flows clear and in 10-15 minutes I've flushed the entire system.
Then I turn off the engine and the hose and let the radiator drain. Close the petcock and fill the radiator with straight antifreeze.
With the water in the block & heater it usually comes out about a 50/50 mix w/o messing with heater hoses or block drains.
 
#9 ·
joe4rav said:
Remember that coolant is a hazardous material and should be disposed of properly. When flushing the block, all waste water must be contained. It then needs to be turned over to a proper waste disposal company.
Yep, I catch as much as I can especially when it's undiluted. It goes to our Town disposal facility.

Another effective method when freezing isn't a problem is to fill the radiator with straight water and drive the car. Repeating the process several times flushes the system leaving about 5 gallons of waste antifreeze mix to dispose of.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for the advice arries289. Nice to know how little actually came out of the block. I was debating this myself and was leaning towards just doing a more frequent drain and fill of the rad. Now I know I will. I will use the Toyota pink though to keep it all the same. There is a link to an interesting article on the chemistry of the different colours of antifreeze posted by John E Davies somewhere on here.
 
#11 ·
My method of draining & flushing cooling systems is to feed fresh water into the radiator filler with a garden hose with the engine running, heater on and the drain petcock open.
I adjust the flow so it just keeps up with the loss out of the petcock. I wait until the petcock flows clear and in 10-15 minutes I've flushed the entire system.
Then I turn off the engine and the hose and let the radiator drain. Close the petcock and fill the radiator with straight antifreeze.
With the water in the block & heater it usually comes out about a 50/50 mix w/o messing with heater hoses or block drains.
I agree with this method (and have used it) IF your water is softened well. It's not a good idea, though, for regular tap water or hard water.
 
#12 ·
There is a link to an interesting article on the chemistry of the different colours of antifreeze posted by John E Davies somewhere on here
Yeah, if you start reading in any depth about the different colored antifreezes, you will get confused (and sometime misdirected) very quickly. But, for me, the fact that Toyota states in their service manual that 'any quality ethelyne glycol' solution can be used and the fact that all current manufacturers (Prestone in my case) advertise complete compatibility with all colors antifreeze was enough to switch. The only significant difference between Toyota SLLC and Prestone is that Toyota is 'engineered' for long life. This means the additive package is stout. I'm OK with changing out the Prestone every 2 years, as required. I think most of us are skeptical about Toyota's long life claims anyway considering the amount of recent water pump issues (since SLLC was intro'd in 2004) they have seen across their model ranges.
 
#13 ·
In Canada, Toyota dealer sells SLLC 50/50 for $28,

“Toyota Super Long Life Coolant is used in your Toyota vehicle at factory fill. In order to avoid technical problems, only use “Toyota Super Long Life Coolant
or similar high quality ethylene glycol based non- silicate, non- amine, non- nitrite, and non- borate coolant with long- life hybrid organic acid technology.
I found Zerex Asian Vehicle 50/50 for $17 at Walmart in Toronto.



Valvoline.com > Products > Zerex > Antifreeze Zerex > Zerex® Asian Vehicle Antifreeze / Coolant
Zerex® Asian Vehicle Antifreeze / Coolant
Developed to meet the long life coolant specifications of Asian vehicles.
5 year/150,000 Mile Guarantee
Recommended for all Asian Vehicles
Compatible with Asian coolants and cooling systems.
Silicate Free, Phosphated HOAT Chemistry
Protects against freeze-ups and boilovers
Protects against rust and corrosion
Premixed with demineralized water
Zerex Asian's ingredients is listed as Water, Ethylene glycol, Diethylene Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Corrosion inhibitors, defoamers, and dyes. "protects all metals including aluminum, phosphated HOAT technology, silicate and Borate free, compatible with Asian coolants, pink dye color, pre-mixed with demineralized water, 5 years or 150,000 miles."

Meets or exceeds the following specifications: Hyundai/Kia MS591-08, Mitsubishi ES-64217, JIS K 2234-1994, ASTM D3306, ASTM D4985, Ford WSS-M97B55-A, Federal Specification A-A-870A and is recommended for Toyota/Lexus, Scion, Honda/Acura, Nissan/Infiniti, Subaru, Mazda, Suzuki, Isuzu, Dae Woo and Daihatsu vehicles.
"Valvoline will launch new antifreeze/coolant product for Canadian consumers. Zerex Asian Vehicle will be available on retail shelves this fall," says Karen Insko, marketing manager, non-lubricants, Valvoline. Vehicles manufactured from Asian-based firms make up one-third of Canada's passenger car and light truck market.

To meet the needs of this growing segment, Valvoline's Zerex Asian Vehicle Antifreeze/Coolant is specifically designed to meet the compatibility and chemical requirements of Asian vehicle manufacturers. These vehicles specify a silicate free HOAT formula with a phosphate additive to protect the cooling systems from rust and corrosion.

