going from blue coolant to orange?

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May 6, 2014
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i got a 1995 ford fiesta in the uk, its has a 1.6 16v zetec silvertop engine. car has always been run on blue antifreeze for over 20 years. specs it conforms to are: British Standards BS6580 (2010) and ASTM D 3306 & ASTM D 4985, SAE J 1034, AFNOR NF R 15601. and is Ethylene Glycol based.
problem is that i have to keep changing it out every 2 years and since i do less then 6000 miles in 2 years it seems wasteful and a bit of a hassle for me.

now i have seen orange coolant that is specced as : Full organic long life coolant, 1-2-Ethanediol based - Organic acid technology formula. Ethanediol based coolant, silicate, boron, phosphate, nitrite and amine free, which is a multipurpose long life formulation dedicated to engine which require ". Dex-Cool" coolant Recommended in engine cooling circuit which needs GM6277M norm

wikipedia says 1-2-Ethanediol is similar to Ethylene Glycol. this orange coolant is specced at 5 year change intervals.
is this safe for me to use in my car that has a cast iron block and aluminium head? or should i just put up with the 2 year change intervals and stick to blue?

blue stuff i have been using:
https://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/...-antifreeze/?523770501&0&cc5_865

and the orange stuff i have been looking at:
https://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/...-antifreeze/?523770981&0&cc5_866
 
Ethanediol = Ethylene Glycol, the same thing

I woudn't use that orange coolant as it's basically Dexcool, which contains something called 2-Ethylhexanoic acid which can be very bad for cooling systems not designed for it.

I use this in my two Fords : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Comma-XSG4...081029&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

Comma G40

This also lasts 5 years and doesn't have the 2-Ethylhexanoic acid, i use it in my two Fords and it works well!

It works very very with alloys, the mix of Silicate + Organic acid inhibitors is probably the best there is for Alloy or Aluminium, and it also works perfectly well with Cast Iron, copper, brass, solder...
 
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I'm with JC1. And I wouldn't use another type of antifreeze. Stick with what came in the engine.
 
Originally Posted by JC1
slybunda,

Why are you changing coolant every 2 years on a 1995 Model year car?


well i bought the car in 1998 so still driving it today. book says (and coolant bottle) to change every 2 years or xx mileage. for me i always hit the age before the mileage.
 
I would choose one of the long life coolants out there that does not have silicates or 2-EHA.

When it comes to engines with water pumps driven by the timing assembly, I prefer the coolants made for Asian cars. The Honda Type 2 blue coolant is silicates free, contains no 2-EHA and is a five year coolant.

Flush the system well to completely evacuate all old coolant from your system, and refill your system with that and distilled water and you'll not have to worry about it for a really really long time.
 
Originally Posted by DoubleWasp
I would choose one of the long life coolants out there that does not have silicates or 2-EHA.

When it comes to engines with water pumps driven by the timing assembly, I prefer the coolants made for Asian cars. The Honda Type 2 blue coolant is silicates free, contains no 2-EHA and is a five year coolant.

Flush the system well to completely evacuate all old coolant from your system, and refill your system with that and distilled water and you'll not have to worry about it for a really really long time.


What reasoning is behind your preference for Asian type coolant for timing belt driven pumps?
 
Free of silicates. Asian manufacturers like a silicate free coolant to prevent silicates from causing wear on the water pump. Heavy duty manufacturers for the same reason.

The Honda Type 2 and I believe the Toyota Red/Pink also have no 2-EHA. Exactly where I like to be for an older car with a hard to reach water pump.
 
That's their side of the story. Those making the engines feel differently. No way to know for certain, but there is certainly no disadvantage to a silicate free coolant so I am not seeing any reason to use silicated coolant.
 
VW went from a Silicate containing IAT formula in 1996 to a full OAT, then in 2012 went to a Silicate containing HOAT, they basically just added 400-500mg / L of Silicate to the OAT they were using, and that is what they use to this day.

I am in fact using VW G12++ Spec coolant, a.k.a G40, in my two Fords, i was using a full OAT coolant before and have noticed a number of small coolant weeps it had in certain places have stopped leaking completely, this is probably due to the fact that Silicates help seal small porosities that would otherwise leak.

This coolant has Silicates, Sebacic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, and some kind of Azole or Copper protecting OAT inhibitor the name of which i don't remember for copper and a pH of around 8.5, with a reserve alkalinity of around 5 IIRC

Silicates are excellent at protecting aluminium and have synergistic effects when used in combination with other inhibitors like Azoles and Sebacic Acid.
 
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Originally Posted by FordCapriDriver
Ethanediol = Ethylene Glycol, the same thing

I woudn't use that orange coolant as it's basically Dexcool, which contains something called 2-Ethylhexanoic acid which can be very bad for cooling systems not designed for it.

I use this in my two Fords : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Comma-XSG4...081029&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

Comma G40

This also lasts 5 years and doesn't have the 2-Ethylhexanoic acid, i use it in my two Fords and it works well!

It works very very with alloys, the mix of Silicate + Organic acid inhibitors is probably the best there is for Alloy or Aluminium, and it also works perfectly well with Cast Iron, copper, brass, solder...


at work techs call Dex Cool ... AKA DEATH COOL..
 
I really have a hard time believing that Dex-Cool is really that much of an issue.

You can purchase Prestone AMAM pretty easily here in the UK. If it was that big of a deal, surely there should be a row of cars sat outside the solicitors with failed engines and cooling systems due to this? Where are they? Prestone would have legal action up to their eyeballs.

I use Prestone Coolant in everything and yet to have an issue. From the Defender, my our F30 320d, my MK3 Mondeo ST220 etc. Not one issue.

https://www.holtsauto.com/prestone/products/coolant-antifreeze-ready-use/

Flush out the system with fresh water as well as you can and use without worry.
 
You are changing your coolant too soon. My 2012 CRV uses Type 2 Honda blue coolant (ethylene glycol based) and engine label says to change it every 10 years or 100,000 km, whichever comes first.
 
so iv come across this stuff here: https://www.holtsauto.com/prestone/products/coolant-antifreeze-ready-use/

it claims "Guaranteed corrosion protection for 150,000 miles/10 years"

also it says here: https://www.holtsauto.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/11/PrestoneCoolantGuaranteeCertificate.pdf

thats its "Is FREE from Silicates, Phosphates, Borates, Nitrates and Amines"

how does this stuff work? its not using any of the stuff thats usually used in all other coolants?

would it work in my old car? dunno if its gonna have issues with the cast iron block and aluminium head? having a 10 year life would deffo make things real easy for me on the maintenance side. what do you guys think?
 
Cast iron block and aluminium head is the most common layout. every mainstream brand uses engines like that. Even if the block is aluminium, there are often wet cast iron cylinder liners on 1990s cars.
 
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