Extremely confused regarding coolant for Hyundai

[Vibe_2007]

Just purchased a one owner 2007 Hyundai Tucson with 44,000 miles on it.

The manual states, "use a high quality ethylene glycol coolant compatible with aluminum cooling systems.". Seriously, that is all it says. No specifics on using low or no silicates, boron free, with phosphates, etc.

The recommended flush is only 36000 miles which tells me it is the old style coolant they put in these.

I would like to use a very high quality long life type coolant that has no silicates, etc. to ensure the aluminum system is protected at longer than the silly 36000 mile flush recommendation.

Could I use Zerex Asian, Pentofrost a2, or other coolants designed for Asian cooling systems.

Also, doing it at home it would be impossible to get 100% of the old coolant out of the vehicle. That being said, I thought I read somewhere where you could mix IAC coolant with P-HOAT and be fine, i.e., no gelling or other issues.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[horse123]

The Subaru stock coolant in most of their cars now is good for 120,000 miles. And it's meant for little Asian engines of course.

 

[crazyoildude]

I think hyundai only has one or two coolants and they are very high quality. Call your dealer and ask but be sure to have your vin handy

 

[Klutch9]

To the OP, the owner's manual for my Sedona says the exact same thing. To this day, I'm not completely sure what to use. But I am 99% sure that the Zerex Asian formula is compatible. I can't remember where online I found it, but there is product info out there for the genuine Kia coolant, and it is pretty much the same as the Zerex Asian stuff. Again, I'm not 100% sure, but IIRC this was what I learned.

 

[Vibe_2007]

Originally Posted By: horse123
The Subaru stock coolant in most of their cars now is good for 120,000 miles. And it's meant for little Asian engines of course.



I'll check into it. Thanks much.

 

[Vibe_2007]

Originally Posted By: Klutch9
To the OP, the owner's manual for my Sedona says the exact same thing. To this day, I'm not completely sure what to use. But I am 99% sure that the Zerex Asian formula is compatible. I can't remember where online I found it, but there is product info out there for the genuine Kia coolant, and it is pretty much the same as the Zerex Asian stuff. Again, I'm not 100% sure, but IIRC this was what I learned.


The way the manual states it is very confusing. I mean isn't every coolant made with ethylene glycol? lol

I thought Asian radiators need silicate free coolant with phosphates.

 

[Vibe_2007]

I researched a bit more. Seems like propylene glycol and ethylene glycol is a no-no. Mixing ethylene glycol from one brand with ethylene glycol from another brand is okay. Thoughts?

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: Vibe_2007
Originally Posted By: Klutch9
To the OP, the owner's manual for my Sedona says the exact same thing. To this day, I'm not completely sure what to use. But I am 99% sure that the Zerex Asian formula is compatible. I can't remember where online I found it, but there is product info out there for the genuine Kia coolant, and it is pretty much the same as the Zerex Asian stuff. Again, I'm not 100% sure, but IIRC this was what I learned.


The way the manual states it is very confusing. I mean isn't every coolant made with ethylene glycol? lol

I thought Asian radiators need silicate free coolant with phosphates.
Whats the difference between an Asian Radiator and an American Radiator?

 

[stephen9666]

On my 2007 Sonata the manual said the first coolant change wasn't needed until 60k miles, and then every 30k after that.

I just went to the Hyundai dealer and got a gallon of the real Hyundai coolant concentrate. I politely asked for a discount and they sold it to me for $20. It was worth that much to me to have the right stuff.

 

[The Critic]

I had a 2013 Elantra in recently with low coolant. The manual had the same generic language. I topped it off with some Nissan Long Life green that I had on the shelf.

 

[anl0109]

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
On my 2007 Sonata the manual said the first coolant change wasn't needed until 60k miles, and then every 30k after that.

I just went to the Hyundai dealer and got a gallon of the real Hyundai coolant concentrate. I politely asked for a discount and they sold it to me for $20. It was worth that much to me to have the right stuff.


I have a NF Sonata too (2009 MY) so same maintenance schedule for coolant. I decided to stick to OEM coolant. Bought a jug at dealer's parts dept. for a little over $20 several years ago. I ended up getting only about a gallon of fluid out during 60K service (at home). So the jug will last two changes as it's not sold diluted.

 

[SilverC6]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Whats the difference between an Asian Radiator and an American Radiator?


A fortune cookie?

 

[MaximaGuy]

To the OP, if the OM is confusing then go down to the stealership, tell them I need your coolant and willing to pay anything because I want peace of mind and have a good night sleep every day for another 60K miles. End of Story...

Always stick with OEM.

 

[crazyoildude]

i paid $15.20 for hyundai coolant from the dealer we deal with

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted By: Vibe_2007
.....The manual states, "use a high quality ethylene glycol coolant compatible with aluminum cooling systems.". Seriously, that is all it says. No specifics on using low or no silicates, boron free, with phosphates, etc.

Many/most OM AF recommendations are very vague. But your thought about what it is, is correct. An Asian PHOAT with the profile you mention.

