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View Full Version : Best antifreeze brand?



HON-DUH
12-14-2010, 04:43 PM
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labeledsk8r
12-14-2010, 04:54 PM
i have used both prestone and peak and never had any trouble with either. just be sure to do your mixxing properly as to strong of a mix loves to eat up aluminum parts and to weak of a solution will have a lower boiling point plus be more susceptible to freezeing durring these winter months

88lxi-shortram
12-14-2010, 04:59 PM
i used peak while the accord was running and i have no pllans to change once its running again. but as far as mixing goes hes right. get it right and go to walmart or autozone and spend a good 5 dollars on a hydrometer. not only will it help you mix properly but also itll help you maintain a good mixture and check your collant points whenever you want.

nswst8
12-14-2010, 05:02 PM
I use what ever is on sale. Once a year I drain and fill the radiator only.

HON-DUH
12-14-2010, 05:19 PM
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charliekuney
12-14-2010, 05:41 PM
You'll be fine with pre-mixed Peak or Prestone. I've used both without problems. Shit gets expensive real fast when you have a coolant leak, though.

HON-DUH
12-14-2010, 06:39 PM
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Bglad420
12-14-2010, 08:25 PM
Honda Blue.

Dr_Snooz
12-14-2010, 10:46 PM
I've been using Evans NPG waterless coolant for a while now. It's a lifetime coolant that never needs replacing. It works pretty good even though it's $30 a bottle. At startup it is a lot thicker than normal coolant and that gives some idle bobbing because the IACV weirds out. I get only a few seconds of idle bob each morning, so this isn't really a problem. It's good stuff if you don't want to fart around with disposing of gallons of coolant each year.

Obviously, at $30 a bottle, you want to make sure your cooling system is up to snuff. If you spring a leak and it all dribbles out, you'll be sad.

HON-DUH
12-15-2010, 10:07 AM
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88lxi-shortram
12-15-2010, 10:51 AM
if you bought the 50/50 mix i dont think you need to add water

2ndGenGuy
12-15-2010, 12:52 PM
I wouldn't dump in the whole gallon of either. Mix them in a bottle before you dump them in. You might wind up putting in a gallon of coolant, then topping it off with a cup of water if you don't get the whole system drained. I've done that a few times, then :facepalm: and had to start all over.

Your coolant overflow bottle makes a good bottle to mix in, if you don't have a spare one hanging out. Mix it in there, pour it in the radiator, you might have to do it a couple times... but it's handy.

lostforawhile
12-15-2010, 01:41 PM
if you bought the 50/50 mix i dont think you need to add water

if you buy the 50/50 mix you are getting ripped off, it's the best scam they've got yet, one gallon of full strength antifreeze, one gallon of distilled water from the grocery store, mix in clean bucket, fill the system and pour the rest back in the antifreeze bottle. you get two gallons for just slightly more then one gallon of premix, people don't know how to work on cars anymore, that's why they buy it. it's not rocket science. always use distilled water, here it's about .50 to .75 cents a gallon. take the price of a gallon of full strength antifreeze, divide it by two, this is how much you are paying per gallon, compare this to a gallon of premix.

DBMaster
12-15-2010, 02:21 PM
LOL^^

Or, in my case, if you have a reverse osmosis system you can use the water right out of that. I agree that the premix is for people who don't work on cars - just to have around to top off the system. If they have any issues that would actually require REPLACING the coolant they'd have to go to a mechanic.

lostforawhile
12-15-2010, 02:25 PM
LOL^^

Or, in my case, if you have a reverse osmosis system you can use the water right out of that. I agree that the premix is for people who don't work on cars - just to have around to top off the system. If they have any issues that would actually require REPLACING the coolant they'd have to go to a mechanic.

just make sure you don't have any kind of minerals in the water at all. what happens is they heat up and combined with the water, they can form corrosive compounds that can cause a lot of damage to aluminum parts. If you mix the antifreeze yourself, you should have some left over to top up anyway, unless your cooling system takes two gallons

HON-DUH
12-15-2010, 05:09 PM
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charliekuney
12-15-2010, 05:28 PM
If you live in Antarctica, go ahead. Otherwise, don't. Depending on how cold it gets where you live, you'll probably be fine with 50/50.

