Toyota L/Cruiser Coolant problem?

[2scoops0406]

Morning all,

The wife returned from the shops today in the tank, upon moving it later on, we noticed a smallish puddle of brick red oily stuff.

Upon inspection, the radiator expansion tank is full of this brick red / pinky oily muck, as is the radiator Anybody any idea what on earth is going on ??

TIA

E.

Update, The gears now seem reluctant to engage (it's an automatic) and after they do engage it has practically no power.


Oh apparently L/Cruiser coolant is pink, but obviously something else is up. Flippin' heck this is gonna cost arrrgh, they're supposed to be bullet proof.

 

[libby lou lou]

Top of my head, gearbox leak.

 

[mattysupra]

sounds like auto trans fluid (gearbox oil) Its the same stuff in your power steering pot to and yes toyota use a red long life anti freeze in the coolant bottle. Try topping up the autobox and see where its leeking from.

 

[2scoops0406]

Well, apparently it could be that the gear box oil cooler matrix (cooled by the primary coolant system) could have failed, causing coolant to get into the gearbox, which may mean a new gearbox which is about £2500, which I can't afford, bu**er it!

 

[mattysupra]

auto box cooler may well be leaking but the coolant and oil are not mixing! The coolant bottle would have brown creamy stuff coming out, i would guess at a leaking sump, or pipes or at the worse the seal between torque convertor and gearbox drive. Maximum would be about 400 quid i would of thought.

 

[2scoops0406]

Yep, its a leaking / broken cooler matrix, best case new matrix, flush, refill, worst case new g/box ~ £2k, nuts!

 

[Watchmaker]

Unless you are doing lots of off road motoring, you can, temporarily, bypass the autobox oil cooler matrix as, in normal motoring, the auto fluid is unlikely to get too hot. If this matrix is built into the main radiator, a new or recon rad will eventually be required. It is unlikely that much coolant has got into the autobox system but, a change of fluid (although you can't drain the torque converter) will help. Keeping your eye on the gearbox temperature warning light will help also.

 

[2scoops0406]

Well, I'm afraid the coolant / gearbox oil had mixed right royally. Fortunately, the gearbox was undamaged, so new rad (well matrix really), tons of cleaning fluids, gunk of all grades and it's back. £590. Better than a new GB though.

Bl00dy thing.