Why is my coolant green?

[dish-oh]

Hi guys,
I've owned my car for around 11 months now. Engine is a 1G-GE.

Around 1000-2000klms ago (probably abou 5 months?) I filled up the cooling system with around 3.5L of Toyota Red concentrate and the rest with water, looking into the radiator spout now it has a very distinct green tinge to it. Any ideas as to why this is so?



Backstory: When I bought it the cooling system was in dismal condition, radiator was quite clogged up, water was a rusty colour etc.I emptied it, bought a new radiator, radiator cap and thermostat, put them in then filled it with 100% water and drove around like that for a while to flush it, repeated this method of flushing a second time then filled it properly with T/R coolant.

I have never put any other coolant in it, nor has anyone else worked on the car while it has been in my posession. I suspect it is a chemical reaction of some sort, possibly because of the old internally crusty hoses that I haven't replaced yet?

Temperature wise it is great, sits rock solid at 1/2 way even after an hour on 110kph. Curiosity has just gotten the better of me...

Thanks for any clues as to why if anyone has any

Apologies for picture size, haven't reinstalled PS after reformat.

[maccac__1590]

still some coolant in heater core maybe? but if you drove around with water in there for a while i should have got most of it

[big_zop]

That is a strange one as mixed coolants tend to look like neither green or red.

Did you put the heater on hot when you bled the coolant after filling? Or the most likely source could be the overflow if that wasnt emptyied of the green coolant as when the coolant in the radiator cools, it will draw in from the overflow bottle from the little pipe attached to the cap neck and could explain why it looks a lot more green than some mixed combo of the two.

I never had any problems with my coolant staying red after i removed the green stuff.

[dish-oh]

Yeah had the heater on high for around 5 minutes each time I let the car idle after I initially topped it up with water and then also when I did the final fill with coolant and water.

Also once it got up to operating temperature I drove around with the heater on for a while prior to the last water+ coolant fill.

And on top of that, to my recollection I have never had the heater on when it has had the toyota red in it apart from the initial fill/ burp cycling so can't see how it would have come out then.

Overflow bottle was also completely removed, emptied and rinsed/ scrubbed thoroughly as I attempted to get the caked up scum out of it before filling it with clean water and coolant.

Even the water that was in the car prior to me even touching the cooling system when I bought it wasn't this green... although despite me not having any memory of it even having a tinge of green when I bought it, this picture from before I touched the cooling system seems to say otherwise...

[maccac__1590]

maybe the inside was stained green a bit and it leached out?

flush and replace if you worried, as long as its not a stupid color i wouldn't worry about it

[dish-oh]

Yeah something along those lines is my guess as well.
The inside of the top and bottom hoses were/ are shocking. When I squeezed them after I took them off, bits of scum (?) would fall out, but at $100 just for two hoses I'll try and just get some 90 degree bends and make my own for cheaper. I can only guess at what the engine internals look like... seems to sit at a steady temp though so nothing to worry about for now.

[dangdang]

I replaced mine with the Toyota red coolant (was the green stuff) and it is the same colour as yours now. I have heard it can take several flushes to get all the old stuff out. A bit of the green stuff left in their wont hurt though

[maccac__1590]

take your hoses into a radiator shop and they might be able to match you up with something close enough off another car for 1/5 the price, and maybe give some of that radiator flush stuff that you add in and run it for 10 mins or whatever the bottle recommends

[RiceburnaGTV]

Mate I sell an engine flush that will bring it all back to new. It takes 3hrs to do properly but its brilliant. I have enough left to do one car for $50 plus shipping if your interested.cheers nath.

[mookschank]

If you have some spare time disconnect the heater hoses and ram a garden hose up one of them and watch the sea of red (not toyota red stuff) fly out.....

[dish-oh]

Yeah I've seen you talking about that stuff Riceburna, might give it a go next time I flush it, still not sure though...

Also all three flushes I unplugged the heater hoses and pushed some water through the core (with the heater on).

I pretty much put the hose into any and every hole, forwards and backwards, blocked one end with my hand, filled it up then let it all run out. I was as thorough as one could be using only a garden hose, mind you it was water from a tank as opposed to mains so only had gravity to pressurise the hose.

[RiceburnaGTV]

Yeah I've seen you talking about that stuff Riceburna, might give it a go next time I flush it, still not sure though...

Also all three flushes I unplugged the heater hoses and pushed some water through the core (with the heater on).

I pretty much put the hose into any and every hole, forwards and backwards, blocked one end with my hand, filled it up then let it all run out. I was as thorough as one could be using only a garden hose, mind you it was water from a tank as opposed to mains so only had gravity to pressurise the hose.

yeah this is quote different to the stuff at repco its a 2 stage process and the second powder reacts with the first and dissolves all the krud.

Anyways if your car is keeping cool thats the main thing!

cheers
Nath

[TERRA Operative]

slightly ot, but riceburnagtv, I'm inteerested in up to possibly 3 lots of that stuff if you can supply.

[RiceburnaGTV]

slightly ot, but riceburnagtv, I'm inteerested in up to possibly 3 lots of that stuff if you can supply.

I can mate I have a shitload of the stuff, one batch will comfortably do 2 cars so just grab one fresh lot and the half I have left over. If your happy to take some befoe and after pics for my website i will chuck the half lot in for free. $100 Just chuck me a PM if you want to go ahead.

cheers
Nath

[abently]

I know some coolants are designed to go a different colour when they go acidic, maybe confirm this is not so with the Toyota type?