Dr_Snooz
12-15-2010, 06:01 PM
Ideally, you keep the last antifreeze bottle you bought, pour half the new bottle in it, top off both bottles with water and you're happy.

I'm not convinced that distilled water is all that important. Distilled water, after all, will dissolve minerals like aluminum and iron a lot faster than hard water. What will eat up your cooling system fastest is not changing coolant regularly.

When I was younger, you couldn't buy premixed antifreeze. I hated it. I wondered how long it would take the antifreeze makers to figure out that people don't want to be bothered with mixing their own antifreeze. What a freaking hassle. First stop at the parts store to buy it. Then go to the grocery store to get the water. Spend an hour trying to find parking. Curse silently as your line goes into price check cryosleep. Get a ticket going home because you've spent too much time on this and are speeding to catch up. Once home, spend an hour finding an appropriate mixing container. Realize you don't have one and curse again that you didn't pick something up at the grocery store. Run to the neighbor's to see if they have something. Go back home empty handed. Scavenge something from the apartment complex's dumpster. Get everything dirty trying to clean it. Spill coolant all over the driveway trying to fill it, call Hazmat out to clean it up, etc, etc, etc. Pre-mixed is awesome.

HON-DUH
12-15-2010, 06:20 PM
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w261w261
12-15-2010, 07:22 PM
Hon-Duh, what you are trying to do is end up with a clean cooling system, pretty close to a 50-50 mix of coolant and distilled water. So how much of each you add to the radiator depends on what is currently in the rest of the system (the block + the expansion bottle).

The radiator in a manual tranny car has 6.8 quarts, and in an auto car has 7.4. The coolant bottle has about a quart + or -. Then there's the volume of the engine block, hoses, etc. If you just completed a flush so the engine block is all water, then you'd want to put in more than a 50-50 mixture. If you think that the coolant/water in the block was about 50-50, then add a 50-50 mix.

I personally agree that you should have one of those little thingies that measure the coolant mixture, and tell you to what temperature you are protected. A 50-50 mix will get you down to around -35 degrees I believe, but that's not the only value of antifreeze. The other is corrosion resistance. I refill after a flush, let the engine warm up enough to open the thermostat (thereby mixing the block and radiator fluids), then check the mixture with the tester. If it needs more antifreeze, I drain some fluid out and add 100% antifreeze. If it's too much, ditto but add water.

I don't know what to say about Dr Snooz's comment about distilled water. I think it goes against the prevailing wisdom, and in my own case the difference between using my well water compared to distilled water was that when I started with distilled my coolant stayed green and clear much longer. But if he still used traditional coolant I think Snooz definitely ought to stick with the premixed. Reading his post, I can just imagine him in a holding cell, raving about mixing antifreeze. Whew! Thank god premix came along before it was too late for him :)

I would buy a branded anti-freeze, mixed or not. I think the most important thing about the stuff for our cars is that it be VISIBLE. Most of the expansion bottles are pretty crudded up by now (they can be cleaned, do a search), and it's hard to see the fluid level in them. If you're using Prestone or some other yellow stuff, when it mixes, it's really hard to see. A dark coolant like Peak makes it much easier. The typical failure mode for coolant leaks is that, if there is no obvious geyser or steam jet, the car will soldier along, with the coolant loss being replaced by the volume in the bottle, until there isn't anything left. Then (at least in a fuelie car, don't know about carbed), the last warning is when the idle stabilizer valve will start to malfunction (the idle will start to fluctuate) because of an air bubble in the coolant. Ultimately the gauge will start climbing, and if you don't notice it at that point, you can overheat things and maybe warp the head, blowing the head gasket and necessitating some unpleasant work or expense. All because you didn't keep track of the fluid.

lostforawhile
12-15-2010, 10:34 PM
I bought the gallon of full strength Prestone antifreeze and a gallon of distilled water.

