What coolant for Jeep 4.0 Engine!

[ben_321]

i have a 2004 Jeep Wrangler with the Good old 4.0,

what coolant is good for this engine? its obviosuly an iron block but i think the vehicle comes with an aluminum rad....

 

[Dan55]

G-05

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted By: Dan55
G-05
+1. Don't know if you have Napa's in the Great White North, but they carry Zerex G-05. Motorcraft Gold from the Ford dealer generally isn't too expensive here either.

 

[Dan55]

I think they carry it in Walmart in Canada, Zerex G-05

 

[Eddie]

G-05 is what I ran for 11 years in my 4.0 with zero issues. I changed it out every 3 years or ~ 30,000 miles which may have been over kill.

 

[Chris142]

Go-5 was the original coolant. I'm still not convinced that it's all that great. My 02 had Go-5 in it when new and it was a muddy mess @ 28k. Flushed and Replaced it with regular green and the mud has not come back.

I'll hit 100k this month. Still running the original water pump.

 

[mechanicx]

You don't hear of G-05 problems too much. Do you think it's possible that Chrysler made a mistake on the fill?

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: mechanicx
Do you think it's possible that Chrysler made a mistake on the fill?
Anything is possible I guess. Whats the chances of the guy that works at a radiator shop getting the one Jeep that had a coolant goof?

I've seen customers cars with Go-5 that has gone bad and turned into a muddy mess but There is a possibility that those could have been contaminated before they came to me.

My Jeep I bought brand new so there was no chance of contamination.

 

[mechanicx]

I don't know. I don't think G-05 has the service life that is advertise or as long as an OAT. Green turns bad as well if it has been ran too long as I'm sure you see. The way I look at it is Ford must have known something when they select G-05 over the other choices available.

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Go-5 was the original coolant. I'm still not convinced that it's all that great. My 02 had Go-5 in it when new and it was a muddy mess @ 28k. Flushed and Replaced it with regular green and the mud has not come back.

I'll hit 100k this month. Still running the original water pump.
I also remember your pics posted of the Ford Explorer early radiator failure when using G-05. With all the kudos to G-05, I'm a tad surprised to hear of the 'mud' after only 28k. Interesting.

 

[mechanicx]

Ity is interesting and I wished Chris would give more info of his experience with coolants and what comes through his shop.

The thing to keep in mind any coolant Green, Dexclone, Asian or G-05 will have problems if it is too diluted with water, mixed with bad water or there is some kind of electrolysis problem.

From what I know of G-05 is it very similar to Green. Although it lacks Greens phosphates G-05 has a slightly more robust inhibitor package with nitrites added for diesels. Otherwise the inhibitor package is very similar, low silicate, borate, benzoate. G-05 seems well proven in Mercedes for over 20 years, and Ford and Chrysler going on 9-10 years.

 

[Gary Allan]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Go-5 was the original coolant. I'm still not convinced that it's all that great. My 02 had Go-5 in it when new and it was a muddy mess @ 28k. Flushed and Replaced it with regular green and the mud has not come back.

I'll hit 100k this month. Still running the original water pump.


Pretty much my experience. I may have had a little more miles on it, but it looked nasty. I use LOWTOX as of right now.

Original WP in the wife's 99 160k ..original in mine @ 85k+/-

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: mechanicx
You don't hear of G-05 problems too much. Do you think it's possible that Chrysler made a mistake on the fill?


If it was an 02, I'm not even sure Chrysler had switched to G-05 in Jeeps. I know the first use of it was around 2000, but my folks' 2001 Durango still had green in its 5.9. It was a typically-Chrysler gradual phase-in across model lines, and 10 years after the fact no one probably knows exactly what each model left the line carrying in the radiator.

My wife's 05 2.4L (PT Cruiser) is just about to hit 50k miles on the original fill of Mopar (red) G-05, and it looks like it was just poured out of the Mopar bottle and mixed with distilled water. I know- 2.4 != Jeep 4.0, but apart from the 2.4 having an aluminum head, the metallurgy is the same. Both iron blocks with aluminum radiators.

 

[ben_321]

well thanks for the replies guys im thinking of just flushing the system and refilling with the Chysler stuff as i haveent seen the Zerox in stores around here.

you say the Chysler stuff is G05 and red in color?

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: ben_321

you say the Chrysler stuff is G05 and red in color?


Yes, but its exactly the same otherwise as Motorcraft Premium Gold and Zerex G-05 (also gold in color.)

 

[mechanicx]

Yeah I think '02 was considered the first year of the Chrysler factory filled with G-05, but maybe it was phased in over time. It's hard to say if they all had it by then or not. The only anti-freeze really known to turn bad quick is a straight OAT like Dexcool etc and even then there would have to be a low coolant level.

 

[KoolBreeze]

well my purchased new 01 TJ came with and has multiple G-05 fills and I've already replaced the radiator once and it's muddy yet again with less then 90k.

but what to do?

and although I do the maintenance myself I don't work at a radiator shop (as does chris) and would like to do a super flush and fill consolidation in all the my vehicles with a single type of fluid... so green being replaced every couple years and minimal miles just doesnt sound appealing.

wat to dew, wat to dew ????

 

[Petersubaru]

Originally Posted By: KoolBreeze
well my purchased new 01 TJ came with and has multiple G-05 fills and I've already replaced the radiator once and it's muddy yet again with less then 90k.

but what to do?

and although I do the maintenance myself I don't work at a radiator shop (as does chris) and would like to do a super flush and fill consolidation in all the my vehicles with a single type of fluid... so green being replaced every couple years and minimal miles just doesnt sound appealing.

wat to dew, wat to dew ????

..Perhaps you might get some insights from here... http://sancarlosradiator.com/

 

[mechanicx]

Originally Posted By: KoolBreeze
well my purchased new 01 TJ came with and has multiple G-05 fills and I've already replaced the radiator once and it's muddy yet again with less then 90k.

but what to do?

and although I do the maintenance myself I don't work at a radiator shop (as does chris) and would like to do a super flush and fill consolidation in all the my vehicles with a single type of fluid... so green being replaced every couple years and minimal miles just doesnt sound appealing.

wat to dew, wat to dew ????

You are not the first to say that about G-05. But it seems to only happen with Chrysler, so I don't know if it is a vehicle problem or a G-05 problem. There's really no way of knowing without a coolant analysis.

What you are describing is the same thing that happens with Green if it is ran too long and bad water is mixed in. I don't think G-05 last as long as claimed, 5y/100k miles. I think 3y/50k miles is more like it. It is important when you change the coolant to get a full change and refill of new coolant, at least 45% concentrate antifreeze. And it's important to use good water in the mix.

G-05 doesn't sue phosphates but I'm not so sure it has a good anti-scale pack and works with hard water. With a voltmeter if you place the positive lead in the coolant anbd the negative to the battery what kind of voltage are you measuring? Does your vehicle have an aluminum radiator?

 

[Greaser]

check for cracked head issue.