HotRodMatt Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 Hi all, Just a quickie, what colour antifreeze should I be putting in my rebuilt 2.1? Red, blue or green (I'm assuming they have different specs?) or does it not matter? Car will be laid up through winter if this affects the choice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vista Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 Blue should be fine, it's engines with alloy components you need to be more selective about 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotRodMatt Posted June 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 Ah cool, thanks Vista! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie956 Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 I have used Motul Inugel optimal in my cosworth powered Cortina and my dads Essex v6 Cortina, my dads Essex runs noticeably cooler now before it would always get hot in traffic but it stays stable in all conditions now. Got it from Opi oils pre mixed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotRodMatt Posted June 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 Thanks, I'll have a look! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally Pack 2000 Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 No doubt your coolants will probably be slightly different than ours here in Australia but I had a serious problem with coolant in my Pinto this past year and discovered things that I wasnt aware of before. Basically when I went to change the thermostat I found my whole cooling system was choked with green crystals. I had to change all the hoses, change the water pump and thermostat housing and take the heater out and pressure hose all the crystals out from it. When I looked into the cause I found out that most of the concentrates that you mix with water only have a short life of 12 months. The problem was accelerated by the fact the car wasnt driven all that much. I found there are coolants with label reference to "long life" that wont degrade in the same way and would last a few years. I noted that the long life coolants werent available in concentrates but only premixed. The premixed long life coolant has an added advantage that they are mixed with de-mineralised water so as ensure a reasonable life and not tainted by harder waters that may come straight out of your tap depending on region. Im not sure how they label or sell coolants there in Europe but im sure the same parameters would apply. Make sure its long life (3 years) premixed with de-mineralised water. Hope that is helpful. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotRodMatt Posted June 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 Thanks, we have blue, green and red plus I've heard of orange and pink. I've read up a bit since my opening post and it seems blue and green I think have a life of two years before the anti corrosion chemicals break down and the red five years. Don't know about the pink and orange. Good tip on the premixed with demineralised water, wonder if it's the same here in England? Might have to google a bit more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally Pack 2000 Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 We have red, green and blue as well but I think that is brand specific in how they apply each colour for each purpose. The green ones seem to be the longest life and more suggested for all iron lumps but it was also a green concentrate that caused me all the problems. So colour is not a general indicator just one within the brands themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie956 Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 The Motul I mentioned before is pre mixed using deionised water, email opi oils they are very helpful and knowledgeable when recommending coolant's and oils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotRodMatt Posted June 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 I've read deionised water is detrimental to the anti corrosion chemicals, don't know how true it is though. End of the day it could take forever to find one that would be 'perfect'. I'll probably just pour some mid level brand with a two year life in it, there'll no doubt be some point before then when I'll need to drain it to fix something anyway! Lol Thanks to all for their input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now