Just to clarify, should I pour in the whole gallon of full strength antifreeze and the gallon of distilled water into a bucket, mix it, then pour the whole thing in to the radiator correct?

Thanks :banghead:

yep, you'll end up with two gallons of coolant,what doesn't fit goes back in the bottle for next time

lostforawhile
12-15-2010, 10:46 PM
Hon-Duh, what you are trying to do is end up with a clean cooling system, pretty close to a 50-50 mix of coolant and distilled water. So how much of each you add to the radiator depends on what is currently in the rest of the system system (the block + the expansion bottle).

The radiator in a manual tranny car has 6.8 quarts, and in an auto car has 7.4. The coolant bottle has about a quart + or -. Then there's the volume of the engine block, hoses, etc. If you just completed a flush so the engine block is all water, then you'd want to put in more than a 50-50 mixture. If you think that the coolant/water in the block was about 50-50, then add a 50-50 mix.

I personally agree that you should have one of those little thingies that measure the coolant mixture, and tell you to what temperature you are protected. A 50-50 mix will get you down to around -35 degrees I believe, but that's not the only value of antifreeze. The other is corrosion resistance. I refill after a flush, let the engine warm up enough to open the thermostat (thereby mixing the block and radiator fluids), then check the mixture with the tester. If it needs more antifreeze, I drain some fluid out and add 100% antifreeze. If it's too much, ditto but add water.

I don't know what to say about Dr Snooz's comment about distilled water. I think it goes against the prevailing wisdom, and in my own case the difference between using my well water compared to distilled water was that when I started with distilled my coolant stayed green and clear much longer. But if he still used traditional coolant I think Snooz definitely ought to stick with the premixed. Reading his post, I can just imagine him in a holding cell, raving about mixing antifreeze. Whew! Thank god premix came along before it was too late for him :)

I would buy a branded anti-freeze, mixed or not. I think the most important thing about the stuff for our cars is that it be VISIBLE. Most of the expansion bottles are pretty crudded up by now (they can be cleaned, do a search), and it's hard to see the fluid level in them. If you're using Prestone or some other yellow stuff, when it mixes, it's really hard to see. A dark coolant like Peak makes it much easier. The typical failure mode for coolant leaks is that, if there is no obvious geyser or steam jet, the car will soldier along, with the coolant loss being replaced by the volume in the bottle, until there isn't anything left. Then (at least in a fuelie car, don't know about carbed), the last warning is when the idle stabilizer valve will start to malfunction (the idle will start to fluctuate) because of an air bubble in the coolant. Ultimately the gauge will start climbing, and if you don't notice it at that point, you can overheat things and maybe warp the head, blowing the head gasket and necessitating some unpleasant work or expense. All because you didn't keep track of the fluid.

the antifreeze is designed to be mixed with distilled water, thats what they use in the premix, it won't leach the aluminum because of the corrosion inhibitors in the antifreeze, however the minerals in regular tap water will when heated. it's interesting about the radiator, i didn't know the auto radiator held more, the replacement one i got was an auto and it fit right in, I just don't use the cooler in it. that would mean the auto radiator has more capacity and better cooling capability

HON-DUH
12-16-2010, 06:22 PM
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DBMaster
12-17-2010, 09:02 AM
I had a little cooling system mishap this week. I actually bought a brand new overflow bottle a few weeks ago that turned out to be unnecessary, but it sure is nice to be able to see the coolant level clearly.

To make a long story short, my thermostat physically cracked in such a way that it could not open. I'm driving along and then see the temperature gauge climbing right up to the top. The overflow bottle was percolating like an old coffee pot and coolant was all over the ground. I had to leave the car in a parking lot overnight and change the stat the next morning. Fortunately, that's all it was, but how weird. The stat was a genuine Honda part that was replaced in 2006 when I last did the timing belt. I always change the stat when I replace the water pump. I have NEVER seen a stat crack apart like that!

w261w261
12-17-2010, 11:15 AM
.... The stat was a genuine Honda part that was replaced in 2006 when I last did the timing belt....

