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2003 IS300 Radiator Flush

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Old 09-21-18, 05:55 PM
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johnd311
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Default 2003 IS300 Radiator Flush

Hey guys and gals,

I just did a radiator flush for the first time, and I wrote down all of the steps I followed fairly carefully, so I thought I would share them here, as they are are compilation of things I gathered from this forum as well as from a few videos on social media. There are a few pretty good guides on here already, but I wanted to try and tighten things up in a format that I hope is easy to follow.

Here's a link if you want some visuals

Here is a description of the steps involved with this process:
1. The vehicle should be allowed to cool for at least 2 hours to be safe. I allowed mine to cool overnight after picking up the supplies I needed (1 US gallon (128 ounces, concentrated, $32 at my local Toyota dealership) of Toyota Red Long Life Antifreeze, 3 feet of vinyl or other stretching polymer tubing, 2x 2.5 Gallon containers of distilled water, metric socket wrench kit with short extension, drain pan).
2. Remove the splash guard (approximately 14 bolts) as well as the mid portion of the air intake (as shown in the video). These steps allow you to place your drain pan in more convenient locations, and also make it easier for you to access the engine core drain plug in step 4.
3. Place a drain pan beneath the radiator and open the pitcock to release the fluid in the radiator. I recommend not removing the pitcock entirely, as if you do, the fluid will come out very quickly, and it is hard to contain.
4. Connect one end of your 3/8 inch tubing to the drain spigot beneath the exhaust manifold (location shown in the video) and snake the other end of the tube downward into a drain pan which can handle at least two quarts. Use a socket wrench with a small extender (and some dexterity) to sufficiently loosen the 14 mm bolt just above the spigot to allow the engine core fluids to drain. Wait until the fluid has drained completely, and then tighten the 14 mm bolt above the engine core drain plug. Remove the 3/8 inch tubing from the drain spigot and save it for future engine core drainage.
5. Fill the radiator with as much distilled water as it will handle. I filled with approximately 1.8 gallons of distilled water in the video. Do not use tap water, as mineral deposits which form with tap water usage can be harmful and shorten the life of certain parts of your cooling system. Also be sure to fill the reservoir tank up to the cold fill line, which you can see on the back of the reservoir receptacle. Replace the portion of the air intake that you removed in step 2.
6. Start the vehicle, and turn on the heat inside of the cabin to the maximum level. Let the car run for about 10 minutes, and then shut the engine off after the temperature gauge reaches the typical warm engine temperature after the car has been running a short while.
7. Allow the vehicle to cool sufficiently (I recommend a few hours, to be safe). Place a pan beneath the radiator, and drain the radiator by opening the pitcock just as you did in step 3. Remove the mid portion of the air intake (the same piece shown in the video). Replace the 3/8 tubing in the same location on the engine core drain plug and loosen the 14 mm bolt to allow the engine core fluid to drain into your pan. Tighten the 14 mm bolt after the engine core is done draining, and remove the 3/8 inch tubing.
8. If you are using Toyota Red Long Life, add the full gallon (128 ounces, US) to the system via the reservoir and the radiator. Then add as much distilled water as the radiator will handle until it begins to overflow. Also fill the reservoir to the cold fill line. Do not exceed the fill line on the reservoir.
9. Start the engine. In order to move pockets of air that may be present in the cooling system, burp the engine by squeezing the tubing running from the engine to the radiator while being careful not to place any of your digits or your hands in harm’s way (the fan is nearby). When you notice that squeezing the tubing does not cause the liquid level in the radiator to fall, you should be finished burping.
10. Cap the radiator and the overflow reservoir and drive the vehicle for a short distance. Allow the engine to cool for a few hours again, and check your fluid levels.

Here are some mistakes I made that I hope you will not duplicate, and can instead learn from:
1. I left the 3/8 tubing connected to the engine core drain spigot when I started the car after filling the radiator and reservoir with distilled water for the flush. This promptly caused a portion of the tube to melt on the exhaust manifold, resulting in a very interesting smell.
2. My radiator cap, which had not been replaced since I bought the car in 2005, fell apart, and the spring from the cap fell into the radiator, forcing me to fish it out with some needle nose pliers.

Last edited by johnd311; 09-21-18 at 09:15 PM.
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