which coolant to top off

[alf]

Hi,

my both subies are running low on coolant - I do not see anything on the
bottom of the reserve canister (however in the radiator itself it
seems be okay). So I need to top off what is missing.

I did the homework, googled usent and Internet but have not reach the
conclusion.

So far I see following possibilities:
-yellow Prestone
-Zerex G-05 (fount at Murrays and Autozone for $11/gal)
-ROTELLA® ELC (on the bottle lable they claim it is phosphate-free and
silicate-free) - here are more detqail:
http://www.shell-lubricants.com/products/rotella_elc.html



Also from our group research I assume that DEX-COOL based products are
not worth consideration.

I also checked with the dealer - they do not use/sell OEM at all while
insteed Mobil and Motorcraft product @ $20/gal.


So please advice what I should do, thx in advance.

Andy

 

[Josh Assing]

If you're not that low; just add some water.

Hi,

my both subies are running low on coolant - I do not see anything on the
bottom of the reserve canister (however in the radiator itself it
seems be okay). So I need to top off what is missing.

I did the homework, googled usent and Internet but have not reach the
conclusion.

So far I see following possibilities:
-yellow Prestone
-Zerex G-05 (fount at Murrays and Autozone for $11/gal)
-ROTELLA® ELC (on the bottle lable they claim it is phosphate-free and
silicate-free) - here are more detqail:
http://www.shell-lubricants.com/products/rotella_elc.html



Also from our group research I assume that DEX-COOL based products are
not worth consideration.

I also checked with the dealer - they do not use/sell OEM at all while
insteed Mobil and Motorcraft product @ $20/gal.


So please advice what I should do, thx in advance.

Andy

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[Todd H.]

Hi,

my both subies are running low on coolant - I do not see anything on
the bottom of the reserve canister (however in the radiator itself it
seems be okay). So I need to top off what is missing.

I did the homework, googled usent and Internet but have not reach the
conclusion.

So far I see following possibilities:
-yellow Prestone
-Zerex G-05 (fount at Murrays and Autozone for $11/gal)
-ROTELLA® ELC (on the bottle lable they claim it is phosphate-free
and silicate-free) - here are more detqail:
http://www.shell-lubricants.com/products/rotella_elc.html


Also from our group research I assume that DEX-COOL based products are
not worth consideration.

How come? You don't mention what model/year your subies are.

I also checked with the dealer - they do not use/sell OEM at all while
insteed Mobil and Motorcraft product @ $20/gal.

The consequences of using hte wrong stuff are high enough in a cooling
system that I'd personally save my time nad cheerfully pony up the
extra $9 at the dealer and know I had the right stuff.

Best Regards,

 

[BobN]

I'm a fan of Rotella products. I use their diesel truck oil in my Subie as
it has extra acid-neutralizers and other protective stuff. If it's
silicate-free and phosphate-free, and is cost-competitive, I'd use it. I
used the yellow bottle Prestone (all-color, silicate-free) on my last
change, and it's fine, too.

 

[alf]

How come? You don't mention what model/year your subies are.

both are 2002: Impreza 2.5TS and regular Outback MT. it was referred to
as death-cool and I saw pictures of damaged water pump too while Zerex
G-05 seemed to be preferred.

The consequences of using hte wrong stuff are high enough in a cooling
system that I'd personally save my time nad cheerfully pony up the
extra $9 at the dealer and know I had the right stuff.

it is not about $9 (+tax difference but about understanding the details.

and dealership knowing that right - saw things as weird as fixing
windows squeaky sound with WD-40. All 'treatment' wound up with the
bottom part of the window itself being covert by the thin layer of the
WD-40 hard to get rid of ...

 

[alf]

I'm a fan of Rotella products.

I use rotella 5W-40 in my bike (Yamaha FZ-1 12K5 rpm readline) and
subies too now.

That SLC coolant seems be good quality too, but I do not want to be
first, you know ...

 

[alf]

If you're not that low; just add some water.

one of my car saw -6F last year in north WI - will not it raise the
freezing point of the coolant too much?

 

[Josh Assing]

it will raise it. however, if you're talking a pint of fluid to the "low" mark;
buying a gallon of antifreeze & mixining it 50/50 and adding it vs a pint of
water, in teh end, the % difference will be barely noticable.

If you're worried - and don't want to mix the two types -- do a full flush,
refill & remember what was used for the next time.

one of my car saw -6F last year in north WI - will not it raise the
freezing point of the coolant too much?

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[Rick Courtright]

my both subies are running low on coolant - I do not see anything on the
bottom of the reserve canister (however in the radiator itself it
seems be okay). So I need to top off what is missing.

Hi,

If what's in there now is greenish/yellow colored, suggest regular ol'
Prestone (that's now labeled "mixes with all coolants" or something like
that), mixed 50-50 w/ DISTILLED water. If it's reddish/orange colored,
find out what's in there and add the same, or drain, flush REALLY WELL,
and refill the entire system w/ Prestone/distilled water (a good idea
every two years or so, regardless of what the advertising is about how
long a particular coolant lasts.) And, unless you like spending too much
money, or, heaven forbid, don't know how to mix equal parts of
substances to get a 50-50 mix, don't buy the "pre-mixed" stuff: you're
just spending a LOT on a half gallon of "de-ionized" water!

The "no phosphate" and "no silicate" warnings are more for preservation
of cooling systems from the chemical interactions w/ various "stuff" in
tap water for those who just pour water from a hose into their systems
than because of any inherent "evil" in the coolant itself. Using
DISTILLED water negates most of the "problems."

