Coolant type for Xantia V6 ?

[Mandrake]

Hi All,

Reposting this question from my blog for a wider audience.

Can anyone tell me whether a 1997 Xantia V6 should use the older Silicate coolant (green/blue) or the newer OAT ? (Orange) It seems that the changeover probably occurred some time in 1997/1998, based on my number plate some sites (like Halfords) list OAT as correct (with an 06/1997 changeover) while others (carparts4less) list Silicate as correct. Since the V6 only first came out in mid 1997 is it possible the V6 immediately came out with OAT and never used Silicate even if other 1997 Xantia's still used Silicate ?

I'm missing the owners manual and I can't find any concrete information online one way or the other as there is too much conflicting information. I need to get 10 litres of ready mix or 5 litres of concentrate to refill when I replace a leaking radiator this weekend. I also have the problem that without a car it's very difficult for me to physically get into a store to buy some during a working week, so I'd prefer to order online ASAP for delivery before the weekend. Anyone have any online recommendations for buying coolant ?

Carparts4less list Triple QX in either Blue or Red formulations for a reasonable price but I haven't heard of the brand before:

http://www.carparts4less.co.uk/cp4l/c/C ... 081&000397

[white exec]

Just a minor point, Simon - take no notice of colour. There is absolutely no standardisation of colour between manufacturers.

[Mandrake]

Just a minor point, Simon - take no notice of colour. There is absolutely no standardisation of colour between manufacturers.

Yes good point.

I can't tell what colour is in there now anyway as the coolant expansion bottle is empty after the leak. So I could only drain some out of the radiator drain plug to inspect it.

For Triple QX looking it up elsewhere their Blue type seems to be their Silicate version, which is what carparts4less is recommending to me based on license plate. (But I never fully trust these automated license plate checks as they sometimes get it wrong! )

[Stickyfinger]

I used the newer type after a very good flush out.

[Mandrake]

I used the newer type after a very good flush out.

If I went that route, what method did you use to flush the system thoroughly ?

What I mean by that, is would you just fill it up with plan water, run the engine for a few minutes to circulate and then drain ? Or do you open a drain plug and put a hose in the expansion vessel and let it run for a while ?

[white exec]

All I could turn up Simon was Citroen's "Private Cars - Xantia" service spec sheets for 2001.
V6 (and all other Xantias) coolants listed are Glysantin G33 and Revcogel 2000.
The first is made by BASF, and is silicate-free, so far as I can see on other sites.
Unsure about Revcogel.

Someone, somewhere must have an Owner's Handbook!
These are not good things to go looking for on the web, as they are a prime source of viruses and other nasties.

My own thorough flushing method is
first, tapwater/hosepipe, forward and backwards
then drain
then refill with distilled/deionised/demineralised water
run engine and drain
fill with chosen coolant

Run system with chosen coolant of that make and type ONLY. Buy some spare. Don't mix makes, colours, types at all.
Some combinations can cause gum, goo, sedimentation...

Citroen sell excellent coolant here, Pro Coolant (code 1135305), for Peugeot/Citroen. Not expensive. 5L ready-to-use.
Use it in XM.

[Mandrake]

A 2001 Xantia would probably have been supplied with OAT yes. But I doubt a 1993 Xantia would have been, so at some point there must have been a transition period.

As long as I thoroughly flush in between there aren't any drawbacks to switching to OAT, only benefits ? In the Triple QX brand the OAT version is only a few quid more and if it will last 5 years instead of 2...

My own thorough flushing method is
first, tapwater/hosepipe, forward and backwards

Forwards and backwards where ? Are you connecting the hose to the radiator top and bottom hoses in turn after the radiator is disconnected ? Won't the closed thermostat prevent much flow from occurring that way ?

[RichardW]

I think I'd too go over to OAT stuff. Refill with water, drain, refill with water, run engine, drain, check for any colouration / smell on the drainings if it looks clear, refill with new coolant, otherwise refill / drain with clean water again.

I'll be around at the weekend if you need a mercy dash!

