coolants again!

[lexi]

I checked out Citroen PRO coolant at dealers. It is seemingly just Ethylene Glycol from what it says on the tin.
He only had a litre anyways, so I ordered this red stuff for Donk : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291368746952? ... EBIDX%3AIT" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I will flush out and run with plain water, flush again to make sure. Flippin fancy coloured coolant! I take that is ok?

[RichardW]

That'll be fine - it's all ethylene glyocl - that provides the antifreeze capabilities. What's different is the corrosion inhibitors added - modern stuff is OAT which is good for 5 years; older (usually blue...) stuff only 2 years.

[lexi]

Cheers mate!

[Zelandeth]

Yep, that will be fine so long as the system is thoroughly flushed. Either is fine to use, the only issues sometimes occur when the two types of coolant mix as it can result in cystalline deposits forming. So long as you do a decent flush though it will be fine with either type.

[BX]

Your Citroën probably had gl12+ in it originally anyway. The colour is to differentiate it from the old fashioned stuff. The stuff you linked on eBay is already diluted. If you are flushing out the car one 5L will not be enough, you will need another container of coolant or else further dilute what you are getting.

[lexi]

Hi BX. I am going to flush with water. I have 10 litres of the coolant coming today. I prefer to buy diluted coolant as there is not an issue then with tap water.
I would assume that distilled water has been used in these coolants to dilute.

[Old-Guy]

Hi BX. I am going to flush with water. I have 10 litres of the coolant coming today. I prefer to buy diluted coolant as there is not an issue then with tap water.
I would assume that distilled water has been used in these coolants to dilute.

I'd hope so - provided it's from a reputable source rather than someone mixing up from a 250L drum of concentrate in their garage!

Flushing with water is a good idea, but use rain water as some will left in the cooling system and don't forget that this will further dilute your ready-diluted coolant, so it will be more like 55/45 than 50/50.

[lexi]

I will put a cloth over a hose and blow through with airline. With some cars (like V6 Vel Satis) this is the manufacturers method to get all fluid out. They have no engine or rad drain plugs man!

[BX]

I wouldnt worry so much about the water. I know that many areas have very hard water that scales up kettles etc. In your cooling system this is not likely to happen. If you just get the lime from the 5 litres or so that you use each time you change the coolant (every 5 years) the build up will be very small, unlike a kettle which is likely to boil 5L or more water every day. That said if i was in a hard water area i would prefer to use rain water. Rain water is no problem round here. Two dry days in succession is a drought. This year dry spells are measured in minutes.

[Stickyfinger]

we are talking about £2-3 worth of distilled water here are we not ?

[Old-Guy]

I wouldnt worry so much about the water. I know that many areas have very hard water that scales up kettles etc. In your cooling system this is not likely to happen. If you just get the lime from the 5 litres or so that you use each time you change the coolant (every 5 years) the build up will be very small, unlike a kettle which is likely to boil 5L or more water every day. That said if i was in a hard water area i would prefer to use rain water. Rain water is no problem round here. Two dry days in succession is a drought. This year dry spells are measured in minutes.

Lime-scale is irrelevant. ALL dissolved mineral salts in tap water WILL cause galvanic corrosion because a variety of different metals are exposed to coolant within the cooling system. The corrosion inhibitors in anti-freeze do just that - INHIBIT not PREVENT.