It's been a credo of mine that I always buy Honda OEM, just for the peace of mind. Reading about your thermostat, I wonder if it was a one-in-a-million thing or now one-in-a-thousand. I hope that Honda is still as relentless with their QC as I had assumed they used to be.

I mention this because a couple of years ago - maybe 25k miles ago - I put in hew half-shafts from Honda. One of them has started to click on turns, not much, but definitely there. All the boots are fine. That shouldn't be happening, but it is.

lostforawhile
12-17-2010, 12:30 PM
It's been a credo of mine that I always buy Honda OEM, just for the peace of mind. Reading about your thermostat, I wonder if it was a one-in-a-million thing or now one-in-a-thousand. I hope that Honda is still as relentless with their QC as I had assumed they used to be.

I mention this because a couple of years ago - maybe 25k miles ago - I put in hew half-shafts from Honda. One of them has started to click on turns, not much, but definitely there. All the boots are fine. That shouldn't be happening, but it is.

judging from this 98 civic that has stuff failing that shouldn't be failing at it's mileage, I would say their quality control is crap now. From working on both cars, the quality of the 86 is much better then the 98 as far parts. things have failed like welds and electrical connectors that simply shouldn't be failing in a Honda. the quality of everything in the car is closer to an early Ford Taurus then a Japanese car, They built their early success on the 70's and 80's cars being bulletproof, now the quality of everything they have has declined, and they are simply riding on their early success. I also have noticed the higher end cars like the accords and the Acura line seem to get better parts and quality then the lower end models.

Ichiban
12-17-2010, 12:46 PM
It's good stuff if you don't want to fart around with disposing of gallons of coolant each year.



I just pour it in a bush.


LOL^^

Or, in my case, if you have a reverse osmosis system you can use the water right out of that. I agree that the premix is for people who don't work on cars - just to have around to top off the system. If they have any issues that would actually require REPLACING the coolant they'd have to go to a mechanic.

Yep, my RO water goes into coolant, batteries, etc.


I bought the gallon of full strength Prestone antifreeze and a gallon of distilled water.

Just to clarify, should I pour in the whole gallon of full strength antifreeze and the gallon of distilled water into a bucket, mix it, then pour the whole thing in to the radiator correct?

Thanks :banghead:

Yes.

w261w261
12-17-2010, 01:20 PM
judging from this 98 civic that has stuff failing that shouldn't be failing at it's mileage, I would say their quality control is crap now. From working on both cars, the quality of the 86 is much better then the 98 as far parts. things have failed like welds and electrical connectors that simply shouldn't be failing in a Honda. the quality of everything in the car is closer to an early Ford Taurus then a Japanese car, They built their early success on the 70's and 80's cars being bulletproof, now the quality of everything they have has declined, and they are simply riding on their early success. I also have noticed the higher end cars like the accords and the Acura line seem to get better parts and quality then the lower end models.

Around '05, I bought my son a used '98 EX (I forget the model; it didn't have leather but did have a sunroof). The car, starting with the absence of folding mirrors (!), and ending with the poor paint and rubbery steering, was for me a disappointment. You would never know the same company built my SE-i and that auto. They had really pulled out the content over 9 years.

car6289
12-17-2010, 01:46 PM
I have always used full strength Prestone mixed 50/50 with tap water. I change the coolant every two years regardless of mileage. I have never had any issues except hose failure due to age/neglect.

