old cars what coolant

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Old car. I use Peak green in my 88 E-150, the radiator is the original and as clean and corrosion free as the day it rolled off the assembly line. I wish I could use that in my Jeeps instead of OAT and HOAT coolants.
you can.


Chrysler had problems, big ones with people mixing HOAT and OAT, wrecking cooling systems. I wouldn't dare use anything but OAT or HOAT in my Jeeps, and the two coolants will never be interchanged. In my van I'll stick with what worked for 30+ years, good old green AF. The shorter life spam of the Peak green is fine by me.

 

[SR5]

Originally Posted By: dogememe
Can somebody explain the benefit of running G05 in a vehicle originally specced for conventional green?

The old stuff is IAT (inorganic add tech) it acts quickly but doesn't last long.

The organic acid tech (OAT) like Dexcool last a long time, but doesn't act quickly. It needs a modern sealed system with no air in it.

The hybrid organic acid tech (HOAT) is the best of both worlds as it contains both types of adds. Inorganic for fast action and organic for long life. The Zerex G05 is a good example of a HOAT coolant.

With an old car, I would flush out the old stuff and replace with G05. It should protect well and last twice as long as the old IAT green. G05 is good for 4-5 years.

 

[quint]

Autozone old school conventional green in my 240sx. Drain the radiator and block once every couple years or so, and fill it up with 50/50 distilled water/AF mix. Costs about $12, takes less than an hour and the overflow bottle is clean and inside the radiator looks brand new.

Aluminum head, iron block, aftermarket aluminum radiator, and the current Autozone $20 el-cheapo replacement water pump is probably 8-10 years old.

 

[Kestas]

As mentioned above, you need an antifreeze that has silicate. They're needed for protection of the soldered joints. It'd be a shame to have to change the heater core down the road.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: quint
Autozone old school conventional green in my 240sx. Drain the radiator and block once every couple years or so, and fill it up with 50/50 distilled water/AF mix. Costs about $12, takes less than an hour and the overflow bottle is clean and inside the radiator looks brand new.

Aluminum head, iron block, aftermarket aluminum radiator, and the current Autozone $20 el-cheapo replacement water pump is probably 8-10 years old.

That has been my experience as well with the green coolant. In my van's 30+ years there was more than once that the coolant went 5+ years, came out clean and tested well. I'll stick with what works well in this application.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Prestone Extended Life with Corguard. Good for 5years.

 

[Kira]

#1) I read about coolants here until my head spun. Should've taken notes.
One "conclusion" was that G-05 is essentially the new universal coolant. Obviously, do some homework on that one.

#2) I swapped over to G-05 when the G-48 (? dark blue coolant in Saabs and Volvos) got old in a '99 Saab. That was years ago.
I did the same with my '02 Volvo. No problems with either.

#3) I've noticed that today's "conventional green" is a plain pale green when compared to yesterday's bright, fluorescent green.
Anybody notice that?

 

[slomo]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Don't use any "All makes,all models" or Dexcool coolant in a copper Radiator or heater core. It will eat through the solder. We will not honor our warranty if the wrong coolant is used.


So Dexcool now eats solder, copper and brass? Any other opinions on this?

slomo

 

[oilpsi2high]

Just picked up Zerex G-05 for the Dakota. 19.99 at Advance Auto, plus the discount code. Ordered in the parking lot on my smartphone and went in 5 minutes later and it was ready.

I almost went with those "one size mix all" antifreeze, but decided to use what Dodge specs instead. I'm glad I did.

My other car specs Dexcool, never switched. Always changed every 5 years/100k. Again, if you follow the manufacturer specs and change intervals, it's highly unlikely that you'll have a failure related to the type of fluid you chose.

 

[doitmyself]

Originally Posted By: Kira
#1) I read about coolants here until my head spun. Should've taken notes.
One "conclusion" was that G-05 is essentially the new universal coolant. Obviously, do some homework on that one.


Yet, both Ford and Chrysler have switched away from G-05 and gone with OAT coolant.