coolant/ATF change

[vibe-a-licious]

Hi allI'm planning to give the Vibe a "day at the spa" this weekend. Currently at about 140,000Kms (88,000Miles) and since I'm the second owner I'm not sure when/if the coolant and ATF has ever been changed.The local Toyota shop charges $89 for each of these services, but I'd rather do it myself.According to the manual ATF capacity is 2.9L(3.1qts) at $7.90/L.The coolant capacity shows 6.5L and is $19/gallon (3.78L).My question is regarding the coolant: does the capacity listed in the manual include having the overflow resevoir filled to the correct level? Does anyone here know if 2 gallons(1 coolant & 1 water to make 50/50) will be enough to do the job, or will more coolant be required?I'm fairly certain that it will be enough, but since the local dealer parts depts are closed on weekend's, I want to make sure I have all the required materials on hand.Thanks

[sideshowalan]

1 Gallon of unmixed toyota long life coolant is enough to do the whole system. ATF change is just a straight drain/fill, nothing special needed.There are many ways to do the coolant but here's what I did.-Drain the radiator using the petcock valve.-Refill with Distilled water-Leave the rad cap off, run engine with heater on full blast.-Turn car off when the thermostat opens up. You'll be able to feel water flowing through both hoses.-Drain again from the radiator-Repeat several (3 or 4) times until the water is as clear as you want it to be.-Refill radiator and overflow tank w/ your 50/50 mix.-Run engine like above while squeezing both radiator hoses to burp the system. May take a while to get all the air out. Top off coolant as needed.-Put the radiator cap back on, check the levels daily for a week and refill as needed.Some people will run a garden hose through it, or drain the engine block. But this worked for me. Also the old coolant can be flushed down the toilet or kitchen sink. It's not toxic enough to take back to the auto store, but dogs/cats will be attracted if you dump it outside.

[sbzero]

edit: nevermind, I can't read.

[Water boy]

Quote, originally posted by sideshowalan »1 Gallon of unmixed toyota long life coolant is enough to do the whole system. ATF change is just a straight drain/fill, nothing special needed.There are many ways to do the coolant but here's what I did.-Drain the radiator using the petcock valve.-Refill with Distilled water-Leave the rad cap off, run engine with heater on full blast.-Turn car off when the thermostat opens up. You'll be able to feel water flowing through both hoses.-Drain again from the radiator-Repeat several (3 or 4) times until the water is as clear as you want it to be.-Refill radiator and overflow tank w/ your 50/50 mix.-Run engine like above while squeezing both radiator hoses to burp the system. May take a while to get all the air out. Top off coolant as needed.-Put the radiator cap back on, check the levels daily for a week and refill as needed.Some people will run a garden hose through it, or drain the engine block. But this worked for me. Also the old coolant can be flushed down the toilet or kitchen sink. It's not toxic enough to take back to the auto store, but dogs/cats will be attracted if you dump it outside.If you have left water in the system you need to calculate the cooling system capacity and add the non-diluted coolant to reach the degree of protection you want. THEN top off with plain water.When adding coolant that is already mixed to the cooling system that has water left over, you are diluting the mix even more.