Murky/Oily Coolant

[Bananamkv]

Hey guys,

looking for some advice or if anybody has any experience with their lower coolant reservoir looking a lot more murky and brown than the upper reservoir for their coolant. It’s 21 3.0 automatic (obviously), 32k miles. I’m led to believe the upper is intercooler and lower is engine and water pump. Not sure how correct that is. Upper reservoir is bright green and looks very normal for what I am used to seeing on my other vehicles. Lower just looks very dirty and a tad low. I contacted Toyota and showed the tech the same photos and he said that it is normal and just needs to be topped off. Does anybody else have coolant looking like this? Doesn’t sit right with me that this is normal. Doesn’t run weird at all. Temp seems normal. No dash lights or warnings. No codes.

Possible oil housing issue? Blown head gasket? That’s all I could think of.

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[ShakaDaKine]

Looks like corrosion to me...can see what appears to be rust particles collecting on top of the level indicator. Is this the original fill from the factory...never topped off?

 

[itzTang]

someone mixed coolant color lol

 

[SlowFreddy]

Possible oil housing issue? Blown head gasket? That’s all I could think of.

From my experience with blown head gaskets, it doesn't look like it in your case. I suspect it's a corrosion issue (usually blown gasket has an emulsified appearance).

They should both be green as they use the same coolant type i.e. Frostox HT-12. If your car still under warranty, I would demand your Toyota dealer to to perform a flush and clean, then refill (make sure they don't just flush and refill, there are products that will clean the internals in preparation for a refill).

 

[Bananamkv]

Looks like corrosion to me...can see what appears to be rust particles collecting on top of the level indicator. Is this the original fill from the factory...never topped off?

Original. Never changed or topped off. Tech told me toyota says coolant is lifetime. Never to change

 

[Bananamkv]

From my experience with blown head gaskets, it doesn't look like it in your case. I suspect it's a corrosion issue (usually blown gasket has an emulsified appearance).

They should both be green as they use the same coolant type i.e. Frostox HT-12. If your car still under warranty, I would demand your Toyota dealer to to perform a flush and clean, then refill (make sure they don't just flush and refill, there are products that will clean the internals in preparation for a refill).

Unfortunately I’m over 3 years but 34k miles. Sad. Guess I’m eating this out of pocket for a flush clean and refill

 

[Fuji808]

it's easy and it ain't gonna cost much.
all you need is a gallon of HT-12, distilled water, and cleaner (if you really need to).
disconnect the lower hose in front of the driver's wheel well to drain the lower tank.
you'll need to bleed the cooling system once you've replaced the antifreeze.

 

[SlowFreddy]

Original. Never changed or topped off. Tech told me toyota says coolant is lifetime. Never to change

The Toyota tech is full of shit, coolant needs to be changed just like most fluids in an automobile. The Car Care Nut youtube channel has much to say about this topic, watch this video

 

[SlowFreddy]

Unfortunately I’m over 3 years but 34k miles. Sad. Guess I’m eating this out of pocket for a flush clean and refill

Here is a way to diagnose a blown head gasket, in case you want to be sure:

 

[Evolution]

Unfortunately I’m over 3 years but 34k miles. Sad. Guess I’m eating this out of pocket for a flush clean and refill

Why? Powertrain warranty is 5 year 60k. Any part of the engine is considered powertrain.

 

[jchadwell]

Why? Powertrain warranty is 5 year 60k. Any part of the engine is considered powertrain.

Radiator is part of the engine?

 

[Evolution]

Radiator is part of the engine?

Radiator is in the grey area. If it was damaged due to the engine, then it would be covered. Say it cracked on its own, then no. But if all he is looking to do is get the coolant flushed, then he should be covered.

 

[jchadwell]

Radiator is in the grey area. If it was damaged due to the engine, then it would be covered. Say it cracked on its own, then no. But if all he is looking to do is get the coolant flushed, then he should be covered.

Might want to read your warranty booklet…

 

[Evolution]

Might want to read your warranty booklet…

Nah. My car will never go to the dealer. What’s left of my warranty is up in a year anyways. I’m not worried.

 

[J29DB03]

Might want to read your warranty booklet…

There's a warranty booklet???

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