Coolant - expansion tank low but rad full?

[Chris Wilson]

As long as its red Pete it will be ok to use! the colour just destinguishes the properties in the coolant, does'nt have to be toyota based either so long as its red

 

Sorry, that's rubbish The red dye just shows when the coolant has become acidic. ANY Ethylene Glycol based antifreeze is fine, blue, green, or sky blue pink, it matters not. IMO only pay for Forlife if you like gimmicks and have too much money to spend

[imi]

ANY Ethylene Glycol based antifreeze is fine, blue, green, or sky blue pink, it matters not. IMO only pay for Forlife if you like gimmicks and have too much money to spend

 

Thx Chris.....needed that confirmation.

[imi]

BTW: Whats the issue with topping up the Rad with Normal Tap Water.....how bad is it??

[mikeyb10supra]

Sorry, that's rubbish The red dye just shows when the coolant has become acidic. ANY Ethylene Glycol based antifreeze is fine, blue, green, or sky blue pink, it matters not. IMO only pay for Forlife if you like gimmicks and have too much money to spend

 

Does that not mean then that what your putting in your rad is acidic to start with then Chris??

 

Some interesting reading

 

First of all, forget coolant color; it's just a dye and means

nothing. GM and Texaco, which codeveloped the Dex-Cool

brand of OAT antifreeze for late-model GM vehicles, picked

orange to distinguish this type of antifreeze from conventional

American coolant, which is green or gold. Volkswagen, which

also uses an OAT formulation as mentioned earlier, has a

similar dye that most of us think is pink. Toyota's traditional

red dye is a totally different product. Although the orange

coolant in Chrysler L/H models contains OAT, it's a custom

hybrid, with Chrysler specifically forbidding the use of

Dex-Cool in these cars. It would have been better if Chrysler

had used some other dye color.

 

 

What kinds of coolants are out there? Aside from the limited

sale of propylene glycol to environmentalists, it's ethylene

glycol... about 93% ethylene glycol, that is, plus water and

specific rust and corrosion inhibitors. Here's a rundown:

 

 

Conventional American coolant (green or gold) contains

silicates (a long-used aluminum corrosion inhibitor) and other

inhibitors. Silicates work quickly to protect aluminum, but also

are depleted relatively quickly in service. They're also

somewhat abrasive (being based on silicon-sand), so they've

been implicated in water pump seal wear. Advocates say

tests show silicates last longer than was commonly believed.

And with the latest seal materials, they actually do a better

job of protecting the water pump, because they both resist

cavitation erosion-corrosion and "repair" any that occurs.

 

 

OAT coolant (orange or pink) contains no silicates and no

phosphates. It's a blend of two or more organic acids, a

specific class of inhibitors with slow-acting, long-life

properties. Texaco's Havoline Dex-Cool (also sold under the

Goodwrench label by GM) was the first example. Prestone

and Peak also have introduced OAT coolants that are

chemically compatible with Dex-Cool.

 

 

Conventional Japanese coolant (green or red) contains no

silicates, but has a heavy dose of phosphates and other

inhibitors, including a modest amount of one or two organic

acids.

 

 

Conventional European coolant (blue or yellow) contains a

low dose of silicates and no phosphates, but does include

other inhibitors, including one organic acid.

 

 

Hybrid European coolant (blue or green) is similar to

conventional European, but with a much greater dose of

organic acids. It's a balanced formula designed to have the

silicates provide the primary protection for the aluminum,

then allow the organic acids to provide long-term protection.

 

 

Hybrid American coolant (green or orange) contains a

moderate dose of silicates, plus a blend of organic acids

[JohnA]

BTW: Whats the issue with topping up the Rad with Normal Tap Water.....how bad is it??

It depends where you live.

In the southeast it can be pretty bad, it's full of scale for one!

[stevie_b]

BTW: Whats the issue with topping up the Rad with Normal Tap Water.....how bad is it??

 

You'll get limescale build-up in your coolant system, which can potentially block up very small waterways (e.g. in the radiator). How long before it causes a problem? As JohnA said, it depends where you live. But you can avoid the problem by using distilled water which won't cause limescale at all.