Coolant differences

25th October 2012, 17:10

Whats the difference between pink and blue coolant?

I remember being told before but I cant remember exactly what it is.

25th October 2012, 17:18

Without being to technical, the colour can be manufacturer specific but using the wrong antifreeze can cause a gas called boron gas which can eroded the joints in some water systems, other antifreeze can cause the aluminium to corrode internally. Nissan have used a "green" antifreeze for years but now new cars at pdi are filled wih "blue" anitfreeze the mix of what do not know!! Nissan/Renault badged vans use a light shade of "orange" to fill their vans, again, I do not know how it is made up. The "blue" antifreeze we all buy from our local spares supplier I believe is "glycol" based and then you have longlife antifreeze too!!
Best idea is to do a search on't internet.
Cheers

Copyed from a simple search

25th October 2012, 18:02

So what should be used in a Saxo, the blue shit?

25th October 2012, 18:34

Correct.

25th October 2012, 20:28

Pissflaps, I bought Halfords pink stuff. Grim.

25th October 2012, 21:33

why cant you use the pink OAT stuff?

25th October 2012, 22:15

You're all fags for running water/antifreeze, regardless of colour

25th October 2012, 22:23

Ross are you running the none water based liquid?

If so bit of advice I'm wanting for the civic.

25th October 2012, 22:35

I saw that stuff on wheeler dealers of all places. He took the cap off when it was hot and it didn't boil over!

25th October 2012, 22:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabbastard

Pissflaps, I bought Halfords pink stuff. Grim.

That whats I used. The blue stuff I used (cant remember brand) went rusty coloured in no time

25th October 2012, 22:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gandi699

I saw that stuff on wheeler dealers of all places. He took the cap off when it was hot and it didn't boil over!

Jag use it it some of there cars and its a lot cheaper from them. but apparently it can damage the aluminium heads? and can clog the thermostats up.

Just wanting a bit more info on it before i go and chuck it in.

25th October 2012, 22:53

Obviously its boiling temperature must be that much higher than a water mix, hence not needing to be pressurized. Seems like a good idea but I'd imagine it costs a fair bit or as you say, has a downside regarding reactivity with certain metals otherwise most manufacturers would be using it i'd have though

25th October 2012, 22:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gandi699

Obviously its boiling temperature must be that much higher than a water mix, hence not needing to be pressurized. Seems like a good idea but I'd imagine it costs a fair bit or as you say, has a downside regarding reactivity with certain metals otherwise most manufacturers would be using it i'd have though

Yeah mate it boils at 180'c degrees and freezes at -40'c so its a good range.

The prep fluid from Evans is £40 and the coolant is £63 per 5 litres. So its a pretty hefty whack of money for coolant.

25th October 2012, 23:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bedford126

Ross are you running the none water based liquid?

If so bit of advice I'm wanting for the civic.

yes mate - I run Evans 180 in mine.
http://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/p1...duct_info.html

I haven't needed the flush this time as the engine was bone dry since rebuild. The flush is really recommended though if you're replacing an "active" system as the Evans stuff absorbs water which defeats it's purpose.

It boils at a much higher boiling point, but the clincher for me is zero pressure in the coolant system so less stress on components. Supposedly more power but I guess that's only because it would technically allow more ignition advance.

25th October 2012, 23:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bedford126

Yeah mate it boils at 180'c degrees and freezes at -40'c so its a good range.

The prep fluid from Evans is £40 and the coolant is £63 per 5 litres. So its a pretty hefty whack of money for coolant.

Thats a fair few coolant flushes with normal stuff and even new thermostats thrown in for good measure. Still though, if you've got a trick engine then worth it

25th October 2012, 23:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gandi699

Thats a fair few coolant flushes with normal stuff and even new thermostats thrown in for good measure. Still though, if you've got a trick engine then worth it

Zero rust. No clogging. Mmmm. No brown sludge

25th October 2012, 23:13

Cheers Ross I think I will give it a go in the civic but I will be using the jag stuff as its about half price with work's discount.

I liked the idea of never having to worry about it for the life of the car. as well as no rusting of internal components.

25th October 2012, 23:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bedford126

Cheers Ross I think I will give it a go in the civic but I will be using the jag stuff as its about half price with work's discount.

I liked the idea of never having to worry about it for the life of the car. as well as no rusting of internal components.

Me too

There's a lot of benefits tbh. Like I say, the real deal sealer was the lack of pressure in the coolant system. No strain on hoses or clips etc.

Just make sure some muppet doesn't helpfully "top it up" with water

25th October 2012, 23:31

100 quid for coolant, fuuuuuuuck. Sounds good though.