Dr_Snooz
12-17-2010, 03:49 PM
I don't know what to say about Dr Snooz's comment about distilled water. I think it goes against the prevailing wisdom, and in my own case the difference between using my well water compared to distilled water was that when I started with distilled my coolant stayed green and clear much longer. But if he still used traditional coolant I think Snooz definitely ought to stick with the premixed. Reading his post, I can just imagine him in a holding cell, raving about mixing antifreeze. Whew! Thank god premix came along before it was too late for him :)


:rofl:

Bglad420
12-17-2010, 04:34 PM
Nothing wrong with premix. I use Honda Blue and it's premixed. and $$$ But it's the best stuff to use in a Honda.

lostforawhile
12-17-2010, 05:05 PM
Nothing wrong with premix. I use Honda Blue and it's premixed. and $$$ But it's the best stuff to use in a Honda.

you know they don't make it right? it's probably the same stuff you can buy over the counter thats in a rebranded bottle. I've used plain old prestone in the yellow bottle, for many years and it's always worked just fine. It's just like Honda oil filters most of them are made by the same company that makes fram. The dealer sells items like that because they can raise the price and make a huge profit. The only exception would probably be the Honda manual transmission fluid, and the Hondabond gasket sealer, It's probably available under a common brand name, but I haven't figured out which one yet. I remember in the 80's, the Local dealer used to sell Honda brand motor oil, it was something like 4 bucks a quart,which was a lot in the 80's, the top corner of the bottle used to say Honda, and then it said Castrol GTX on the bottle. it was the same oil as in the store, but cost a lot more because it said honda, and people would pay good money for it!!

Dr_Snooz
12-17-2010, 07:04 PM
I think the Honda Blue is just ordinary long life coolant with cool blue coloring.

http://www.team-integra.net/forum/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=1&TopicID=119246&PagePosition=1&ThreadPage=1

w261w261
12-17-2010, 08:56 PM
<< I remember in the 80's, the Local dealer used to sell Honda brand motor oil, it was something like 4 bucks a quart,which was a lot in the 80's, the top corner of the bottle used to say Honda, and then it said Castrol GTX on the bottle. it was the same oil as in the store, but cost a lot more because it said honda, and people would pay good money for it!! >>

I remember some years ago, that Ferrari was using some parts that were also in Fiats, only when they came from Enzo's place they cost a staggering amount more, like 10x.

89T
12-17-2010, 09:10 PM
^^ All I use is GTX, as for coolant .... there is really a thread about it.

As for my input throw in some water weter. just saying. lol.

88Accord-DX
12-17-2010, 11:56 PM
Anti-freeze (coolant) is basically the same stuff when it comes to (green) ethylene glycol & (orange) Dex-cool. The way I see it, it's who puts their name on it, makes it more expensive. NOW, when it comes to your more newer cars, each car manufacturer has their own specific "dealer recommended" brand, such as Ford & Chrysler & so on. With newer vehicles, you can run into some problems using the wrong coolant. Probably the most important thing, is to change out your coolant out every two years with these vehicles. If you switch out to orange, then every 5 years. Last but not least is use some DISTILLED water!.. I think pre-di-luted stuff if a RIPP-OFF personally, but you be the judge.

ON a side note. if you change out your thermostat, use a good one!. OEM or at least fail-safe... Knock offs will give you headaches in the long run. (just seen failure to many times for the "do it yourselfers")

Dr_Snooz
12-18-2010, 11:29 AM
I don't think the orange and green coolants are compatible. The Dex-Cool is reputed to be a lifetime fill, but I've read a number of mechanics who say to get rid of the Dex-Cool as soon as you can and run green coolant. Dex-Cool seems to have a lot of problems with rust and cooling system damage. There are class action lawsuits under way. If you combine green with orange, you get a sludge that stops coolant flow and destroys the engine.

88Accord-DX
12-18-2010, 08:42 PM
I don't think the orange and green coolants are compatible.

Yeah, they aren't compatible. What I was trying to say, is they are basically the same stuff when it comes to name brands. (aka Prestone, Peak, etc.) I don't see much if any "better brand" of anti-freeze when it comes to them two types.
Yes, Dex-Cool has been to known to eat away at intake manifold gaskets, especially in GM 3.1 & 3.4 engines. I've probably change out around 50-75 of them to Fel-pro "problem solver" intake gasket sets.

Dr_Snooz
12-19-2010, 09:18 AM
^^^ I agree. There doesn't seem to be a lot of difference between the brands. Every so often a manufacturer gets in the news for selling colored water, but I haven't seen that for some time. It's great, the toothpaste makers put antifreeze in the toothpaste and the antifreeze makers put water in the antifreeze. Good grief.

