Nissan Coolant????

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What color is Nissan's fluid? Is there any difference between it and just regular Green Coolant?

It is for my 2002 Nissan Altima 2.5
 
The coolant in my wife's 2004 Nissan Sentra was green. To my knowledge that is the correct color from Nissan. It is a long life coolant, or so they say. I used the Amsoil coolant in my wife's car, but I think the Super Tech/Prestone All Makes/All Models would be fine.
 
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The coolant in my wife's 2004 Nissan Sentra was green. To my knowledge that is the correct color from Nissan. It is a long life coolant, or so they say. I used the Amsoil coolant in my wife's car, but I think the Super Tech/Prestone All Makes/All Models would be fine.




Prestone is a killer for Nissan radiators (how I know, I blew my stock radiator,clogged) for the matter of fact all Japanese vehicles. If you do a complete flush then I would go with an OAT formula like G05 but not prestone.

If you can pitch in $12/G for G05, why not pitch in $20/G for Nissan Long Life Coolant and not worry about it for 5 yrs... My $0.02.!!!
 
Prestone is bad for Japanese vehicles? What's in it that would clog a radiator? Or what did you leave (or put, ie tapwater) in your system that clogged your radiator?
Or did you mix it with Dex-Cool? http://www.valvoline.com/zerex/pdf/Zerex_CoolantChart.pdf

And G05 doesn't last 5 years?
That's not what Valvoline/Zerex say: http://www.valvoline.com/pages/products/product_detail.asp?product=10

twocents.gif
 
Two Honda radiators died on me within a year of converting them to Prestone All Makes. Both failed by leaking under pressure from the top tank crimp area between the aluminum and plastic. Where did yours fail, MaximaGuy?

Coincidence (just old)? Maybe, but I have decided not to use that coolant anymore. Since they are older vehicles (12+ yrs old) I decided to convert to G05 this time, in the process of changing the radiators.
 
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Prestone is bad for Japanese vehicles? What's in it that would clog a radiator? Or what did you leave (or put, ie tapwater) in your system that clogged your radiator?
Or did you mix it with Dex-Cool? http://www.valvoline.com/zerex/pdf/Zerex_CoolantChart.pdf

And G05 doesn't last 5 years?
That's not what Valvoline/Zerex say: http://www.valvoline.com/pages/products/product_detail.asp?product=10

twocents.gif





I followed that link to G05, and it said what I remembered. Up to 5 years / 150,000 miles.

Are you reading something I'm missing?

I still don't leave any coolant in for 5 years though.
 
yes, this quote.

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If you can pitch in $12/G for G05, why not pitch in $20/G for Nissan Long Life Coolant and not worry about it for 5 yrs... My $0.02.!!!


 
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yes, this quote.

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If you can pitch in $12/G for G05, why not pitch in $20/G for Nissan Long Life Coolant and not worry about it for 5 yrs... My $0.02.!!!







First you got it wrong when I was comparing prices of coolants ie. G05 vs Nissan Long Life coolant. Since these days many coolants come up for a 5yr refill (though I wouldn't take it to 5 yrs but would take it to 3 yrs atleast), I meant to say that saving $8 over 5/3 yrs seems pennies to me.

First my history with coolants is been very sour... I have 125K on my motor, but then started PM since 36K miles, at around 55K I drained and filled radiator with prestone, at around 80K flushed with Peak Global. It must have been between 55K to 80K when the real damage happened to the radiator, last summer CA went thro a heat wave like no other I have seen in many years. My gauges started acting up and I spent $800 on diagnosis, re-diagonis, re-re diagnosis and finally all id*ots could not come with an answer. Eventually I replaced the radiator and there is was a clogged radiator.

FYI, my brothers 97 civic he replaced his coolant for the first time in 11 yrs with 180K on his motor. So go figure out the quality of coolants, they are good for 5 yrs.
 
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What color is Nissan's fluid? Is there any difference between it and just regular Green Coolant?