Anyone know what the problem with running OAT coolant (pink stuff) in a Saxo is, will it corrode the aluminium in the head?

25th October 2012, 23:33

Yes i'd like to know if there is a problem too. If so that batch of blue coolant I misordered and couldn't return may get used haha

25th October 2012, 23:42

Wetter water :-) or water wetter... What ever it is, it does work i tried it in karting but has to be 100% concentrate, dropped about 10c of the temp... Werent worth the money tho...

26th October 2012, 07:51

I'm ignorant on coolant other than the Evans stuff to be fair - is the colour not manufacturer specific, or is there some "industry norm" for pink = this, and blue = that?

26th October 2012, 10:08

I believe the colours dont always depict the mixture/type from what I've read so one manufacturers pink isn't necessarily the same as the next one

26th October 2012, 11:01

Pink and blue are the same. Just the pink is 5year long life.

26th October 2012, 12:38

Here's an article off our site about coolants that explains most of what you need.

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/pdfs/tech-...antifreeze.pdf

Cheers

Tim

26th October 2012, 12:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by greyjasper51

Wetter water :-) or water wetter... What ever it is, it does work i tried it in karting but has to be 100% concentrate, dropped about 10c of the temp... Werent worth the money tho...

That's not how it's supposed to be used and that does work out expensive. Waterwetter is designed to reduce the surface tension of water (it's a surfactant, like detergent but without the foam), so the water can flow faster through the system, transferring heat away and reducing the temps. Using it neat means you're using too much of it and there isn't enough water in the system for it to do what it's supposed to do. As one bottle is enough to do the cooling system in a Skyline or something like that and give a 15C temp decrease, using it in higher concentrations is pointless.

Cheers

Tim

26th October 2012, 13:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by oilman

Here's an article off our site about coolants that explains most of what you need.

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/pdfs/tech-...antifreeze.pdf

Cheers

Tim

Am I right to take from that article that the new style antifreeze (what I was referring to as "pink shit") can be used in older engines such as the VTS? Im unsure about the "yellow metals" bit.

26th October 2012, 13:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabbastard

Am I right to take from that article that the new style antifreeze (what I was referring to as "pink shit") can be used in older engines such as the VTS? Im unsure about the "yellow metals" bit.

Yes it can mate.

Iirc most company's such a halford's only make red/ pink now.

26th October 2012, 16:41

Yes, it's fine to use. There are plenty of blue coolants around still, but generally one of the orange/pink/red ones are the safe option as they meet more manufacturer specifications.

Cheers

Tim

26th October 2012, 17:27

Thats great, thanks for that

26th October 2012, 19:59

Good news, less work for me to do this weekend and so can drink more beer!

26th October 2012, 21:05

is prestone any good for my saxo vtr thanks

26th October 2012, 21:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by oilman

That's not how it's supposed to be used and that does work out expensive. Waterwetter is designed to reduce the surface tension of water (it's a surfactant, like detergent but without the foam), so the water can flow faster through the system, transferring heat away and reducing the temps. Using it neat means you're using too much of it and there isn't enough water in the system for it to do what it's supposed to do. As one bottle is enough to do the cooling system in a Skyline or something like that and give a 15C temp decrease, using it in higher concentrations is pointless.

Cheers

Tim

this stuff sounds like it could be good for my supercharged track car. whats the downside to it please?

26th October 2012, 23:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by james230

is prestone any good for my saxo vtr thanks

Prestone is the yellow stuff iirc. Yes its fine to use as its a universal but its more of a supermarket make and has a supermarket price to go with it. You would be better going to a motor factors and buying from there.

27th October 2012, 11:38

the colour usually denominates the fact that is a type of coolant that does ot need changing every two years -yes use it in anything --50% mix for best antifreeze( -27c at least ) protection 25% still good for (-17c)for best cooling --pure and I mean pure water is the best coolant --but as usual the compromise is anti corrosion =antifreeze qualities
water wetter --no good for road car in freezing conditions+ very little canti corrsive properties

27th October 2012, 17:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by axsaxoman

the colour usually denominates the fact that is a type of coolant that does ot need changing every two years -yes use it in anything --50% mix for best antifreeze( -27c at least ) protection 25% still good for (-17c)for best cooling --pure and I mean pure water is the best coolant --but as usual the compromise is anti corrosion =antifreeze qualities
water wetter --no good for road car in freezing conditions+ very little canti corrsive properties

i was under the impression i could just add this to my regular stuff in my car?

29th October 2012, 08:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by sexy_gt

this stuff sounds like it could be good for my supercharged track car. whats the downside to it please?

Other than being an additional cost, none really.