Types of coolant

[mckrishes]

I have a 2005 Toyota sienna xle with the 3.3 Liter v-6 engine. I was wondering if there was a difference between Toyota long life coolant and Toyota super long life coolant. I know that the long life coolant is concentrated and that water must be added. The super long life coolant is premixed 50/50. My owners manual says to use super long life coolant. The parts guy at the Toyota dealership says they are both the same and that the only difference was that the long life coolant is concentrated whereas the super long life is premixed. Coming from the dealer itself I would give them the benefit of the doubt, but I was wondering what everyone else thought.

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[Flemming Jacobsen]

As far as coolant go I go with the ratings the manual suggests and make sure I get the right kind since there are coolants specifically to cast iron blocks and aluminium blocks.

[Dave]

I agree about going with what the manual states, but I would also agree with the dealer that there is no real important difference between them. The worst one I have seen is Honda with their washer fluid blue coolant, come on I wonder how often that caused major confusion for non Honda techs and do it yourself people.

[mckrishes]

Thank you for the replies. The manual says to use super long life coolant or equivalent. Long life coolant is concentrated. Super long life coolant is pre-mixed. I would imagine they are the same or pretty close. I took a look at the cooling system and there is red coolant in there, so I would like to use the same type if possible. I am reluctant to mix different brands of coolant (although I don’t necessarily believe that it would hurt). Now that I think about it, there is no way to tell what type of coolant is in my vehicle since both are red. I’ve tried doing some research online, but there are mixed reviews on this topic. I am going to use the long life coolant for now. I sent an e-mail in to Toyota to see if they can give me some info on this topic. I will be awaiting their response.

[mckrishes]

I just found some useful information. According to Toyota’s website, the long life coolant is compatible with the super long life coolant. I believe the intervals are different though. I looked at a 2003 sienna that uses long life coolant, and it calls for replacement every 30,000 miles. I looked at the service interval for a 2004 sienna that uses super long life coolant, and the first change is at 100,000 miles and then every 50,000 miles after that. I wonder why you wait 100,000 miles and then start changing every 50,000 miles afterwards. That’s interesting.

[Author]

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