It is for my 2002 Nissan Altima 2.5




First , on that color thing the Nissan green has a different shade of green dye - quite noticeable when viewed side by side to any other "green" .Its more of an olive drab - appears to have more "yellow" in the "green" if you know what I mean .

Second , since AUG 05 I've been "trying out" some of the universal coolants and all I can say for now (out of time)is that the ST universal whatever will be coming out of the one G20 AND the prestone all makes& models will be coming out of the I30 .
 
I've been using Prestone All Makes/Models in my '97 Maxima atleast since Aug 03 without problems associated with coolant. Same for my wife's '88 Nissan pickup. I've read Nissan recommends silica/phosphate free coolant, which Prestone claims All Makes/Models is. A radiator guy explained that silica free coolant is recommended because silica can settle out of suspension and clog the bottom of radiators or heater cores. Makes sense to me, but I do not know that as 100% fact.
Regardless of coolant I use, I service my cooling systems annually. A gallon of All Makes/Models only costs about $10, so the peace of mind is well worth it. Plus it gives me the opportunity to inspect the complete cooling system, and possibly catch a small problem before it becomes a big one.
In a related matter, I use a Prestone flush kit on both of my vehicles. It's nothing but a tee fitting spliced into a heater hose, and a garden hose hooks to it. This flushes the entire cooling system more effectively than the typical way of draining/filling. I have had no issues with these tee's installed since 2003, either.

Dave
 
http://www.gates.com/downloads/download_common.cfm?file=MOTORCoolantFeature.pdf&folder=brochure

http://www.imcool.com/articles/antifreeze-coolant/index.html


do not rely on coolant color !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you need to make an effort to know what you are using and why otherwise the dealer and shops will most likely screw you, from being ignorant themselves.

japanese cars use an OAT coolant with phosphates, no silicates. reason being phosphate is fast acting to protect aluminum like silicate but doesn't erode water pumps and seals like traditional "high" silicated American green antifreeze was thought to (different than today's coolants that are all lower silicates). Also, high silicates can cause problems in the long run if not maintained, so you can debate phosphate may be a better choice than silicate for fast & strong corrosion protection. The OAT in this coolant is sebacate, according to my article linked above.

G05 is phosphate free, and is rumored to be preferred by europe car makers because they have hard water. hard water + phosphate = bad. Not really an issue if you're smart enough to use distilled or demineralized water. G05 is low silicated, with benzoate or benzoic acid as the OAT for long life corrosion protection.

dexcool is phosphate & silicate free, using sebacate as one of the organic acids for corrosion protection. It uses a 2nd OAT and is 2-eha, and is a plasticizer and incompatible with nylon and silicone. So if engine parts and gaskets are made of nylon or silicone and come into contact with 2-eha it's bad. Japanese automakers have strictly forbidden using OAT/HOAT coolants with 2-eha, specifically dexcool!

You'll have to look up compatibilites between all the coolant chemistries, but I believe G05 and traditional silicated green antifreeze are directly compatible, as both are ethylene glycol and silicated. G05 just has benzoate in it for longer life, this is my logical conclusion from what reliable info I have come across.

The incompatibilities arise either between the phosphates and silicates, causing each other to drop out of suspension. They are insoluable to begin with and require stabilizers. I don't know if there are strong incompatibilities with the OAT's- with sebacate and benzoate. That just may be a long life thing.

Unfortunately phosphated coolants haven't hit the aftermarket so you can only get them through the dealer.