Quote:
The recommended flush is only 36000 miles which tells me it is the old style coolant they put in these.

The older/previous generation P-HOATs used to be non extended service interval AF's. Toyota and Nissan are two examples of this. Both now are Long/Extended Life service interval AF's, though they now come as a premix. But, using Beck Arnley AF chart recommendations it appears that Hyundia/Kia has not updated to Extended Life AF. http://www.beckarnley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2014-Coolant-Guide-LR.pdf]

Quote:
I would like to use a very high quality long life type coolant that has no silicates, etc. to ensure the aluminum system is protected at longer than the silly 36000 mile flush recommendation.

Could I use Zerex Asian, Pentofrost a2, or other coolants designed for Asian cooling systems.

Yes you could. The ZAF is an extended/long life formula you seek. The Pentofrost looks to be an older shorter service interval PHOAT, but it is a concentrate. Ford Motorcraft Specialty Green is full strength Longer Life option. Looks like no PepBoys in your area, but they now carry OEM brand full strength Long Life Asian PHOAT for Hyundai.

Quote:
Also, doing it at home it would be impossible to get 100% of the old coolant out of the vehicle. That being said, I thought I read somewhere where you could mix IAC coolant with P-HOAT and be fine, i.e., no gelling or other issues.

Using multiple distilled rad drain-fills you could get most out, until clear. But, if you use anything other than a full strength AF and distilled, in other words a premix, you will have to drain and fill the new AF until the proper concentration (50%) is achieved and determined with a tester. That is a wasteful and time consuming process. I would not mix a silicate IAC original green to the PHOAT. And it would defeat your purpose of using a longer life AF.

Depending on availability and price of something like concentrated Motorcraft Specialty Green, the easiest thing to do would be to drain and fill with ZAF premix. It will mix with and be similar to the oem, and gradually you will have the longer life AF you seek.

 

[Oro_O]

I have some other Asian vehicles so I use Pentofrost A1. Basically the same as the A2 for your vehicle. Both are P-HOAT but dyed to match their OEM colors from what I can tell. I like the Pentofrost option as:

a) much cheaper than factory Toyota fluid
b) readily available at Napa, O'Reillys, etc.
c) Concentrate, not dilute, so I can mix it 55/45 or 60/40 for better freeze protection than a 50/50 pre-dilute can give. A gallon of distilled H20 is under a $1 at my local grocery.

Since you live in SD, I'd consider c) as valuable. I drain/fill the radiator every 30k and consider that low-work/interval enough.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: Vibe_2007

Could I use Zerex Asian, Pentofrost a2, or other coolants designed for Asian cooling systems.


Yes. The Zerex Asian will probably be considerably cheaper. If you can get Pentofrost A2 easily in your area, it is a good option too.

The Hyundai part number for the OE coolant is 00232-19010. The only thing wrong with it is that the MSRP of $22.39 a gallon is pretty steep and most dealers probably won't go a penny lower for a retail customer. That is for full strength though.

 

[Vibe_2007]

Sayjac,

Excellent post and very informative. I really appreciated how you boiled it down very simply. You are a great asset to the site.

Jon

 

[Vibe_2007]

Originally Posted By: Or
I have some other Asian vehicles so I use Pentofrost A1. Basically the same as the A2 for your vehicle. Both are P-HOAT but dyed to match their OEM colors from what I can tell. I like the Pentofrost option as:

a) much cheaper than factory Toyota fluid
b) readily available at Napa, O'Reillys, etc.
c) Concentrate, not dilute, so I can mix it 55/45 or 60/40 for better freeze protection than a 50/50 pre-dilute can give. A gallon of distilled H20 is under a $1 at my local grocery.

Since you live in SD, I'd consider c) as valuable. I drain/fill the radiator every 30k and consider that low-work/interval enough.


Seems like it is getting harder to find coolant that isn't diluted 50/50. Paying 15-20 bucks for half water seems crazy doesn't it.

 

[Sayjac]

And you are a quality OP thread starter. In my observations, some start a thread, ask questions never to return for follow up. Your post seemed sincere so took a shot at addressing each point as best I could. Glad you read it and found it useful.

As for ZAF, I picked it out of the other LL Asian PHoats because it's usually significantly less expensive than dealer sold oem AFs. Two things I don't prefer about it is, one it's a premix which means half water and best for a single rad d&f. But that's the same with the dealer sold oem Asian LL's like Honda Type2 and the new Nissan LL which are more expensive. The other is the red tint, which matches Toyota AF ok, others not so much. But that is a minor consideration.

As an aside, I've done the multiple distilled d&f (on a Civic) till runs clear or close followed by Honda Type2 d&f's till ~50% concentration, confirmed by 5 an inexpensive 5 ball AF tester. That was after the stealership used original green with a head gasket replacement. Other than leave the o-green in which I wasn't going to do, I had no choice. Took less than two gallons of Type2 to achieve the concentration. The new PepBoys OEM brand LL Asian concentrate would have been ideal in that case. And they make it in all four colors to match the oem AF's and ~$20/gal.