Help which antifreeze do i use?

mercutio · Post by **mercutio** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 8:25 pm

they love it but It kills them horribly

Post by **Donald** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 8:37 pm

Funny ol' stuff.

Used in tons of foods as a preservative and is commonplace in most animal feeds. In cats it denatures the haemoglobin protein, reducing oxygen affinity in red blood cells coupled with creating excess oxygen ions and hydrogen peroxide. Cue anaemia and liver failure.

Just in case anyone wanted to actually know.

Greg · Post by **Greg** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 8:42 pm

I love cats me.

Post by **paul72** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 9:13 pm

Back on the subject of antifreeze

ive asked about ones for alloy engines an the idiots still dont know plus it says nothing on the back of bottle so im still stuck

89 UKDM BA4 4WS (resto job!) · Post by **wurlycorner** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 9:37 pm

Paul, virtually all rads are aluminium now, because it's cheaper than copper. Also cylinder heads have been aluminium for years, so any of the ethylene glycol ones (blue or green) will be fine, or you could use a red one (some other non organic formulation that I can't remember now).

The only thing you need to make sure of, is if you're changing to red, or from red, you need to make absolutely sure the system has been very, very thoroughly flushed through first.

Red and blue or red and green mixing together = horrible jelly like deposits building up inside the cooling system.

Other than that, don't worry, it's all gravy so long as you avoid orange coolant (if you can even find that now).

mercutio · Post by **mercutio** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 9:37 pm

stolen from the interweb

Most antifreeze and coolant products on the market are ethylene glycol based with additives to prevent corrosion, lubricate seals and water pumps and aid in heat transfer to the coolant from the metal of the engine. Antifreeze coolant should typically be mixed with water at the ratio of one part antifreeze to one part water. This gives antifreeze protection down to minus 34 degrees and overheating / boil over protection up to 265 degrees. Do not use pure antifreeze in a cooling system without using at least 30 percent water in the mixture.

Most antifreeze coolant sold in recent years has been the traditional green coolant which has a life span of two to three years or up to 30,000 miles. Green antifreeze contains silicates, phosphates and borates as corrosion inhibitors to keep the solution alkaline. As long as the solution remains alkaline, corrosion is controlled and the cooling system is protected. Over time corrosion inhibitors are depleted and the corrosion protection is lost, therefore green antifreeze should be changed every two years.

Aluminium is especially vulnerable to corrosion and many vehicles have heads, radiators and other aluminium components in the cooling system. If the coolant in an engine cooling system is changed before corrosion inhibitors reach dangerously low levels, corrosion damage is prevented.

Long Life Antifreeze

An alternative to tradition green antifreeze is a product currently used by many vehicle manufacturers. Orange or Red antifreeze known as long life or extended life antifreeze increases the useful life of engine coolant. Long life antifreeze is also ethylene glycol based.

The difference between the two colours is that Orange / Red antifreeze contains a different type of corrosion inhibitor that has a much longer life than silicates, phosphates and borates. Orange / Red antifreeze contains organic acids that protect engine parts from corrosion.

Green antifreeze does not mix with long life antifreeze. Never mix the two colours in a cooling system. The organic acids in orange types will cause precipitation of silicates in the green type and corrosion protection is greatly reduced.

Orange type antifreezes are suitable for up to five years or 100,000 miles. They can also be used in many older vehicles if all of the green antifreeze is flushed from the system and is replaced with the orange / red antifreeze. The lifespan of long life antifreeze is about four years or 60,000 miles in older cars.

If you have doubts about switching from the green type of antifreeze to long life antifreeze, contact you retailer or car dealer and ask about compatibility with your cooling system. You can also contact Tetrosyl by email for further advice and technical support.

The level of protection of the coolant has little relevance to the corrosion protection. An antifreeze tester may show adequate frost protection but cannot test for corrosion protection which is depleted over time.

Change your coolant mix on a schedule based on the colour of the antifreeze you are using. Severe corrosion to engine and cooling system components can occur with resulting expensive repairs.

Source http://www.bluecol.co.uk/index.cfm?page=75

Post by **paul72** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 9:44 pm

Thx guys that helps it was green in there before but no one stocks it so if i cant find that ill flush as good as i can an go blue

Post by **Donald** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 9:59 pm

wurlycorner wrote:or you could use a red one (some other non organic formulation that I can't remember now).

Something like sodium nitrite, I think benzoates are generally red too.

89 UKDM BA4 4WS (resto job!) · Post by **wurlycorner** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 10:33 pm

No need to flush if you're going from green to blue, they mix fine. If you've already filled it once with water and run it like that, just drain and refill with 50/50 mixture and that will be fine.

Silicates are the jelly like deposits I mentioned

Not sure about this mention of longlife orange stuff? I've never seen it?

I seem to remember the methanol stuff before ethylene glycol was Orange in colour, hence what I said above about avoiding that full stop... Anyone?

Post by **Thebusofwoe** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 10:40 pm

Just pop down to a Honda dealer and grab a bottle of pre mixed Honda coolant. That will be fine

Honda coolant isn't just designed for Honda engines, its actually a fairly generic antifreeze. It just can be a little expensive.