2003 Highlander ... missing hose?

[thejon]

I was under my wife's 2003 Toyota highlander V6 FWD and noticed this. Directly under the car, around the middle. What is this part (circled in red) and should there be a hose or something attached (vacuum? Breather/vent?) Chat gpt said something about a breather on 4wd models but who knows...

 

[KrisZ]

Can’t be a breather as these things are on the top, not the bottom.

I used Google reverse image search and it seems some models have an EGR cooler there and that may simply be a coolant drain pipe.

https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/1mz-fe-anyone-know-what-is-behind-this-plate.1668413/

 

[D60]

Visually, looks like a drain petcock

Not familiar with the exact application, however

 

[zzyzzx]

That would be a weird place to put a vacuum hose, if that is what you were thinking it was for.

 

[thejon]

Ok cool... So nothing needs to be hooked up to it?

 

[thejon]

Can’t be a breather as these things are on the top, not the bottom.

I used Google reverse image search and it seems some models have an EGR cooler there and that may simply be a coolant drain pipe.

https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/1mz-fe-anyone-know-what-is-behind-this-plate.1668413/

View attachment 332920

The photo I uploaded and the photo in the Toyota Nation link you posted looks pretty much identical. So it seems like it's safe to say this is just a drain plug to drain coolant from the engine... It's not missing a hose or anything like that, correct?

 

[KrisZ]

The photo I uploaded and the photo in the Toyota Nation link you posted looks pretty much identical. So it seems like it's safe to say this is just a drain plug to drain coolant from the engine... It's not missing a hose or anything like that, correct?

It appears so because even in the image I provided with the EGR cooler, that nipple doesn't have anything hooked up to it.

 

[bdc101]

The photo I uploaded and the photo in the Toyota Nation link you posted looks pretty much identical. So it seems like it's safe to say this is just a drain plug to drain coolant from the engine... It's not missing a hose or anything like that, correct?

That was my first guess -- the place that allows you to fully drain coolant out of the block.

If you want to know for sure, just back out that bolt and see if coolant comes out Might be a bit of a hassle to get it back in, though...