Red Coolant, Green Coolant...BEST coolant for anticorrosion?

[Allister S]

Hey,

What is the BEST coolant for engine and rad corrosion protection in an old Bluetop motor?

Also, anyone know what the diffence is between Red(Pink? - Toyota long life anyway) coolant and Green coolant?

Thanks. Cheers, Al

[Mr Revhead]

The colours are different coolants. Pink, red, green and yellow are all used by makes. DO NOT mix colours, they are not compatible.

As far as corrosion resistance I don't think there's any real difference. Just some are suited more to different uses and change lengths.
I'd just go with some normal green and change it every autumn

[Allister S]

Thanks Mr Revhead,

I noticed Repco and Supercheap are stocking Antifreeze now that has NO anti corrosion additives!!

Should I get Toyota stuff or at least a reputable brand (which?)?

This is for a rebuilt engine and new rad so I don't want crap wrecking it.

Thanks, Al

[BZG Wagon]

As I understand it the different coolants have different chemical properties.

Therefore if your car came with green from factory (which I'm guessing; being an old bluetop), replace it with green.

[headshotnz]

I cant remember the colours, however

Long Life Coolant you add water too,

Super Long Life Coolant is a pre-mix.

Both should be at any local Toyota dealer.

[evil_si]

Yea never mix the colours, if you intend changing its always a good idea to do a flush,
The best flush on the market is a fleetguard product by the name of restore.
Only generally available thru fleetguard stockists or cummins


With volvo coolant, if you mix green and yellow it turns to jelly

[Bling]

Not sure you need the best tbh, the 4age will just be happy to have anything.

I think I run this in one of my cars: http://www.supercheapauto.co.nz/online- ... escription

So long as you stick to a known brand / not $5 for 5L stuff, it's not going to make much difference I wouldn't have thought. If you were talking about a brand new expensive engine it might be a different story.

You'd be mad to not at least flush the system completely with water first. So I don't think colour will matter.

[Mr Ree]

If I had just rebuilt my motor, and radiator, I would be running Toyota red all the way.

Just be super super super sure that your heater core doesnt have any of the green stuff in it, as even very small amounts will taint the brew.

There is a difference between the red and green, and whilst running one or tother isnt going to ruin your motor, running the correct one sure will help it run optimally, so why not?.

[headshotnz]

If I had just rebuilt my motor, and radiator, I would be running Toyota red all the way.

Just be super super super sure that your heater core doesnt have any of the green stuff in it, as even very small amounts will taint the brew.

There is a difference between the red and green, and whilst running one or tother isnt going to ruin your motor, running the correct one sure will help it run optimally, so why not?.

Red is super long, correct?

[Bling]

There is a difference between the red and green, and whilst running one or tother isnt going to ruin your motor, running the correct one sure will help it run optimally, so why not?.

Post up the difference with the results showing one performs more optimally?

Would be interested to see as I just assumed so long as you changed it more often that every 10 years, both would do perfectly fine to get an engine cool / reduce corrosion.

[Mr Ree]

When I said optimally, I wasnt inferring you would get a tangible performance benefit, but rather, your engines cooling system and the various metals it is made of will work as designed with the correct coolant, rather than suffer build up and blocked galleries due to contamination etc

Here is a borrowed post by a chap on the US Supra forums who has a very clear understanding of what antifreezes are on the market, and the difference between them all...

1. Ethylene Glycol - this is the traditional stuff, used since the 1950's. It uses silicates to stop corrosion by passivating the metal surface. This type of anti-freeze is suitable for most European cars, but NOT Japanese cars. Japanese manufacturers normally recommend a low- or no-silicate formulation due to the nature of the seal materials that they use.
Typical service life of 2-4 years.

2. Ethylene Glycol Low or no-silicate formulation- This is specified by most Japanese cars. OEM Nissan, Toyota 'red' etc. Antifreezes use phosphates rather than silicates to inhibit corrosion. Silicates are abrasive and the use of high silicate antifreezes in Japanese cars may result in premature failure of seal materials.
Typical service life of 2-4 years.

3. Mono Propylene Glycol - this still uses silicates and is claimed to last 4 years. Mono Propylene Glycol does not conduct heat as well as Ethylene Glycol and currently carries NO recommendation from any major car manufacturer- and some actually caution against it. The main claim to fame for Mono Propylene Glycol is that it’s less toxic than Ethylene Glycol.
Typical service life of 2-4 years.

4. Organic Acid Technology (OAT) - e.g. GM 'DexCool'. Introduced in 1995, this antifreeze is recyclable and biodegradable. It is based on organic acids and it is both silicate and phosphate free. However, due to the nature of the chemicals used, it can attack certain seal and gasket materials and therefore should only be used in vehicles for which it is factory specified.
OAT antifreeze MUST NOT be mixed with the types listed above - if you wish to switch to OAT type then the cooling system must first be chemically flushed.
The claimed service life of the corrosion inhibitor package is about 5 years, or 100-150,000 miles.

5. Ethylene Glycol-based 'Hybrid Organic Acid Technology' (HOAT). It uses Ethylene Glycol, but with OAT-based corrosion inhibitors and some added silicates; most usually BASF's "Glysantin" additive package is used (also known as 'G-05'). HOAT is less aggressive than straight OAT anti-freeze and has better cavitation resistance. Halfords 'Advanced Antifreeze' is an HOAT formulation. Again, best to thoroughly flush your system if you are thinking about switching to it.
Typical service life of 4-5 years.

