General Engine Coolant

[moschino02]

Just a quick one. Just noticed today that the engine coolant level was bordering around the low indicator

Not sure whether to top it up with clean tap water or to buy coolant?

which one would you recommend? brands? 50/50 mix etc

Currently have green/blue coloured coolant should i stay away from the pink stuff then? and also would i need to drain the coolant completely before the new one in?

i apologise for the silly questions, i have used the search function..

New to this Great forum.Been lurking around for some time now.
Thanks.

 

[vladof]

In any case DO NOT put water inside the tank. Buy coolant from the dealers, I believe you can mix it with the old one without any side effects. I would go for whatever is written on the cap, I think it's Paraflu something.

Plain water is full of minerals and corrosives that could damage the hoses or attack the walls of the radiator.

 

[Morty Mort]

50/50 mix is alright. If you have blue, top up with blue. How long has your coolant been in the system?

 

[neonglow]

My dad drove a Renault 21 ('86) with tap water for about 15 years, put in some antifreeze in winter (he's a chemical engineer and he produced it in the factory he worked in) the radiator was leaking and the car constantly overheated... never changed the water pump. The car is still running I have it in a garage i my home It had around 450 000 km on the clock... when the dash died and it was then driven for about 5 more years... untill he got a brand new Corrola... you're being way too overprotective... we have never changed the wishbones and the front shock absorbers just the rear ones cause he was carrying bricks with it... of course the car is a mess.. but still starts and runs.. everything is making terrible noises and I think there is something wrong with the torsion bar in the rear... but it's running.... don't worry so much about it, the car's not made out of sugar candies

 

[moschino02]

Re: Engine Coolant - ok to mix

i think i got the light blue stuff in mine

popped into halfords most ofe theirs was pre 1998 stuff so they recommended the pink stuff and confident that it would be ok to mix they said its the same stuff as any other coolant but different brands use different colour

reserached and it turns out there are varies of opinions about this so PLEASE can someone clarify if this is true?

i know ideally it would be best to flush the whole system but should i look for the blue coloured coolant? and what stuff do you use?

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Get the red stuff from halfrauds as it's a 5-year long life. Drain old stuff by removing bottom radiator hose.

Reconnect hose and refill with water, and then redrain the system. Keep doing this until the water coming out is clear. Then refill with water start engine and keep doing this (drain/refil) until water runs clear again.

Now refil system with coolant mixed to concentration as per guide on bottle. It's recommended you use ionised water but tbh with the corrosion protectio properties in modern coolant you shoul have issue with normal water. I know I never have in the various cars we've had and I've done it with.

Jon.