Toyota 121-Problem

[kala]

hi guys,

I recently bought a 121-X grade one(VVTI)& i m going to do my first service in next week..what i wanna know is,

1.what engine oil best for a 121(like mobile/caltex/etc)cos' i dont no wht used by previous owner

2.Previous owner has used water in Reditor bt i pefer replacing coolent at the service.is it ok?

Pls educate me lads!!!

[rover]

hi guys,

I recently bought a 121-X grade one(VVTI)& i m going to do my first service in next week..what i wanna know is,

1.what engine oil best for a 121(like mobile/caltex/etc)cos' i dont no wht used by previous owner

2.Previous owner has used water in Reditor bt i pefer replacing coolent at the service.is it ok?

Pls educate me lads!!!

You should'nt have bought it from an idiot in the first place.

[AbeysinghE]

hi guys,

I recently bought a 121-X grade one(VVTI)& i m going to do my first service in next week..what i wanna know is,

1.what engine oil best for a 121(like mobile/caltex/etc)cos' i dont no wht used by previous owner

2.Previous owner has used water in Reditor bt i pefer replacing coolent at the service.is it ok?

Pls educate me lads!!!

1.Use Toyota engine oil specially designed for Toyotas..Mobil caltex also not bad either.

2.Is the radiator in good condition?..it's always advisable to use coolent..What previous owner did is completely wrong.

[nexus]

hi guys,

I recently bought a 121-X grade one(VVTI)& i m going to do my first service in next week..what i wanna know is,

1.what engine oil best for a 121(like mobile/caltex/etc)cos' i dont no wht used by previous owner

2.Previous owner has used water in Reditor bt i pefer replacing coolent at the service.is it ok?

Pls educate me lads!!!

1 mobile engine oil or toyota engine oil would be fine

2it's ok to use coolant but remember to go for a good brand like wurth

[Sifaan]

2.Previous owner has used water in Reditor bt i pefer replacing coolent at the service.is it ok?

sometimes people use water instead of coolant when they have a leak in the radiator or coolant system (esp. if they plan to sell the car ) so better to make sure there's no leak before you spend on coolant.

[liyan]

Toyota oil could be the best but mobil with my experience is a really good and you can run abt 4000km. BP may be the next choice. (There is another choice. That is to use cheap lanka oil and renew after abt 1500kms.)

You should use a coolant for your radiator. Flushing the radiator sometimes might give you unnecessary problems.

[SpeedyAsA]

hi guys,

I recently bought a 121-X grade one(VVTI)& i m going to do my first service in next week..what i wanna know is,

1.what engine oil best for a 121(like mobile/caltex/etc)cos' i dont no wht used by previous owner

2.Previous owner has used water in Reditor bt i pefer replacing coolent at the service.is it ok?

Pls educate me lads!!!

Try with Toyota engine oil. What is the clock value? Coz, I've heard that Toyota Engine oil is thinner than the normal SAE 30. So it will depend on the usage of the engine. Or else, you can use Mobil/Caltex.

On the radiator, it is better to check it before replacing water with coolant for leakages. Ask from the previous owner of why he replaced them(had to replace to radiator/did any repairs on it) Anyway it is always better to use coolant than water.

[yaeesh]

hi guys,

I recently bought a 121-X grade one(VVTI)& i m going to do my first service in next week..what i wanna know is,

1.what engine oil best for a 121(like mobile/caltex/etc)cos' i dont no wht used by previous owner

2.Previous owner has used water in Reditor bt i pefer replacing coolent at the service.is it ok?

Pls educate me lads!!!

Hey bro? )From my personal view best engine oil for the 121 X would be the toyota oil. Well for my 122 luxel(1.8) i am using WURTH coolant and i have no problems with it. Toyota oil with thicknesss (10W 30) is perfect for 1300 cc and 1500 cc toyota engines).

[Romel]

You should'nt have bought it from an idiot in the first place.

100% correct!

[The Don]

hi guys,

I recently bought a 121-X grade one(VVTI)& i m going to do my first service in next week..what i wanna know is,

1.what engine oil best for a 121(like mobile/caltex/etc)cos' i dont no wht used by previous owner

2.Previous owner has used water in Reditor bt i pefer replacing coolent at the service.is it ok?

