Cruiser Coolant

[Great Outdoors]

Hi all,
Just looking for some advice : I drive a 1998 3.0L Prado 95 (it's a 5 door), basically the coolant in the rad. is just plain tap water which I have to drain out and replace with correct coolant/anti freeze. There is no bung/tap on the rad. to drain the system so it seems that I'll have to take the lower hose off the rad.
To do this do I have to strip off the engine ''sump protection plate'' or is there an easier way to drain the system. Just wondering is there a plug on the engine block somewhere that's easily accessible ? There's no owners manual with the vehicle and this is my first Cruiser so I'm on a learning curve, I find this Forum very helpful and informative.
Also can I ask how often should the oil in the transmissions & gearbox be changed and what's the recommended oils.

Thanks all.

 

[silvercruiser]

there is a drain tap on the bottom of the rad its normally a white nylon winged head. its better to get the sump guard out of the way to make access easier.
The drain tap is on the bottom left if looking over from the top of the engine bay.

 

[silvercruiser]

the oils i change every year, buts thats just me. is it auto or manual?

 

[Beau]

Like mentioned above there's a white butterfly looking head that unscrews (by hand). It is accessible without the removal of the lower skid plate if your hands are narrow enough. Toyota's Coolant is probably the best quality and is designed for these engines but regular coolant will of course work as well, depends on how much you'll like to spend really.

The transmission uses Dextron 3 (I think). A regular drain will only see about 5-6 litres out as the torque converter holds a good amount. If you have the engine manual it specifies oil type and quantity amount. How often you change it depends on what you use the truck for. If you off road, push the car and tow loads then you'll be changing the fluids more often as the oil will degrade quicker through the heat cycles it goes through. However if you use the truck like most regular people then it can go a very long time without the need to change. I do mine every 50,000 miles or so. Usually you can tell the condition of the fluid from the Dipstick and the colour. It should be a nice red colour, not dark, brown or burnt.

 

[Great Outdoors]

the oils i change every year, buts thats just me. is it auto or manual?

Thanks all for replies. L.C. is manual with 204,000 miles , is not used off road.

 

[BobMurphy]

Thanks all for replies. L.C. is manual with 204,000 miles , is not used off road.

In that case your Gearbox will need the same oil as the Transfer Box and the front and rear axles - a decent 'Extreme Pressure' (EP) such as EP80W90 or straight EP90.

I change mine annually (e.g. ta around 2,500 miles) but mine is used for heavy towing.

Bob.