Quick car antifreeze/coolant question

[Andarvi]

I need to replace the coolant in my car. Does the color of the coolant matter, ie. mine now is orange, can I add coolant of a different color without any harm? The one I have now is a 50/50 dilution, whatever that means.

[Pikarya]

Depending on your model it does matter. Audi's for example use a specialized coolant. Using anything else can damage the internals of the coolant system. (I know this all too well >.>).

If its a domestic, unless said otherwise. Most use a 50/50. Orange or red coolants iirc though are foreign I thought?

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[Kirin]

http://www.aa1car.com/library/coolant.htm

The types do matter, but most North American antifreeze is green from what I remember. Different types still exist and you can ask either a mechanic or service guy which is which. Wal Mart and Costco type auto shops can help too...

[Cadsuane]

50/50 just means it's half water and half anti freeze. Different mixtures can be used for different temperatures... colder climates require more anti freeze and in warmer places, technically all you really require is water, though that's a bad idea. Get the manufacturer recommended coolant if that's what it requires.

[jmc]

I need to replace the coolant in my car. Does the color of the coolant matter, ie. mine now is orange, can I add coolant of a different color without any harm? The one I have now is a 50/50 dilution, whatever that means.

If you still got the audi, run to a audi dealership in MA and pick up the shop antifreeze.

It WILL NOT come 50/50 so you need to add water to it yourself, but its easy with a 2nd empty jug.

[Pikarya]

^likewise above, but don't go to the stealership. Buy online, its 40x cheaper.

[jmc]

^likewise above, but don't go to the stealership. Buy online, its 40x cheaper.

Or that, but can at least goto the dealership or call em to see exactly what is used.

[Furtwangler]

any GM vehicles take a special kind that is orange (will say so on the bottle somewhere) and the bottles will also say 50/50 or not.

[Barada]

Orange coolant can also be an indication of rust in the coolant system. Its best to do like these guys are saying and check the manufacturer specifications, and be weary that your radiator or something worse may be rusting and may eventually fail.

[kuronosan]

I need to replace the coolant in my car. Does the color of the coolant matter, ie. mine now is orange, can I add coolant of a different color without any harm? The one I have now is a 50/50 dilution, whatever that means.

50/50 mix means it's prediluted. If it was green when it was in there and it turned Orange, that's a bad thing.

Acidified coolant can eat your radiator fan and seriously fuck things up. It really depends on the car. The color doesn't necessarily matter although if it helps the vast majority of coolants out there are green.

You really should flush the radiator by using a shitload of water to rinse out the Antifreeze, especially if you haven't done so in a long time.

[Takedown3]

check the book for your vehicle and buy/mix accordingly

[Purrrfect]

The orange coolant you'll find named Dexcool is what GM generally uses now. The manual can tell you what the car originally had, but it is possible that during maintenance the system was flushed and a different kind used. If what you have is orange I'd go with dexcool, you'd need a lot of problems with the system to be able to make the green coolant appear orange to that degree. Do note though, mixing the 2 kinds is something you do NOT want to do.

[Bikpik]

This may go without saying, but make sure your engine is cool when replacing the fluid, or at least use warm water if you're in a hurry, or you may end up replacing more than just the antifreeze.

[FNH]

If you still got the audi, run to a audi dealership in MA and pick up the shop antifreeze.

It WILL NOT come 50/50 so you need to add water to it yourself, but its easy with a 2nd empty jug.

use distilled water not tap water.

[Elesirdur]

And don't just run water. Antifreeze fluids also have some lubricating properties which are needed to keep your water pump functioning properly. AFAIK it is the lubrication element which makes engine coolants specific to a brand of car, rather than their actual 'antifreeze' makeup.

[Churchill]

I think I replace coolant every 250mi lol. All of the above are correct, basically.

[Syntex]

Go to auto-zone and ask, they are pretty knowledgeable about this.

[*Shinzon*]

If you've never done it, go to Pepboys and have them do it. Or just go to the dealership and pay the extra cash and make sure you don't fuck up things.

[jmc]

If you've never done it, go to Pepboys and have them do it. Or just go to the dealership and pay the extra cash and make sure you don't fuck up things.

Shit, if I had a audi....... i'd never let someone at autozone or pepboys touch my car.

[Cadsuane]

And don't just run water. Antifreeze fluids also have some lubricating properties which are needed to keep your water pump functioning properly. AFAIK it is the lubrication element which makes engine coolants specific to a brand of car, rather than their actual 'antifreeze' makeup.

Anti freeze isn't a lubricant. In fact, fluids with lubricity don't typically mix with water. Engine coolants enhance the heat conductivity of water and protect the coolant tract of the engine and radiator from corrosion, and how exactly they do that is what makes one unique from another. Water pumps typically just use a sealed bearing with grease as lubricant, and too much water or bad antifreeze will rust one out and cause a leak.