Some worry of premature wear on water pumps w/ silicate bearing
coolants. I don't know if there's any truth to that. I've used
Prestone/distilled water for close to thirty years, and my water pumps
generally last LONGER than most people I know who aren't picky about
what goes in their systems.

Just a few personal cars to illustrate:

Subie--360k miles, 1 w/p (at 300k+), radiator replaced at 250k+ due to
some clogging (I got this car at 209k, and I don't know what the
previous owner used, but I suspect he wasn't picky, judging by other
items on the car. I wonder if the radiator would still be good had I
gotten it new? My Subie parts guy confirmed from some date code that the
w/p was original.)

Toyota Camry--236k miles, 1 w/p (forget the exact mileage but it was
past 150k), radiator replaced at 180k+ miles due to impact damage from
road hazard

Toyota p/u--136k miles, original pump, radiator "perfect"

VW Rabbit--189k miles, 1 w/p at 125k+, radiator replaced at 110k+ miles
due to impact damage from road hazard

Both the replaced radiators were "perfect" with respect to cleanliness.
Now if we could just get the gravel trucks to stop throwing rocks...
both the radiator and windshield guys would have a lot more leisure
time!

IMO, there's a bit too much worry in general on the internet about what
coolant to use. However, there IS documented evidence of serious
problems when mixing Dexcool spec coolants w/ non-Dexcool spec fluids.
There CAN be chemical interactions that will kill your cooling system.
The "possible offenders" are generally colored reddish or orange (except
for Toyota, who has sold "red" conventional coolant for years--it's a
brand ID thing with them, I guess.)

Rick

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

alf wrote:




Hi,

If what's in there now is greenish/yellow colored, suggest regular ol'
Prestone (that's now labeled "mixes with all coolants" or something like
that), mixed 50-50 w/ DISTILLED water. If it's reddish/orange colored,
find out what's in there and add the same, or drain, flush REALLY WELL,
and refill the entire system w/ Prestone/distilled water (a good idea
every two years or so, regardless of what the advertising is about how
long a particular coolant lasts.) And, unless you like spending too much
money, or, heaven forbid, don't know how to mix equal parts of
substances to get a 50-50 mix, don't buy the "pre-mixed" stuff: you're
just spending a LOT on a half gallon of "de-ionized" water!

The "no phosphate" and "no silicate" warnings are more for preservation
of cooling systems from the chemical interactions w/ various "stuff" in
tap water for those who just pour water from a hose into their systems
than because of any inherent "evil" in the coolant itself. Using
DISTILLED water negates most of the "problems."

Some worry of premature wear on water pumps w/ silicate bearing
coolants. I don't know if there's any truth to that. I've used
Prestone/distilled water for close to thirty years, and my water pumps
generally last LONGER than most people I know who aren't picky about
what goes in their systems.

Just a few personal cars to illustrate:

Subie--360k miles, 1 w/p (at 300k+), radiator replaced at 250k+ due to
some clogging (I got this car at 209k, and I don't know what the
previous owner used, but I suspect he wasn't picky, judging by other
items on the car. I wonder if the radiator would still be good had I
gotten it new? My Subie parts guy confirmed from some date code that the
w/p was original.)

Toyota Camry--236k miles, 1 w/p (forget the exact mileage but it was
past 150k), radiator replaced at 180k+ miles due to impact damage from
road hazard

Toyota p/u--136k miles, original pump, radiator "perfect"

VW Rabbit--189k miles, 1 w/p at 125k+, radiator replaced at 110k+ miles
due to impact damage from road hazard

Both the replaced radiators were "perfect" with respect to cleanliness.
Now if we could just get the gravel trucks to stop throwing rocks...
both the radiator and windshield guys would have a lot more leisure
time!

IMO, there's a bit too much worry in general on the internet about what
coolant to use. However, there IS documented evidence of serious
problems when mixing Dexcool spec coolants w/ non-Dexcool spec fluids.
There CAN be chemical interactions that will kill your cooling system.
The "possible offenders" are generally colored reddish or orange (except
for Toyota, who has sold "red" conventional coolant for years--it's a
brand ID thing with them, I guess.)

Rick

Good post.
Also, search this group or the web for 'burping subaru cooling system'
or a phrase similar. It can be tricky to get all the air out of the
system if it is opend or has gotten very low.

Carl

 

[mulder]

Hi,

my both subies are running low on coolant - I do not see anything on the
bottom of the reserve canister (however in the radiator itself it
seems be okay). So I need to top off what is missing.

I did the homework, googled usent and Internet but have not reach the
conclusion.

So far I see following possibilities:
-yellow Prestone
-Zerex G-05 (fount at Murrays and Autozone for $11/gal)
-ROTELLA® ELC (on the bottle lable they claim it is phosphate-free and
silicate-free) - here are more detqail:
http://www.shell-lubricants.com/products/rotella_elc.html



Also from our group research I assume that DEX-COOL based products are
not worth consideration.

I also checked with the dealer - they do not use/sell OEM at all while
insteed Mobil and Motorcraft product @ $20/gal.


So please advice what I should do, thx in advance.

Andy

Two readily available "universal" coolants that you can use are the
Prestone "All Makes All Models" (NOT their regular green stuff) and
Peak Global. Both are available in 50/50 premix form so you don't have
to worry about mixing them yourself or using distilled water.
I have used both of these coolants in my Subaru with no issues.