The bottom line is to refill your engine with what the factory supplied and do a flush-and-refill every 4 years maximum. If you have a Japanese car, stick to the maker's brand since non-OEM coolants may contain higher levels of potentially damaging silicates.

Please take note: Color is not always a reliable indicator of the coolant's family. There are green conventional and hybrid products, and there is even one green carboxylate. There are yellow coolants in all three families as well. So far, there are not any orange conventional products but there are both carboxylates and hybrids in orange. All can be found in shades of red and blue. To make matters worse, most of the colors change with time, drawing closer together and making matching even more difficult.

[Mr Ree]

And some more info...

The red or pink coolants are made for aluminum radiators. If yours has copper/brass/bronze parts in the cooling/heater system, you're better off with the green coolant because the red/pink will react with those parts and causing blockage and subsequently, overheating. Bottom line… use Toyota (OEM) red to protect metal and seals. Use de-mineralized or distilled water. Minerals dissolve into scale that clings to metal and clogs radiator passages.

"Genuine TOYOTA Pre-mixed Anti-rust Anti-freeze / Super Long Life Coolant is a new generation ethylene glycol-based premium engine coolant, offering excellent corrosion protection formulated specifically for all TOYOTA warranty requirements. For vehicles fitted with Super Long Life Coolant at the plant, it is highly recommended that Super Long Life Coolant be used for maintenance."

-This is for the Toyota Factory Pink Fluid part number 08889-80071
Toyota Red uses a phosphate anti-corrosion chemistry. The green stuff uses silicates. Both are inorganic chemistries, but they are incompatible. Phosphates do especially well with iron, and do fine with aluminum, and with copper/brass/lead radiators and heater cores. All Japanese carmakers prefer phosphates.

Silicates (prestone green) are particularly good with aluminum, not as good with iron, and do fine with copper/brass/lead. They are slightly abrasive, and are slightly more likely than phosphates to cause leaks in water pump seals. European carmakers prefer silicates.

The problem with phosphates in particular is that they are the least compatible chemistry - mixing with the minerals in tap water or with a different coolant type will cause the phosphates to precipitate out and clog radiator passages, while at the same time your corrosion protection goes bye-bye.

But both inorganic chemistries must be replaced every two years because the corrosion protection wears out.
Then there came a new type, based on organic acids (so-called OAT types), such as most of the new long life coolants like Dexcool. These are a bad choice for older vehicles because they will corrode copper/brass/lead radiators, and because the OATs react very strongly and harmfully with the inorganics.

In an attempt to address that issue, there came a new type called "Hybrid Organic Acid Technology (HOAT). Those include your Prestone yellow, Zerex G-05, and the new Toyota pink (though that is somewhat in a class of its own). The HOATS combine an organic acid (different than the one in DexCool) with inorganic inhibitors. All the HOATs use silicates except Toyota Pink, which uses phosphates. That's why Toyota says it's okay to mix pink & red.

I stick to Toyota Red and not the pink at all because my MKIV TT is a 1994. I like to be on the safe side and not take the chance with an investment as large as my Supra. Plus the Toyota Pink is a pre-mix and I don’t want to pay for a half jug of water.

Theoretically, the HOATs are okay to mix with any coolant, but I think only time will prove whether that's true, and I think it is foolish to test their theory in your engine. I remember DexCool was hyped as a cure-all when it came out too. HOAT chemistry is still acid-based, and for that reason I think you probably don't want to use them in an older vehicle that has copper/brass/lead radiators and heater cores. That goes even for the Toyota pink. Both the OATs and the HOATs were designed for aluminum radiators and heater cores.

If someone doesn't know what type of coolant was in their motor, they should FULLY flush every spec of coolant out, which can take six or more flushes. Be sure to open all the drains (including the one on the block if you can get at it) and make sure your heater temp is all the way to hot to enable the coolant to be washed out of the heater core, too… it also helps to remove the thermostat on most motors.

As far as the proper coolant to use, I recommend what Toyota designed for the motor: Toyota Red coolant. Mix it 50/50 with distilled water. Don't under any circumstances use an OAT coolant. Some will say HOATs are okay. I think that assertion is iffy, and anyway it is unproven. Many will say green silicate-based coolants are okay. But Japanese car makers intentionally never used silicates in their engines - they used phosphates instead. Why not use the coolant that was designed for your engine? It's not THAT expensive, and you only have to change it every two years.

[Mr Revhead]

Remember that poster is talking about a car developed long after the OPs.
His car will have been designed with normal green coolant in mind.

[Mr Ree]

Remember that poster is talking about a car developed long after the OPs.
His car will have been designed with normal green coolant in mind.

Agreed, Mr Revhead.

Still, there is some very good info for people who want to know a bit more about the stuff most of us dont give too much thought to.

Im considering draining my current coolant, reflushing with prestone, and then doing multiple water flushes, before refilling with Toyota red and distilled water. Theres not too much cost involved to do things the right way, especially when I think about how much money I spend on my car in other areas

[Bling]

Interesting read (I read most of it, not all, so many pages when on a phone). Didn't know any of that. Can't say i'm going to rush out and change my coolant for one that may be slightly better suited though. If my car was worth $$$$ i'd do my homework now on which will suit best mind you.

[Mr Ree]

The main reason Im considering doing it properly is I only just paid to have my oem radiator reconditioned so I may as well start with a clean slate

[allencr]

'Water soluble oil' is all a radiator guy would tell me many years ago.
I'm just sure that there's no 'best' and pretty sure there are no problems caused by any of them except the worst well water & incompatibility mixing with the leftover previous stuff.