[superloopy]

My question would be how likely is it that the car has been topped or filled with OAT over the years? Indeed, what have you been using since you purchased? I'd suggest that blue has been used and not OAT so i'm guessing your original question has already been answered and would go for blue over OAT to satisfy your initial doubts. Switching to OAT is a separate issue although i'd not be persuaded to go down that route. Why would you? Does the service schedule indicate less frequent coolant changes and if not then stick with blue [emoji6]

Just checked a couple of owners manuals and they dont specify a coolant type other than that 'recommended by your citroen network dealer'. So ... stick with pre-97 or old-money coolant if colour is of no consequence. I purchased a few bottles of concentrate a while back for use across all cars including my V6 although its not had any use so hasnt been a need to check on its colour or spec.

Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

[Mandrake]

I have topped up a small amount using the old blue silicate type in the past, (maybe half a litre at most) mainly when I replaced the expansion vessel as I had to replace what was lost replacing the vessel. I did this because at the time I thought the old type was correct for 1997 and earlier but now that I'm changing the radiator and doing a complete re-fill and go to buy coolant I find a lot of conflicting information on which it should be, and I don't have an owners manual to refer to either...

Either way I think I'm going to get the Triple QX from carparts4less (I see RAC sell it too) but I'm still undecided whether to go for the Blue Silicate or OAT version. :/ I'm leaning towards Blue though.

Another point we're perhaps not considering is regardless of whether it came with Blue or OAT from the factory, the car was serviced for the first 10 years of its life by Citroen dealers - is it possible they would have flushed the system and replaced it with OAT as part of a later routine service ?

[superloopy]

As i said .. the owners manual doesnt seem to specify a coolant type. You seem to be putting up a hurdle which doesnt need to be crossed in my opinion. Just go with blue and do the checks every two years and you'll be fine.

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[CitroJim]

As i said .. the owners manual doesnt seem to specify a coolant type. You seem to be putting up a hurdle which doesnt need to be crossed in my opinion. Just go with blue and dovthe checks every two years and you'll be fine.

Agreed, it's exactly as I do...

Any cooling system, unless TOTALLY dismantled, is hard to fully flush and the V6 is no exception. The risks of OAT going 'funny' after coming into contact with the traditional EG type is just too much in my book...

[Mandrake]

My worry is if there is OAT in there and I add blue stuff, I cause the exact same problem I'm trying to avoid...As I suspect adding blue to orange is as bad as adding orange to blue ? I think either way I will flush it as thoroughly as I can even if I believe what I am putting in is the same type that was in there before.

Here's another example of conflicting information - I try the comma website, enter my license plate, and this is what it comes up with:

http://www.commaoil.com/passenger-vehic ... s/view/351

OAT....

[CitroJim]

Yes, it is... Just as bad...

Now you say you are not sure what was in there before then I fully understand your caution...

If in any doubt Simon then flush well but you must disconnect all hoses and take particular care with the transmission cooler and heater matrix...

The engine block has a drain cock for each bank which makes life a good bit easier. The block holds a LOT of coolant...

To flush the block, pop the thermostat out and flush into the heads from there with the drain cocks open...

[white exec]

The 'forwards-backwards' was just a suggestion for the radiator (backflushing), and any other bits of the system where you can push water through in the reverse direction to normal flow. Accept this isn't easy on a lot of engines.

I'm not sure whether OAT is unsuited to some engine systems or not. Similarly, Toyota advise against running anything other than long-life coolant (does this mean OAT?) through their engines. This may simply be to avoid the mixing of coolant types, which is known to be unpredicatable and sometimes clogging.

Important to keep tapwater well OUT of the system, hence the recommendation to fill and circulate distilled (etc) after the hosepipe flush. Purists might do this twice...

And, we must all stop referring to coolants by colour! There are some blue OAT types on the market.

I'm also guessing that Citroen didn't much change the mix of metals and other materials that their cooling systems and engines were built with all through the 90s and beyond. As such, I am guessing that it is quite in order to use standard glycol-silicate types in any of our engines, and possibly glycol-OAT types as well . . . provided the two are not mixed. Need authoritative confirmation of this, though. The deciding factor might well just be expected coolant life.