I would speculate the universal antifreezes are glycols with just a common OAT in it that is common and compatible among all the different chemistries. The way they get around it is they skimp out on the silicates and phosphates which are the real ingredients that give you the real corrosion protection. All the OAT's are slower acting and simply last longer.

also, a lot of info is taken out of context then circulated concerning silicated coolant. Silcates don't drop out of suspension under normal and even severe operating conditions. The problems occurred when high silicated coolants had been used and additives were introduced ( which caused the silicates to drop out. Specifically diesel engine coolants that needed SCA's- supplemental coolant additives. It was a problem when too much SCA's were introduced to a high silicated coolant. Now everything is low(er) silicated, for a handful of other reasons to boot, plus SCA's are no longer needed with the newer extended life coolants using OAT's. The OAT's are able to protect the piston liners and water pumps from cavitation damage like the SCA's did (nitrites/nitrates/borates/molybdate additives). And silicate stabilizers are needed to keep it in suspension, so when cheap antifreeze was used which skipped out on the stabilizer, the silicate would drop out. So to simply say don't use silicated coolant because it'll drop out in and clog the radiator is a lie.

I have a 2005 altima, a 2003 jeep GC (G05), and an 02 camaro (dexcool), and had a '89 f250 with the 7.3L diesel prone to cylinder liner pitting.
 
Thank you for the explanation, 1 FMF! Interesting details.

Do you have G05 in your Altima, or does it have the factory fill? Any reason not to use G05 in Japanese cooling systems?

I still have my original Civic (Denso) radiator that recently started leaking up top. If I find the time I'll try cutting the aluminum to see if I can detect any clogging, but I suspect it likely died of old age.

And you Nissan folks here, I have a Nissan (97) too and am not trying to veer off your topic.
 
I have a 97 Q45, so this information proved very helpful. I've been putting off my drain & refill, since the charts I've seen on coolant web-sites, they seem to list the gold stuff as OEM. I'll stick to my plan and use Amsoil since they say it's compatible with all coolants. And since the price is simular to my Dealer what the heck.
 
in my altima, no it is not G05.
it's factory fill, which from all sources I've been able to come across is Japanese style coolant which are phosphates, not silicates.
for that reason, I would not use G05 (silicates). It may be possible to drain the phosphated coolant completely, and preferably flush with lots of water, before filling with G05. But my understanding is the phosphates, like silicates, plate the metal and that's how the corrosion protection happens. What happens when you run silicated coolant in a system that had been using phosphated coolant, I don't know. The price of 1 or 2 gallons of coolant from the dealer isn't high enough for me to find out yet.
 
In my wife's '99 Altima I am running original green Zerex. This is a very low silicate formula that is supposed to have longer life than traditional coolants. It is also supposed to have a robust anti-corrosion package. So far the cooling system is looking excellent with very clean radiator internals. Now if I could just decide what to run in my '06 Frontier with the VQ40? I might just bite the expense and get factory Nissan coolant.

Here's the data sheet: http://www.valvoline.com/products/zerexoriginal.pdf
 
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Now if I could just decide what to run in my '06 Frontier with the VQ40?




You have a long time to decide on the coolant of choice since yours is a 06 vechicle. Stay tuned to these discussions, but if I were you pay $20/G for Long Life Nissan Coolant and sleep in peace.
 
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Now if I could just decide what to run in my '06 Frontier with the VQ40?




You have a long time to decide on the coolant of choice since yours is a 06 vechicle. Stay tuned to these discussions, but if I were you pay $20/G for Long Life Nissan Coolant and sleep in peace.




Thanks for helping confirm for me what I've kind of already been planning to do. I do wish the original green Zerex was discussed more here because I've used it a lot and found it to provide exceptional protection.
 
I just bought a gallon at the local Nissan dealer. It says L248SP on the bottle. Is this the Long Life stuff? The parts guy said it was but you know how that goes!!
 
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I just bought a gallon at the local Nissan dealer. It says L248SP on the bottle. Is this the Long Life stuff? The parts guy said it was but you know how that goes!!




That is the stuff you need to use.. went to the garrage and checked the number on the jug. It is a OAT based formula, good enough for 5y/60K miles.
 
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I just bought a gallon at the local Nissan dealer. It says L248SP on the bottle. Is this the Long Life stuff? The parts guy said it was but you know how that goes!!




Thanks
That is the stuff you need to use.. went to the garrage and checked the number on the jug. It is a OAT based formula, good enough for 5y/60K miles.


 
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