It is recommended for all Asian Vehicles (Toyota, Lexus, Scion, Honda, Acura, Nissan, Infiniti, Subaru, Mazda, Suzuki, Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Dae Woo and Daihatsu) and its meets or exceeds specifications for Hyundai/Kia MS 591-08, Mitsubishi ES-64217, JIS K 2234-1994, ASTM D3306, ASTM D4985, Ford WSS-M97B55-A, Federal Specification A-A-870A and is recommended for Toyota/Lexus, Scion, Honda/Acura, Nissan/Infiniti, Subaru, Mazda, Suzuki, Isuzu, Dae Woo and Daihatsu vehicles.
With this Zerex coolant, I will just drain and fill on the radiator without full flush cooling system. Also, the colors are the same, PINK :rolleyes:
 
#16 · (Edited)
I tried to drain radiator coolant and fill today,
but I could not find radiator fill cap like any other vehicles.

And I found the reservoir cap looks like special radiator cap.
written "Never open when hot" "108kPa" on it.

Do we use this reservoir cap to fill radiator?

My plan is to drain only 1 gallon from radiator into an empty 1 gallon container
and close drain plug
and put exact 1 gallon amount.
so that I don't need 2 gallons for 1.1 gallon drain
and keep 0.9 gallon for next use. How's that?
 
#17 ·
Do we use this reservoir cap to fill radiator?
Yes.

There is also a "Cylinder Block Drain Cock Plug" on the I-4 and two on the V6. I don't know if many people ever use those.

See http://share.qclt.com/%E4%B8%B0%E7%94%B0Toyota%20RAV4%20Repair%20Manual/2AZ-FE%20Cooling/Coolant/01600310.pdf for the 2AZ-FE engine and http://share.qclt.com/丰田Toyota RAV4 Repair Manual/2GR-FE Cooling/Coolant/01700310.pdf for the 2GR-FE V-6 engine.

(Oooh... I see one of the words that means a device (as a faucet or valve) for regulating the flow of a liquid got replaced by the same number of asterisks.)

Edit: I fixed the word in question and removed it from the censorship list. I figure if it's in the Toyota service manual, it's OK here. -Admin
 
#19 ·
Yep, that's the "radiator cap" even though it's not on the radiator. FYI, 108 kilopascals is equal to 15.6 psi.
 
#21 · (Edited)
2006 Rav4 2.4L I4 Coolant drain & fill

so I did coolant drain & fill.
for 2006 Rav4 2.4L I4. almost 6 years old, odo 68,000km.


I bought only 1 gallon(3.78L) of "Zerex Asian vehicle 50/50" from Walmart canada,
so I drained 1 gallon only from radiator drain,
not more from body drain.


What I did;
1. remove under plastic cover
2. Attach clear tube to the drain nipple, (Tube's ID=3/8"=0.375"=0.95cm)
Open reservoir cap, and Loosen(not detach) valve.
3. Close valve when it drained 3.78L
4. New fluid into reservoir cap. Slowly until to top level. And close the cap.
5. Start engine 2000~2500 rpm until radiator fan run.
squeeze upper and lower hoses several times.
Add 3.78L total if new fluid remains.


The drained Toyota SLLC(super long life coolant) fluid looks like good color
it is exactly the same color showed in the reservoir.

I'll do the same 1 gallon thing every 3 years.



My last picture's WS is actually typo, it's SLLC.
 

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#22 ·
just did this. Couldn't figure out why I couldn't get the last 1 quart in till I read this post. I got the v6 and I didn't need to remove anything. You can reach your arm down the side of the battery to turn the nozzle. Also the plastic skirt underneath has a flap that's held closed by a screw and clip. Just unscrew the screw from the clip to pop the flap open to allow you to reach up into the engine bay from below to attach a hose to the drain. The hardest part was feeling around trying to find the nozzle and drain.
 
#23 ·
I did a simple radiator drain and fill for the first time on my Rav this past weekend and my fluid was slightly darker, but not bad after 140k miles with moderate towing here and there. (V6 w/tow pkg)

Question: instead of trying to get to the engine block pet-cocks, can I just occasionally do a few radiator drain/fills for the next 10k miles to get virtually all of it exchanged? There didn't appear to be any sludge or material in the first ever draining.

I drained about 1.2 gallons by letting it drain by itself, then starting the engine for 10 seconds and let the rest of that drain out. I don't think starting the engine did much though, I only seemed to get a tiny bit more out of it, most likely the thermostatic valve was closed?

Anyhow, for future ease, I installed a piece of tubing from the pet-cock, zip tied it to the frame and cut a hole (2 cause I miss-estimated) in the bottom shield. Now I don't have to remove anything next time and can just reach up through the access flap to open the valve.

 
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