Omega Owners Forum

Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: Andy A on 24 May 2020, 19:35:25

Title: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: Andy A on 24 May 2020, 19:35:25
Family cars at the moment are all petrol.

Fiat Seicento 1.1 2002, Omega 2003 2.2, Audi A4 2.0T FSI 2005, Nissan Note 1.6 2006 and a Honda 2009.

Is there one antifreeze/coolant that I can use for all the cars?

I normally go with a 20l container of the GM.

I've noticed that a lot of them are g12 and g13. I've seen some G13 ready mix.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20L-MANNOL-AG13-GREEN-Antifreeze-Coolant-Concentrated-to-40-C-LONGLIFE-J1034/202822364966?epid=26015296874&hash=item2f3927af26:g:3V4AAOSwF3BesDy8
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: Andy B on 24 May 2020, 19:45:10
I wouldn't have thought it made much difference which one you use as long as you flush out what ever is already in the system & don't mix it
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: BazaJT on 24 May 2020, 21:30:16
The trouble with older cars unless you know their history is that you're depending on them having in what they're supposed to have.There are as far as I know three types 1 Non-OAT that's the ethylene glycol[usually blue] 2 OAT and 3 HOAT you certainly can't mix 1 with 2 or 3,whether you can mix 2 and 3 I don't know and how you tell what's in there already I don't know either.As Andy B says your best bet is to really flush the entire system and then refill with whichever you want.
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 24 May 2020, 22:15:21
Not so fast...

They're designed to work with different engine materials, so using an inappropriate coolant for engine material could end in tears.

'Waterless' coolant may be the way forward but it's relatively expensive, and you'll still need to confirm compatibility.

That said, it could be a genuine one for all solution  :y
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: Keith ABS on 25 May 2020, 07:38:39
 I have been hearing that the waterless coolant does not bode well with aluminium head engines
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: Rangie on 25 May 2020, 07:47:08
Drain & check the manual simple.
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: biggriffin on 25 May 2020, 07:57:23
The only fly in that lot is the Audi, the rest will quite happily use red GM, check Manual, and act accordingly,, 
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: ronnyd on 25 May 2020, 15:51:20
Drain & check the manual simple.
Quite correct, but doesn,t help the OPs original question as to using same for all his marques.  :-\
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: Rangie on 25 May 2020, 16:19:40
Then check all the manuals.
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: ronnyd on 25 May 2020, 16:27:15
Then check all the manuals.
Thought that's what you meant.  ;D
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: Rangie on 25 May 2020, 16:31:52
Then check all the manuals.
Thought that's what you meant.  ;D
.   

It's the easiest way, I've had to buy cold climate fluid for the RR something I'd never heard of before  it's far better to read the manual than rely on folk guessing , the cold climate is for the power steering & dynamic response resovoir.
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 26 May 2020, 09:03:22
The only fly in that lot is the Audi, the rest will quite happily use red GM, check Manual, and act accordingly,,

This, most manufacturers were onto OAT based coolant in the late 90s.
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: Andy B on 26 May 2020, 09:42:23
Who'd have thought that coolant could be so complicated ...... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifreeze  :-\
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: Andy A on 03 June 2020, 10:24:48
I'm putting the GM in the fiat and keeping it in the Omega.

Audi coolant at the moment is up to G13 after from G12 to G12+, then G12++ and now G13. how confusing is that.

What's your thoughts on people calling Dex-Cool, Death-kill?

I took my old rad apart after reading about it to have a look the other day and found brown muddy slippery substance in the rad.  :o

Coolant changed every time the cam belt was every 4 years.
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 03 June 2020, 10:37:20
You can't undo what the previous owners did/didn't do ;)

Flush it a couple of times when you next change it  :y
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: Andy B on 03 June 2020, 11:21:49
I've just used Forte coolant flush with great success!  :y
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: JasonH on 03 June 2020, 11:22:04
I standardised all my cars on Prestone yellow, after Ford gave me some yellow stuff (which I paid over the odds for trying to get the exact red Ford coolant). I've used it in GM, Ford and BMW cars.

https://www.holtsauto.com/prestone/products/coolant-antifreeze-ready-use/#:~:text=Prestone%20Coolant%20is%20the%20number,Add%20to%20any%20coolant%2Fantifreeze (https://www.holtsauto.com/prestone/products/coolant-antifreeze-ready-use/#:~:text=Prestone%20Coolant%20is%20the%20number,Add%20to%20any%20coolant%2Fantifreeze)

I've drained it out of one or two cars after a few years for maintenance like water pump changes and it still looked good. No sign of sludge or anything. I do mix it with distilled water though.
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: STEMO on 03 June 2020, 11:33:11
I standardised all my cars on Prestone yellow, after Ford gave me some yellow stuff (which I paid over the odds for trying to get the exact red Ford coolant). I've used it in GM, Ford and BMW cars.

https://www.holtsauto.com/prestone/products/coolant-antifreeze-ready-use/#:~:text=Prestone%20Coolant%20is%20the%20number,Add%20to%20any%20coolant%2Fantifreeze (https://www.holtsauto.com/prestone/products/coolant-antifreeze-ready-use/#:~:text=Prestone%20Coolant%20is%20the%20number,Add%20to%20any%20coolant%2Fantifreeze)

I've drained it out of one or two cars after a few years for maintenance like water pump changes and it still looked good. No sign of sludge or anything. I do mix it with distilled water though.
Just ordered a litre of that from Amazon for £6  :y
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: Andy A on 04 June 2020, 09:02:58
I standardised all my cars on Prestone yellow, after Ford gave me some yellow stuff (which I paid over the odds for trying to get the exact red Ford coolant). I've used it in GM, Ford and BMW cars.

https://www.holtsauto.com/prestone/products/coolant-antifreeze-ready-use/#:~:text=Prestone%20Coolant%20is%20the%20number,Add%20to%20any%20coolant%2Fantifreeze (https://www.holtsauto.com/prestone/products/coolant-antifreeze-ready-use/#:~:text=Prestone%20Coolant%20is%20the%20number,Add%20to%20any%20coolant%2Fantifreeze)

I've drained it out of one or two cars after a few years for maintenance like water pump changes and it still looked good. No sign of sludge or anything. I do mix it with distilled water though.

That Prestone coolant. Is it yellow or clear coolant in the container?
Title: Re: Antifreez coolant question
Post by: JasonH on 04 June 2020, 09:29:04
The coolant is a yellowy green colour.

You can buy it pre-diluted or neat. I think I've seen it in Asda. I buy the neat stuff from Costco.

When you first drain the old coolant, even with a flush, some of the old stuff remains in the block so I have a slight blue tinge in one car and a slight pink tinge in another!