Pls educate me lads!!!

1. There is no such thing as "the best engine oil" for a particular car. Use a reputed brand (Toyota original, Mobil, Castrol, BP, Shell Helix etc) and use the correct grading for your car (probably 10W30 or 15W30, you don't need 5W30 in the Sri Lankan climate but check the manual or check with the agents). What is important is the correct grading and not the brand (just because an oil is branded Toyota doesn't mean it works for every Toyota engine so you need to make sure you get the correct grading of oil).

2. Coolant will reduce oxidisation and help your radiator last a bit longer. You get two types of coolant. The ones you mix with water and ones you use without mixing (like BP coolant). Both are ok, but make sure you drain all the water from the cooling system and if you notice oxidisation get your radiator cleaned up before adding coolant (+water depending on your choice).

[The Don]

You should'nt have bought it from an idiot in the first place.

Rover, water has been used in radiators for over a century now . That does not make the previous owner an idiot. Coolant only became widely used in SL quite recently. It is not as big a problem as some people would make it out to be.

This is a bit like attacking somebody for using mineral oil instead of synthetic oil.

[Schiffer]

Rover, water has been used in radiators for over a century now . That does not make the previous owner an idiot. Coolant only became widely used in SL quite recently. It is not as big a problem as some people would make it out to be.

This is a bit like attacking somebody for using mineral oil instead of synthetic oil.

i agree with that.. there are some car owners i know who doesnt know the importants of or use coolent.. but still

they love there cars and care for them and they havent had big issue's still either

[jdnet]

Rover, water has been used in radiators for over a century now . That does not make the previous owner an idiot. Coolant only became widely used in SL quite recently. It is not as big a problem as some people would make it out to be.

This is a bit like attacking somebody for using mineral oil instead of synthetic oil.

Shhhhhhhhh the hybrid boys think cars always had pink, red and purple fluids in the engine bay.

[kala]

Thanx guys 4 all ur comments.i think i was in a wrong mind that coolent comes in only green color.(cos' i used green color coolent for my previous vehilce ).here in 121 it seems brownish red with oily look.i think its a another kind of coolent.am i correct???

[The Don]

Thanx guys 4 all ur comments.i think i was in a wrong mind that coolent comes in only green color.(cos' i used green color coolent for my previous vehilce ).here in 121 it seems brownish red with oily look.i think its a another kind of coolent.am i correct???

Manufacturers make it and various different colours. To be honest the colour is completely irrelevant to performance and probably is a dye

[jdnet]

Manufacturers make it and various different colours. To be honest the colour is completely irrelevant to performance and probably is a dye

but it does act as a warning doesn't it? for example: Chrysler long life coolant came in red and green. With the green stuff, you could use any all makes/models coolant and you would be fine. With the red stuff you had to make sure you put in the same kind unless you flushed the system.

[miniace]

Rover, water has been used in radiators for over a century now . That does not make the previous owner an idiot. Coolant only became widely used in SL quite recently. It is not as big a problem as some people would make it out to be.

This is a bit like attacking somebody for using mineral oil instead of synthetic oil.

Totally agree with you mate!

Don has given the best answer for the thread..thats my opinion about the inq too.

Some guys are so hilarious here..good fun

Water found in radiator instead of coolants = Idiotic car owner....grow up children

MINIACE

[rover]

Rover, water has been used in radiators for over a century now . That does not make the previous owner an idiot. Coolant only became widely used in SL quite recently. It is not as big a problem as some people would make it out to be.

This is a bit like attacking somebody for using mineral oil instead of synthetic oil.

Ordinary tap water contains salts.This causes scale formation on the cooling space walls at high temperatures and reduce heat transfer leading to failure of components. Am I wrong?. If distilled water is used this can be avoided upto a certain level.

[Schiffer]

Ordinary tap water contains salts.This causes scale formation on the cooling space walls at high temperatures and reduce heat transfer leading to failure of components. Am I wrong?. If distilled water is used this can be avoided upto a certain level.

so all the cars on the road who only uses water break down every time or overheat??

mate..

we used a Lancer C11 for 25 years.. we used water most of the time

we Never had temperature problems or what so ever.. just once in a a while we used coolant

and for the 25 years we used it.. we never changed the radiator as well..

and before this.. my grandpa had a Austin Cambridge, which he used for 18 years.. He Never used coolant, and didn't gave much trouble as well.

using coolant isn't a must..

so people who doesn't use coolant aren't Total Idiots..

