Coolant

narita · Postby **narita** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:38 pm

So this weekend my alloy rad + thermostat + new hoses are going in the car.

I am just a bit concerned as to what i have been reading on other forums regarding tecaloy concerntrate.

Some say it is not a good idea for alloy radiators.

i am thinking a 30/70 coolant to water ratio and then adding some redline water wetter also.

Could anyone school me on the right coolant for the alloy and what the differences are between red and green?

deviant · Postby **deviant** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:25 pm

The problem with most premix and concentrate coolants is that they are a glycol and anti-freeze mix so are not as good at cooling.

I use distilled water and a corrosion inhibitor like Nulon Ultra Cool which is purely a corrosion inhibitor and contains no anti-freeze or glycol. In Perth I have no need for anti-freeze and water is better than glycol for heat transfer.

Distilled water is cheap enough that once you have drained your system you can refill it with water only and run it up to temperature with the heater on to clean out the old coolant.

ralt · Postby **ralt** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:14 pm

Hi.
If your car has been using green coolant use green. I have been told the formula for red is different and is not compatible with green at all. If you want to run red after using green you must fill with water and flush after a few days and then repeat to ensure you have all the residue of green out. If i was you i would use green tectaloy xtra cool 60000km with tap water or 100000km with distilled water hasn't affected my alloy radiator.

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:25 pm

I'd use distilled water with any coolant.

It's not expensive, and it also means you don't run the risk of having the water pump get clagged up with calcium and sh*t from the tapwater.

Locutus · Postby **Locutus** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 6:14 pm

i just happened to research the same thing last night.

you should only use red coolant in cars which are designed to run red coolant. i think these are generally cars which alloy engine blocks.

green coolant should be used in cars which have mixed metals as part of the cooling system.
e.g. MX5 B6/BP iron block engine, with aluminium radiator.

perhaps it's just marketing but the tectaloy product doesn't seem to meet as many OEM standards as the equivalent nulon product so that might be an indicator that it's an inferior product? in any case make sure you get the concentration right using demineralised water or buy a pre-mix in order to maximise protection against corrosion.

Locutus · Postby **Locutus** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 6:24 pm

deviant wrote:The problem with most premix and concentrate coolants is that they are a glycol and anti-freeze mix so are not as good at cooling.

I use distilled water and a corrosion inhibitor like Nulon Ultra Cool which is purely a corrosion inhibitor and contains no anti-freeze or glycol. In Perth I have no need for anti-freeze and water is better than glycol for heat transfer.

Distilled water is cheap enough that once you have drained your system you can refill it with water only and run it up to temperature with the heater on to clean out the old coolant.

i am currently using ultra cool with no ill effects, however this paragraph from the nulon website is worrying.

Nulon wrote:Where a vehicle manufacturer particularly specifies the use of anti-freeze/anti-boil coolant with glycol it is essential to use it as some engines suffer from localised "hot spot" boiling and require a glycol coolant.

the MX5 service manual does state that an ethylene-glycol coolant must be used. i will be replacing with their green long life product in the coming weeks (it is due to be changed anyway).

narita · Postby **narita** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 6:58 pm

I have tecaloy xtra cool but it has no antifreeze or anti boil is this ok

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 7:01 pm

narita wrote:I have tecaloy xtra cool but it has no antifreeze or anti boil is this ok

The whole point of coolant is to do 3 things:

Raise the boiling point
Lower the freezing point
Prevent rust.

Why not just buy the coolant recommended for the engine, and then just read the label if it's ok with aluminium?
Why make it so complicated?

deviant · Postby **deviant** » Thu Mar 21, 2013 8:45 pm

Depends on the use of the car to.

If it is a daily snotter or road dríven only just go with what is in the manual.

Track cars or forced induction cars need a bit more thought.