Traditional Green coolant question

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pbm

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Can traditional green coolant be used in modern vehicles with the only negative being the necessity to change it every 30K/2years?
 
UTube video has great info on History of antifreeze by a mechanic Guy with dark round sunglasses, look for HOAT specifications on Anti-freeze now the best.
all good but like spark plugs of yesteryear vs now with electronic engines, the newest is good for up to 150K ( maybe) less rusting better cooling, etc
 
There is a mild possibility that some systems don't favor silicates and prefer acids, but I doubt you would see the impact unless you owned the vehicle for a very long time.
 
If you are into "traditional green coolant," I'd give Valvoline Zerex Green a shot. It is green, but has a 5 year life, not just 2-3 years. It also had more coolant specs that it met than any other I saw when I was looking up different brands, a while back.


Originally Posted By: pbm
Can traditional green coolant be used in modern vehicles with the only negative being the necessity to change it every 30K/2years?
 
Why would you however? If your going to flush the system put in G-05 or Peak Global. If you have some old green give it to some farmer who has an old farm truck or similar.

The new coolants are superior to the old green. Cooling system issues are much less of an issue than they were 10 or 15 yrs ago.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
Why would you however? If your going to flush the system put in G-05 or Peak Global. If you have some old green give it to some farmer who has an old farm truck or similar.

The new coolants are superior to the old green. Cooling system issues are much less of an issue than they were 10 or 15 yrs ago.
Unless you have an old 6.9/7.3 IDI diesel like the one in my F-450-newer HOAT coolants don't play nice with the engine front cover gasket, I'll stick with green & old school DCA-2 SCAs in my coolant filter!
 
I would use the spec'd stuff personally.

If you have to do an emergency top off, use distilled and act accordingly ASAP.
 
Besides the fact that modern coolants are generally easier to come by/more widely available, more in-line with modern engine metallurgy and gasket compatibility, and overall just cheaper, I can't see any real UPSIDE to using 'traditional green' coolant in their place.

Lots of potential negatives to using it in a modern car

- Gasket failure due to incompatible chemistry
- pitting of metal components due to incompatible chemistry
- sedimentation of coolant chemicals
- poor boundary heat transfer
- shorter lifespan

etc...

Can't think of any upsides, really.

Go with something that meets spec for your car.
 
I use AZ store brand green stuff and despite dire warnings from the guys who used only expensive blue for their BMWs, nothing bad ever happened in 22 yrs and 5 cars
 
Originally Posted By: Snagglefoot
Take a look at Prestone with Core-Guard. More of a yellow but pretty generic. Good for 5 years. I’ve always run Prestone for 5 years. No problems.
Dont put it in a Copper radiator or heater though.
 
I wouldn't be considered with compatibility (system flushed)... if it [traditional IAT] "causes" a problem, then a problem already existed. Akin to using synthetic oil and having oil leaks).

Since they aren't much cheaper or easier to find, why go thru the trouble to use them given shorter service life?
 
Originally Posted By: andyd
I use AZ store brand green stuff and despite dire warnings from the guys who used only expensive blue for their BMWs, nothing bad ever happened in 22 yrs and 5 cars


Is the 'store brand green stuff' that you use an IAT (traditional green) or OAT (Dexclone)?
I ask the original question because I have a few gallons of IAT green Peak that I'd like to use up.
 
IMO, I don't believe original green IAT AF would hurt a thing in newer systems designed for OAT or HOAT. Preferable would be with a complete flush. Biggest thing about original green is use of silicates, and silicate drop out, thus the shorter service interval. Some/many original green AFs now use a low silicate formula. I'd say as long as you don't mind the shorter service interval, Peak original green ok to use.
 
IHMO: Forget about the color of the coolant from any supplier. It is not relevant at all. What you should be paying attention to is the chemistry of the coolant and what specifically your car needs according to the OEM. Buy coolant of any color that matches the chemistry of what they recommend. And keep it flushed every 5 years or 150K miles no matter what. It's super cheap insurance.

FWIW: If you do a flush (or several depending on how old the coolant is), don't use tap water, use dirt cheap distilled water (buy several gallons) to do the flush before you put your final correct 50/50 coolant in. You'll be glad you did.
 
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