[The Don]

Ordinary tap water contains salts.This causes scale formation on the cooling space walls at high temperatures and reduce heat transfer leading to failure of components. Am I wrong?. If distilled water is used this can be avoided upto a certain level.

You are correct Rover, but for this to have a significant effect takes quite a long time (20+ years). The problem is a bit worse if your vehicle is not being used as it allows the contaminants to settle. In vehicles which run regularly the impact is a lot less.

It must also be pointed out that scaling and oxidisation still happens even when coolant is used, just that it is slowed down. Remember most coolant is water based or mixed with water and still reacts with copper or aluminium in the radiator or pipes.

Edited June 23, 2011 by The Don

[rover]

so all the cars on the road who only uses water break down every time or overheat??

mate..

we used a Lancer C11 for 25 years.. we used water most of the time

we Never had temperature problems or what so ever.. just once in a a while we used coolant

and for the 25 years we used it.. we never changed the radiator as well..

and before this.. my grandpa had a Austin Cambridge, which he used for 18 years.. He Never used coolant, and didn't gave much trouble as well.

using coolant isn't a must..

so people who doesn't use coolant aren't Total Idiots..

You are right Schiffer, but modern day engines maintain a higher coolant temperature (In Nissan it's 95C)to increase engine efficiency. So they are more prone for scaling if tap water is used.And the salt content of water is significantly higher in some areas.

I think Don can give a better explanation on this.

[Sifaan]

You are right Schiffer, but modern day engines maintain a higher coolant temperature (In Nissan it's 95C)to increase engine efficiency. So they are more prone for scaling if tap water is used.And the salt content of water is significantly higher in some areas.

I think Don can give a better explanation on this.

why does a higher coolant temperature mean more scaling? it would if the coolant was evaporating (but that means your coolant lines are leaking) but otherwise salts have higher solubility at higher temperatures so scaling should be less of an issue??

and doesn't the temperature go over 100? my radiator cap is 1.4 bar and what's the point of all that pressure if not to raise the boiling point?

[rover]

why does a higher coolant temperature mean more scaling? it would if the coolant was evaporating (but that means your coolant lines are leaking) but otherwise salts have higher solubility at higher temperatures so scaling should be less of an issue??

and doesn't the temperature go over 100? my radiator cap is 1.4 bar and what's the point of all that pressure if not to raise the boiling point?

Afaik Calcium carbonate and Magnesium Silicate are two salts which cause scaling at higher temperature, They are present in what we call hard water.And there are other salts which stays disolved in water.They don't cause scaling. And as you said scaling will be increased if there are leaks.

And about the coolant temperature going more than 100 that I really don't know.

[jdnet]

and doesn't the temperature go over 100? my radiator cap is 1.4 bar and what's the point of all that pressure if not to raise the boiling point?

That is does. Here's an easy test.

If you have a pressurized resevoir or a cap at the radiator, try running the car with the cap off or not tightened. After a few KMs you will definitely see it boil.

[The Don]

I think we should bring this debate to a conclusion, since all facts that need to be discussed have been discussed and agreed on.

Rover, you are correct, some areas in SL does have "hard water" and they will scale more than other areas with less calcium and magnesium minerals. This is even true when it comes to our kettles. But remember water in the radiator is always moving as the water pump pumps the water around. This in a sense stops these silicates from settling, hence why Sri Lankans haven't had major problems using standard tap water in the radiators. But of course over time it will slowly settle and cause blockages but this takes quite a long time.

Also particularly when you use coolant diluted with water this problem doesn't completely go away (because the water might be high in afore mentioned compounds). Using pre mixed coolant would be better but much will depend on the quality of water used there.

So using good quality coolant results in a number of benefits which include, slowing down corrosion within the coolant system, higher boiling point etc. But I think we have to accept that using 100% water in your radiator is perfectly safe and adequate for most cars (to be honest I'm yet to come across one where this does not hold true).