PeterNtheWolf
12-28-2010, 10:32 AM
some offer more protection, by last longer and more for heavy duty, but chemically they are the same.

dont buy the packages with 50/50 water/anti-freeze, they also are a waste of money

just make sure not to use mineral water

DBMaster
12-28-2010, 10:52 AM
Mineral water? Hey, if I want my car to run like an Italian sports car can I fill with 50/50 coolant and S. Pellegrino? :)

lostforawhile
12-28-2010, 11:36 AM
you want water free of minerals, i just found out the Lincoln takes 19 quarts!! almost five gallons!!!!

griffonks
12-28-2010, 01:28 PM
yes, I just did the intake mani gasket in my 3.4L 2000 impala, the dexcool may not have eaten the cheap plastic original gasket but it did sludge up. I couldn't find any evidence that the dex had leaked into the bottom end, or that oil had leaked into the dex, just an antifreeze leak to the outside of the block.

That impala is running great now as I changed the sparkplugs and plug wires- the rear ones were difficult to reach so the original ones stayed there until I took the intake, plenum and fuel rails off.

I hate the DEX! All Green now.

forrest89sei
12-28-2010, 05:22 PM
I Use Prestone 50/50 Premix in The Mercedes and the Chevy
I use Honda Blue OEM Coolant in the CR-V

Dr_Snooz
12-28-2010, 08:49 PM
yes, I just did the intake mani gasket in my 3.4L 2000 impala, the dexcool may not have eaten the cheap plastic original gasket but it did sludge up. I couldn't find any evidence that the dex had leaked into the bottom end, or that oil had leaked into the dex, just an antifreeze leak to the outside of the block.

That impala is running great now as I changed the sparkplugs and plug wires- the rear ones were difficult to reach so the original ones stayed there until I took the intake, plenum and fuel rails off.

I hate the DEX! All Green now.

Did you use the four electrode spark plugs from Bosch that are supposed to last 60k miles?

Ichiban
12-28-2010, 10:35 PM
I use Dexcool in my Toyota, as it was the only thing the army had laying around for me to steal when I rebuilt the engine. Unfortunately, I usually stab something through the rad or pooch a rad hose well before the 5 year change interval, but I see no corrosion/erosion on any of the surfaces. It'll be nice to not have to change it for another 4.29709134590876 years though.

I filled the B20A in my 82 with green coolant, because, well, I had to buy it. Since I left the car at home, and I'm not going to be driving it until the summer, I'm basically gonna have to change the coolant as soon as I drive it again. Looks like I'll be killing another bush with 1 year old coolant that has like 64 kilometers on it....

Green coolant sucks. Seriously. If you think otherwise, you either work for a green coolant company, or are :nuts:

lostforawhile
12-28-2010, 10:53 PM
I use Dexcool in my Toyota, as it was the only thing the army had laying around for me to steal when I rebuilt the engine. Unfortunately, I usually stab something through the rad or pooch a rad hose well before the 5 year change interval, but I see no corrosion/erosion on any of the surfaces. It'll be nice to not have to change it for another 4.29709134590876 years though.

I filled the B20A in my 82 with green coolant, because, well, I had to buy it. Since I left the car at home, and I'm not going to be driving it until the summer, I'm basically gonna have to change the coolant as soon as I drive it again. Looks like I'll be killing another bush with 1 year old coolant that has like 64 kilometers on it....

Green coolant sucks. Seriously. If you think otherwise, you either work for a green coolant company, or are :nuts:why would you have to change it again? if it's fresh it's not going to just break down

DBMaster
12-29-2010, 06:40 AM
Honda OEM coolant may not be labeled as "extended life," but it is similar to DexCool formulations in that it is silicate free. That's really the key here. The Super Tech long life coolant from Wal Mart happens to be green - it's just dye, after all. I have even used Sierra (propylene glycol) coolant in the distant past. My cooling system is still clean and quite well functioning.