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Q: Mechanic told me my coolant is not circulating. How can I test and see if the coolant isn’t circulating?

asked by on January 23, 2018

My car was not overheating at all to my knowledge. After getting my battery changed the free inspection indicated I needed a coolant flush. A few weeks went by and I went to a shop to get a coolant flush. Well it turns out when they go to do the coolant flush they discover that coolant hasn’t been circulating. They are saying I need a new thermostat when I just replaced it in august. They say I need a new coolant sensor also and they’re charging me $165 total. I feel like they are just scamming me because they know I’m a college student. Is there anyway I can test this myself to see if coolant is circulating through the radiator or not?

My car has 113300 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Save Big on Auto Repairs Get a Quote

Hi Angelo. Thanks for contacting us tonight. This video is actually quite good at explaining how the coolant system works on your Toyota. One thing you can do to check for coolant flow is to wait for the cooling fan to turn on and carefully check the bottom radiator hose for pressure. You can feel the hose vibrating and increasing in temperature when it is flowing. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, you can have one of our mobile mechanics come to your location to help.

Toyota
2001
L4-2.2L
Solara
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